Shows
More Than HearingYear A, Lent 5, 2020 – New Life
Hey everyone! We’ve been swamped this week. A lot of new ways of doing ministry has kept us away from producing a show. We are re-posting our episode from three years ago for these texts. You can see our show notes and download our worksheets at this link. Our intention in the next week is to post a video with some suggestions for presenting illustrations and special effects for online worshipping. When we started this podcast five years ago, we never dreamed we would need to distance ourselves from hands on worship. This is a new wo...
2020-03-2731 minMore Than HearingYear A, Lent 4, 2020 – Ultraviolet Light
Hey all! We suspect you are listening to this podcast being careful to keep a social distance from others. The spread of COVID-19 has caught many of us unprepared and is stressing our resources and sense of security. Introverts the world over may be happy to stay away from people while extroverts are itching to get back out to their people as soon as possible. In this episode, David and I spend a little time talking about what this means for worshipping communities in the weeks ahead and offer a prayer I found online. Technology can be a wonderful...
2020-03-1848 minMore Than HearingYear A, Lent 2, 2020 – Trust
Hey all! Welcome! This picture reminds me of a story David tells about our daughter when she was about three. He was packing up to go on a trip – his bag was on the bed, and he was selecting clothing to put into it. Meredith was on the bed, and when David turned to the dresser to pull out some clothes, he heard her say, “Daddy! Catch!” He turned to see her in the air coming toward him. She had committed herself to an irretrievable act of vulnerability, and David had a choice. Of course, he dropped his clothes and ca...
2020-03-0741 minMore Than HearingYear A, Lent 1, 2020 – Tempted
Greetings everyone! We attempt to find pictures that address the theme of each podcast and some weeks it is a lot easier than others. This time, it was like falling out of a tree, just like a well ripened fruit. The Gospel reading and the Genesis reading are about temptation. (Paul makes a connection between the events in his letter to the Romans.) Traditional art and mythos has identified the apple as the fruit given and received in the Garden, but apples likely didn’t grow in the Middle East. I looked up what might have been The Fruit an...
2020-02-2634 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary 5, 2020 – Beach Reading
Hi everyone! Welcome to More Than Hearing – at the beach! We’re at the beach for an annual retreat sponsored by our presbytery. You will notice the difference in two ways; we do not have as much material for illustrations and special effects, and the sound quality is going to be different than usual. My computer was having serious disagreements with the recording equipment, too. It will sound a little “off.” However, we did find some ways to illustrate and demonstrate a few things for these passages.
When we looked at this passage three years ago, we suggeste...
2020-02-0627 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary 4, 2020 – Blessed are You
Hi, everyone! Welcome back! We’re heading into the last month of Ordinary Time before Lent begins in March. The Lectionary will have us looking at the Sermon on the Mount for the next three weeks. We start this week with the Beatitudes. Also included in this week’s readings is Paul’s proclamation that God’s wisdom and strength don’t look like what we expect. The Psalm and Micah have some expectations for how worshipers are to come before the Lord and live their lives.
Check out our episode from three years ago! David had a lot of f...
2020-01-3042 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary Time 3, 2020 – “Light Dawning”
Welcome to the show! We’re glad to have you back with us or joining us for the first time. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, or so it is said. It dispels fear, “the blues”, rumors, and is an antidote to dishonesty. Light runs through the four passages for this Sunday in explicit and implicit ways. In Isaiah and Matthew, God’s light is breaking in on those who live in darkness. The Psalmist declares the Lord is his light, so he praises God for shelter in times of trouble. Paul addresses the report of division in Corinth and attempts...
2020-01-2140 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary Time 2, 2020 – Emerging
Hey, welcome back! I really like the picture above. I love tulips, but we cannot have any around our house, because foraging four-legged critters love them, too! *chomp* We can see what color these will be, but they are not yet fully emerged. The passages for today contain within them elements that are emerging. In the Isaiah passage, the servant that God has chosen is still discovering the mission God wants done through him. The Psalm as it is presented is a sort of “light lament,” but the verses that did not get included emerge as a full lament. Paul...
2020-01-1439 minMore Than HearingYear A, Advent 4, 2019 – Joseph’s Dream
Greetings and welcome! We are running very late this week due to a number of factors, so we decided to concentrate on only the Gospel passage for this Sunday. Matthew starts the story of Jesus’ nativity with the experience of his father, Joseph. We were struck by the ways that Matthew explicitly points to Jesus as Messiah by not only referring to him as Messiah, but by identifying Joseph as Son of David. What other gems are hidden in this well-told story?
If you were really hoping for some illustrations and special effects for Isaiah and Romans, ch...
2019-12-2144 minMore Than HearingYear A, Advent 3, 2019 – Gaudete!!
Hey all!! A couple years ago, in our Year B Advent 3 episode, I used four or five versions of the hymn Gaudete to introduce the episode. I had never heard the song before and was so taken by all the different versions, I included links for each. (In that episode’s show notes, click the different words of the lyrics to hear the different versions.) This Sunday in the Advent cycle is the day we celebrate joy, and singing is a great way to exhibit it! We also have examples of the other seven intelligences tucked away into the Is...
2019-12-1440 minMore Than HearingYear A, Advent 2, 2019 – Peace Be With You
And also with you! How many of you automatically said that when you read the title for the episode? The theme for the second Sunday of Advent is peace, traditionally. Which is odd, considering the thundering judgment John the Baptist aims at the Pharisees and Sadducees who come out to the Jordan to check up on what he’s up to out there. “Brood of Vipers” is not usually a greeting one uses for one’s friends. It’s up to Isaiah and Paul writing in Romans to deliver messages of peace. Yet, even there the peace comes through after conf...
2019-12-0642 minMore Than HearingYear A, Advent 1, 2019 – Wake Up!
Happy Liturgical New Year!! We are heading into our fifth year of this podcast! After concentrating on two intelligences per week last year, we’ve decided to let the rest of them back in and include as many of the smarts as decide to show up. If you’ve been with us since the beginning, you are an old pro at this and may be checking our work against your own, which is GREAT! If you are just now joining us, we are glad to have you, and we hope using Howard Gardner’s theory (see the link above) will b...
2019-11-2740 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 33, 2019 – You Gotta Break Some Eggs if You Want to Make an Omelet
Hey everyone! Welcome to the last episode of Ordinary Time, Year C! Next week is Reign of Christ Sunday which simultaneously wraps up the year and welcomes in the next one. This week, we finish the long season begun in June with a psalm of praise, a fiery warning, encouragement to keep doing what is good, and Jesus’ response to a question about future events. We did the same texts three years ago so you can go see what other illustrations and special effects are on the menu from that show. For today, we’ll take a look at the...
2019-11-1542 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 32, 2019 – God of the Living
Hello everyone! Welcome to the show notes! The end is in sight; we have one more Sunday in Ordinary Time, Christ the King Sunday, and then a whole new year of illustrations and special effects in Year A. Whew! This Sunday, the passages are all focused on the future. Job knows that the one who will vindicate him lives, but he really wants to see this with his own eyes. The Psalmist presents himself as righteous and pleads for an audience with God in order to be preserved from enemies. Paul tells the Thessalonians that while there needs to...
2019-11-0937 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 30, 2019 – Endurance
Welcome back to the podcast! We’re so close to the end of the Year C cycle!! We’ve been batting around the thought to go back to the format we used for the first three years of the show’s existence. We’ve been both pleased and challenged this year to present illustrations and special effects for only two intelligences per podcast. We’ve also noticed that the other six intelligences have been creeping onto the stage where we’re focusing on only two, and think we may have to simply open the door and let them back in. What is...
2019-10-2238 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 29, 2019 – Persistence Pays Off
Welcome everyone! David tells the story that I once told him that I liked dancing with him because he “doesn’t give up.” He seems to think I was commenting on his ability; I was commenting on his willingness to actually get his butt out on the dance floor without having been lubricated by beer. Since I’m writing this, I’m right. Heh. Anyway, the passages for this week emphasize persistence, particularly of the faithful. Jacob wrestles all night long. Paul encourages Timothy to remember where he came from and what he learned in order to bolster his ministry...
2019-10-1538 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 28, 2019 – Wholeness
Hey all! Welcome to the podcast! This week, we have some stories about healing and a psalm of praise. Na’aman, a general for the king of Aram, is advised to seek out Elisha, a prophet in Samaria, for help with his leprosy. The Psalmist extols the Lord’s mighty deeds and Paul continues to encourage Timothy in his ministry. In Luke, ten lepers call out to Jesus for help. He sends them on to the priests and one of them, discovering he’d been healed, turns back to thank Jesus. Turns out, he’s a Samaritan.
Three ye...
2019-10-0739 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 27, 2019 – Faith
Hey all, welcome to the podcast! We are getting close to the end of this liturgical year; Christ the King is coming! And also the day we celebrate that! Meanwhile, we have this week’s texts to examine.
The Old Testament complimentary lesson is from Habakkuk. The prophet proclaims and complains that evil is afoot in the land. The verses the Lectionary Committee omits are a laundry list that hits pretty close to our own contemporary situation, so use that with caution. The Psalmist encourages people not to fret or let the circumstances surrounding them get to th...
2019-09-2635 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 25 & 26, 2019 – Riches
Hey Everyone! Welcome to More Than Hearing. We’re glad to have you join us for our weekly tour through the Revised Common Lectionary readings seen through the lens of Multiple Intelligence Theory. We are taking a wee detour from the usual show this week in an effort to jump ahead a bit. Three years ago, we simply skipped three weeks of work (Ordinary 23, 24, and 25) and got ahead that way.
This time, we’ve stuck with the lessons but have shortened the work load. Today you are getting two episodes in one! We’re presenting the Old Testam...
2019-09-1843 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 24, 2019 – Lost and Found
Hey everyone! We’ve lost a couple days this week due to various real work and real world events staking time in our lives. We are doing an abbreviated show this week as a result. We can’t even point you back to our show three years ago, because we skipped it – due to real work and real world events! September is a tough month. At any rate, the Old Testament complimentary selection is from Exodus when God’s patience with the Hebrews comesthisclose to breaking before Moses draws God back into cooler temperatures. In Luke, Jesus tells stories about lo...
2019-09-1328 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 22, 2019 – Hospitality
Hey all! We’re back for another episode of Multiple Intelligence Theory illustrations and special effects. We looked back over our show three years ago and are a bit mystified as to why we do not have anything for Ordinary 22, 23, or 24. We put up a Feedback Loop episode in place of Ordinary 22 and left two weeks out of the cycle. Which is to say, we do not have any other options to offer this week other than what we prepared. The passages for this week are about honor and shame and hospitality. Let’s go see what we found for...
2019-08-2942 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 21, 2019 – Expectations
Hey everyone! Welcome to the next episode!
As I am working on the show notes, I’m also listening to a football game on television. I grew up in Colorado, and on Sundays in the fall, we would come home from church and eat the meal my mother had slow roasting in the oven while we were gone. After lunch, my father would turn on the Denver Broncos game, and I would lie down on the floor where the sun came through the windows with the Sunday comics from The Rocky Mountain News. A hour or so la...
2019-08-2441 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 20, 2019 – Clear Vision
Hey everyone! Welcome to the show. How did it get to be that time when people are starting back to school again?! Even though we’re heading into a new academic year here in the U.S., there is still plenty of time left in our Liturgical year. Yet, the passages for this week all seem more apt for The End as they speak of judgment, fire, rocks breaking, walking in darkness, divisions among families, and many awful ways people of faith were treated in the past. Wow. We have before us this week a lot of theological fodder; ho...
2019-08-1540 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 19, 2019 – Where to Put Your Trust
Hey everyone! Welcome to the show! I’ve heard it said that birds will rest on the thinnest branches even when they are blowing about in the wind, not because they trust that the branch will hold them but because they trust in their wings.
All the passages for this week share the common theme of faith. In Genesis, God is reassuring Abram to keep the faith. Abram is getting a little anxious about the promised offspring and thinks Eliezer of Damascus will inherit his stuff, but God tells him to go outside and look at the ni...
2019-08-1041 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 18 (Proper 13, P+8), 2019 – Storage Space
Hey everyone! We’re back from two weeks of vacation and right in the middle of Vacation Bible School! Our timing is questionable. Yet, we are ready to go with some illustrations and special effects for Ecclesiastes 1-2, Psalm 49, Colossians 3, and Luke 12. Three years ago, we looked at the Epistle and Gospel lessons for this day, and you can always go there and take a look at what we did with them.
The passages below all speak to how we make space in our hearts for God. Jesus states this explicitly in Luke – “Take care! Be on your g...
2019-08-0142 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 15 (Proper 10), 2019 – Simple
Hey everyone! Welcome to the show! We have some fun illustrations and special effects to share with you this week. The Gospel passage is the very familiar parable of the Good Samaritan. Paul greets the Colossians with a lot of enthusiasm and the Psalmist is eager to be kept from shame and ridicule. In Deuteronomy, the people are reminded that all they need to live a prosperous life in the land is contained in the book of the law. It’s really that simple.
Program Note!
We’ll be taking some time off after this week...
2019-07-1240 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 14 (Proper 9), 2019 – Going Out, Coming In
Hey all! Welcome back! Summer is here, and everyone is gone – at least around our part of the world, anyway. Many people in our congregations are making their annual trek to the beach or the mountains. In two of the Scripture passages for this week, we have people going out and coming in. The gospel text has 70 disciples sent out two by two into all the villages and towns to which Jesus intends to travel on his way to Jerusalem (Luke 10). These pairs are a type of advance team and are given the capacity to heal and teach in Je...
2019-07-0434 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 13 (Proper 8), 2019 – Don’t Look Back!
Hey everyone!! We are running late again this week. The requirements of ministry meant I was on the road quite a bit this week and once again unable to devote much attention to the podcast. We are hoping to get back to a more regular schedule for the show in the future.
Meanwhile, David heard from a listener, Gail Kenny, with an idea she had for a Pentecost service on a ward for psychiatric patients. Rules and regulations forced her to think outside the box – and she came up with a brilliant idea! Good work, Gail! Click ov...
2019-06-2940 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 12 (Proper 7), 2019 – “E Pluribus Unum”
Hey everyone! We are really late this week; I’ve had a series of pastoral calls that kept me on the road to various hospitals and nursing facilities. It ain’t over yet, either. David has also been drawn away a bit, as well. So we are doing a bit of an abbreviated show this week looking at only the Gospel and Epistle lessons. The Gospel is the story of the Gerasene demoniac who when asked by Jesus his name responds, “We are Legion.” Then, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul stresses the new union believers experience in Jesus...
2019-06-2233 minMore Than HearingYear C, Trinity, 2019 – Unitas
Hey everyone! Welcome here and welcome back! Did anyone think of football when you saw the title above? I did, I will admit. However, Johnny U’s name is pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable while the title is pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable. It is a Latin word that means “oneness” or a state of being one or undivided. We often think of God this way until we come upon the Sunday after Pentecost when we turn the corner and begin talking about God’s “oneness” being made up of three co-equal, co-eternal, co-present p...
2019-06-1334 minMore Than HearingYear C, Pentecost, 2019 – “Hey, Children, What’s That Sound?”
Greetings!! Welcome to More Than Hearing! This Sunday is The Big Day for the life of the church, and we are doing something different with the podcast this week in preparation for it. We decided to forego the usual format and instead talk about why we developed this show, how it has effected our own experiences, and ways that Multiple Intelligence Theory already has a home in Scripture.
We have three years of illustrations and special effects stored up for Pentecost, and those are linked below if you are looking for something specific for using this Sunday...
2019-06-0536 minMore Than HearingYear C, Easter 6, 2019 – On the Move
Movement happens in the texts for this week – some in more obvious ways than others. In the Acts passage, Paul and Timothy are trying to move the Gospel of Jesus to other parts of the world as directed by the Spirit of God. In John, a man is attempting to move into healing waters and not finding any success or assistance. In the Psalm, people are moving into a time of harvest and praise for God’s bounty, and in Revelation, the New Jerusalem moves down to the New Earth with a surprising lack of the usual things we expe...
2019-05-2438 minMore Than HearingYear C, Easter 3, 2019 – Reboot
Four engineers get into a car heading for a conference. But, the car won’t start. Being engineers, they all have solutions to the problem befitting their areas of expertise. The Mechanical engineer says: It’s a broken starter. The Electrical engineer says: The battery is dead. The Chemical engineer says: No, we have impurities in the gasoline. The IT engineer says: Wait! Let’s all get out and then get back in!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we really could fix problems just by stopping and then restarting? The passages for this week’s Lectionary suggest th...
2019-04-2947 minMore Than HearingYear C, Easter 2, 2019 – On the Road
Hey everyone! Welcome back to the show! Typically, the second Sunday after Easter is the day we all deal with Thomas’ doubt about the other disciples’ outrageous claim that Jesus had appeared to them. It’s a great story about our very human need for proof, especially when our hearts are involved. Remember, Thomas was ready to follow Jesus to Jerusalem to die with him and after the horrendous specter of crucifixion, he likely was ready to go home and start over. Who could blame him? Yet, we have decided to use a different Gospel story for this Sunday. The wa...
2019-04-2238 minMore Than HearingYear C, Lent 4, 2019 – The Heart of the Matter
Greetings! Welcome back for previous listeners and welcome here for first time folks! We are more than halfway through Lent – and I’m still wearing a parka. Just sayin’. Last week’s passages centered around repentance and this week’s center around forgiveness. Forgiveness makes me think of the Don Henley song “The Heart of the Matter“ with this lyric in the chorus:
I’ve been tryin’ to get down To the heart of the matter But my will gets weak And my thoughts seem to scatter But I think it’s about forgiveness Forg...
2019-03-2742 minMore Than HearingYear C, Lent 3, 2019 – Which Way?
Hey everyone! Welcome! We are about half way through Lent and while we are on the way to Jerusalem and the cross, there is still some journey ahead. We just got back from some time in Texas where we relied on David’s phone to get us to and fro on Austin’s highways and side streets. Modern satellite technology makes “getting there” much less stressful, but drivers still need to make decisions while following the map. One of the basic decisions is whether the GPS’s data is reliable and up to date and can it be trusted. Another op...
2019-03-2250 minMore Than HearingYear C, Lent 1, 2019 – Provisions
Hello, everyone! Welcome back or if this is your first time here, welcome! We’re on the Lenten road to Jerusalem. It’s time to turn our faces towards the logical conclusion of preaching the Good News to people who either receive it and rejoice or reject it. At this point in the Story, Jesus has experienced plenty of both, and he goes on, regardless. As we start the journey with him, we may be scrambling a bit to get ready; do we have everything we need, and will we be okay along the way? The passages for this Sund...
2019-03-0846 minMore Than HearingYear C, Transfiguration, 2019 – Shine, Jesus, Shine
Welcome back! This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday. The passage about the experience comes from Luke this year with attendant passages from Exodus, 2 Corinthians, and Psalm 99. The Transfiguration has been difficult to interpret because it is such an other worldly event; we really do not have any frame of reference. We may have some experience with being in thick fog, which could stand in for the descending cloud. We may have some experience with going up on a mountain and being very weary and drowsy like the disciples were. As for the sound of the voice and the appearance of...
2019-03-0145 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 7 (Epiphany 7), 2019 – Plot Twist!
Hey, all! Welcome back! A common literary device is the classic plot twist. A plot twist can take a good story and make it either great or terrible, depending on the skill of the author and how seamlessly the new direction fits the overall story. The passages for this Sunday contain either outright plot twists or implied new directions. In Corinthians, Paul twists our understanding about the resurrection, while in Genesis, Joseph stuns his brothers by revealing himself as their long gone brother. In Luke, Jesus twists our initial reaction to enemies and gives us different tools to deal...
2019-02-2143 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 5 (Epiphany 5), 2019 – Calling
Greetings! Welcome back to the show! Calling in today is our special guest, Barry White! Just kidding, it’s me with a bad head/chest cold. However, there is a lot of calling happening in today’s passages. In the Old Testament, Isaiah has a vision of THE HOLY and is terrified. Yet, once a seraph performs a cleansing on him, he is ready to answer God’s call to prophesy. In Luke, Jesus teaches a crowd from a boat on the Sea of Galilee and then helpfully suggests a sweeter fishing spot for the work weary disciples. Simon Peter...
2019-02-0644 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 3 (Epiphany 3), 2019 – Now Hear This!
Greetings! Welcome back to the show! Three of the four passages this week are about Scripture. In Nehemiah, the people ask for the word to be read to them and are grieved to discover how far their lives are from the ordinances God set down in Moses’ law. The Psalm writer emphasizes the way God’s law is proclaimed even in nature and how glorious and valuable it is. In Luke, Jesus tells his hometown in Nazareth that a prophecy from Isaiah had been fulfilled in their hearing. The passage about the way various body parts fit together is not...
2019-01-2543 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 2 (Epiphany 2), 2019 – Abundance
Greetings! Welcome back to the show! We’re continuing to examine only two intelligences per episode, and this week we also switched the order of the passages. Each of them celebrates the abundance of God’s love and God’s gifts. In the Gospel, a great quantity of fine wine saves a wedding and hints at a new age dawning. Paul writes to the Corinthians that they are all blessed with gifts from the Spirit. The Psalm sings praise to God who is simultaneously shading us from above and holding us under a protective wing. Isaiah encourages returning exiles who we...
2019-01-1638 minMore Than HearingYear C, Baptism of the Lord, 2019 – Fire and Water
Hey all! Welcome back! Today’s podcast covers the lectionary passages for the baptism of Jesus, and, like his nativity and resurrection, different Gospel writers have different perspectives on the event. Alongside mentions of John and sandal thongs, Luke includes a winnowing fork and chaff burning in unquenchable fire. (Check out our ideas about fire in this episode from three years ago! CBaptx2016) Scott Hoezee at The Center for Excellence in Preaching notices that Luke’s story is brief; not as short as Mark’s, but Jesus is simply one of the many at the river being baptized. Which is als...
2019-01-1041 minMore Than HearingYear C, Epiphany, 2019 – Breaking Dawn
Happy New Year!! The calendar has changed over, and the sun has risen on the first day of the year. As I’m writing this, David is listening to some reports about the New Horizons mission that reached Ultima Thule (2014MU69) last night and is already 320K miles past it this morning. It’s moving fast and is mind bogglingly far away, racing into the darkness of space on a quest for knowledge. It’s exciting to think about what might be revealed! While New Horizons looks for what’s out there, we will be exploring what has already happened...
2019-01-0142 minMore Than HearingYear C, Advent 4, 2018 – Love
Hey! Welcome back to the show! We’re rushing into the last few weeks of December as though we are on a horse that has seen the barn. Or, if your experience does not include riding horses, like a toddler who has seen the play house! As I’m typing this, David and I are listening to SpaceX abort a launch because the window of opportune time got away from them. I suspect the prophet Micah saw time running out for the people of Judah, but he had no way to stop the process. Assyria was coming and nothing woul...
2018-12-1943 minMore Than HearingYear C, Advent 2, 2018 – Peace
Hey! Welcome back! Between last week and this week, WordPress changed it’s dashboard design, and so I am not at peace right now. At all. I logged in and everything was different! I will eventually adapt to the new formatting, but the sudden switch has truly thrown me. (David can attest to this!) [Yes, it’s true. – D2] I find this a bit ironic, because I have always thought I was someone who flowed fairly well with roadblocks and delays. Sudden change? Not so much, apparently. Unexpected developments can throw us off our game, but they can also bring cl...
2018-12-0745 minMore Than HearingYear C, Advent 1, 2018 – HopeHey all! Welcome to the second go ’round of More Than Hearing! We began this podcast three years ago with the intention of utilizing Howard Gardner’s educational theory in preaching and worship. (To read more about this theory, click the link above). David and I have used many of our ideas and we truly hope that some of you have, as well! We’re heading off into another lectionary cycle but this time we’ve changed our emphasis to focus specifically on the intelligences, or “smarts” as we call them. For every podcast going forward, we each will concentrate...
2018-11-2841 minMore Than HearingYear B, Reign of Christ, 2018 – To Be Continued…Greetings!! I have been binge watching the television show Grimm lately. I was amused when at the end of one episode, the screen faded to black and the words “to be continued” came up. Right underneath it, someone added the question, “Are you really surprised?!” I loved the cheeky way the show acknowledged the episode had ended but the story had not. Neither has THE Story. On this last Sunday in the liturgical year, we pause and do two things at once. We look into the past to see the visions of a final day when a king is crowned ete...
2018-11-2429 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 33 (Proper 28, Pentecost +26), 2018 – That DayGreetings!! Just two more weeks until we begin an updated version of this podcast! We plan to focus specifically on how to use each intelligence – sort of a Smart of the Week – only for the entire show. David will concentrate on one and I will emphasize a different one. We’re still going to be following the Revised Common Lectionary as we do this. Speaking of —
The readings for this podcast all focus on a day that is coming; a day that will fundamentally alter reality, a day that will bring life won and blessed by God. In Danie...
2018-11-1631 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 32 (Proper 27, Pentecost +25), 2018 – The Fate of WidowsWelcome back! We’re almost at the end of this cycle, which is amazing, since it seems like we only began it a year ago. Wait…
After the turn of the lectionary year, we’ll be altering the format of the show a bit. We are planning to dive deeper into the intelligences; defining and demonstrating two of them each week. David will take one and I’ll take one and we’ll apply them to the lectionary selections. We hope that by doing this, you’ll get more options for your preaching and worship.
For this wee...
2018-11-0834 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 30 (Proper 25, Pentecost +23), 2018 – I SeeGreetings!! Welcome back! As we introduced the passages for the week, we said we did not perceive a common thread running through them, but as I’ve pondered for a bit, I think the common thread is perception. Yeah, that’s a bit like chasing one’s tail there, but hang with me. In the Old Testament reading, Job comes to a different understanding of his situation after seeing the heights and depths and dimensions of God’s glory. In Hebrews, the author continues to present an image of Jesus as high priest who’s office will never end. And in Mar...
2018-10-2427 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 29 (Proper 24, Pentecost +22), 2018 – I Feel Your PainGreetings!! We’re glad you are with us! We must confess that while we have good intentions for this podcast, our schedules do not always come through for us. Which is to say, we have illustrations and special effects for two of the three passages for this week. If you are hoping to find help illustrating Melchizedek, we are sorry. The one and only thing we had to offer for Hebrews is a poem written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer called Christians and Pagans, which may help illustrate MUSIC, PEOPLE, or SELF depending on your emphasis. Otherwise, our suggestions today focus on G...
2018-10-1936 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 28 (Proper 23, Pentecost +21), 2018 – How Do You Plead?Greetings!! We’re back on our old track for this podcast! We had been limiting ourselves to just one passage per show while David was on sabbatical these past three months, but now we are going back to the former structure of inspecting the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons for ways to utilize multiple intelligences. We’ll do this until the end of the liturgical year. We have a plan for when we get into the new liturgical year, so keep watching this space!!
At first glance, there does not seem to be much holding these thre...
2018-10-1132 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 27 (Proper 22, Pentecost +20), 2018 – Decently and In OrderWelcome back! Have you ever wondered where we get the titles for our podcasts? Titles sometimes leap out at us from the material in Scripture, like mice from cupboards. Other times, something about the setting or plot in the story suggests a song or movie title that fits the theme. Sometimes, we have to take the material, bang it on the table, and shake it around to loosen up an idea that may be suitable and other times, we just throw something in as a place holder, like Phil Collins’ Sussudio. The title for this podcast is the unofficial mot...
2018-10-0326 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 25 (Proper 20, Pentecost +18), 2018 – The GreatestHey everyone! We’re back after two weeks away! David is wrapping up the long tour portion of his sabbatical and we’re heading back home having spent two weeks in New Mexico and Colorado. We are recording the show on the California Zephyr somewhere near Ottumwa, Iowa. We are glad to have had the time away and we are also glad to be back with some illustrations and special effects for the Gospel passage for this week. Distance and a new perspective often allows us to see familiar things with fresh eyes. Hopefully, that will translate to the podc...
2018-09-2120 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 22 (Proper 17, Pentecost +15), 2018 – Foul!Greetings!! We are glad you’re back! David is in Los Angeles for a few days and had some time to join me for today’s podcast. We will be taking two weeks off after this one, though. We intend to be back with a show for Ordinary 25 (Proper 20, Pentecost +18). Meanwhile….
Unwashed hands prompt the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees in this passage from Mark. The Pharisees see the disciples eating without first ritually cleansing. “Foul!” cry the Pharisees. I know some people who would echo the Pharisee’s disgust at the disciples’ lax hygiene, but their reason f...
2018-08-3122 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 21 (Proper 16, Pentecost +14), 2018 – Suit Up!Greetings!! Welcome back! I’m soloing again; David had some down time while he was in New Orleans last week to join me for the podcast, but that “free” time is now gone while he’s in Arizona. He’s heading on to Los Angeles from Tucson where I’m sure he’ll sleep for a while! Meanwhile, I decided to concentrate on the epistle lesson for this Sunday because it is just clamoring to be used as an extensive EYE smart special effect! Do you have access to a suit of armor? No? How about a tuxedo? A uniform? A spa...
2018-08-2322 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 19 (Proper 14, Pentecost +12), 2018 – Long Day’s Journey into NightHey everyone! David is on the long form version of his sabbatical so I’m on my own this week. I’m feeling a bit apprehensive about this; for two and a half years we split the division of labor on this project. I’m responsible for show notes and David is responsible for editing the audio. I now think he has the larger share of the work! You will hear his voice at the beginning and the end of the audio clip and that tips you off to the fact that some of the show is pre-recorded. David’s actual...
2018-08-1022 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 18 (Proper 13, Pentecost+11), 2018 – Union!We’re back!! David got a new hard drive! And, it works! YAY!
We are continuing to work on only one passage through David’s sabbatical and have switched tracks this week from the Gospel lesson to the Epistle lesson. If you have been following us for a while, you may feel emboldened to try developing illustrations and special effects on your own. If so, the Old Testament passage is full of drama and intrigue with all manner of PEOPLE and SELF smart elements. The Gospel lesson has some BODY smart elements (food and eating) and EYE elem...
2018-08-0121 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 16 (Proper 11, Pentecost +9), 2018 – R and RGreetings!! About three weeks ago, I began to get a bit worried about attendance at my church; we were dwindling pretty badly. Then for the past two weeks, our levels have returned to normal. I guess everyone scheduled time away at the same time and they are all back now! If your congregation is on the larger size, you may not notice when many people go on vacation all at once, but for us smaller flocks, the holes are obvious. Everyone needs time away, though; it’s important to stop from time to time and take sabbath rest. In th...
2018-07-1729 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 15, 2018 – Don’t Lose Your HeadGreetings!! I’ve often told people to read the Gospel of Mark as though it were a novel; just start it and read until you get to the end. Don’t think about it – just fall into the setting and let it bear you along like a river. And, like a river, the story moves; characters enter and exit quickly and in the case of the reading for the lectionary this week, suddenly. Last week, Jesus was attempting to work some power among his hometown people and was not able to do so. He then sends his disciples out with i...
2018-07-1026 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 12 (Proper 7, Pentecost+5), 2018 – “I’m on a Boat!”Greetings!! We are beginning the new “slimmed down” version of our podcast this week. As we’ve mentioned in previous shows, David is about to go on a three month sabbatical starting in July. We spent some time discerning how this would effect this project and decided that we don’t want to stop doing it, but keeping up with three passages was going to be way too much. David will be traveling part of this time, and we just couldn’t quite figure out how to do a long distance recording. We’ve decided that we will instead simply focus...
2018-06-2222 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 11 (Proper 6, Pentecost +4), 2018 – New GrowthHey there! Welcome back! We are very grateful to Cindy Thompson for checking in with us last week with an absolutely BRILLIANT idea for the 1 Samuel 8 passage! Go back to last week’s show notes and check out her comment if you missed it! Once again, we are leaving the Old Testament passage on the shelf, but there are many NATURE and EYE smart elements to Ezekiel’s prophecy about God plucking a branch from the noble cedars of Lebanon. The NATURE smart elements are also all over the Gospel passage as Jesus tells two parables about growing things. In 2...
2018-06-1427 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 10 (Proper 5, Pentecost +3), 2018 – Housing BubbleHey all! Welcome back! When we moved into our house back in 2004, the housing bubble here in the US was still expanding. We had been in a bit of a tight spot; we were looking for something with a fenced yard for the dog, bedrooms for each kid, and within our budget. Property values around David’s church were much higher than we could reasonably afford, so we eventually settled about twenty miles away and one state over. We are very glad we did for a variety of reasons but the main one is that when the bubble popped an...
2018-06-0632 minMore Than HearingYear B, Easter 6, 2018 – Feedback Loop!!Hey everyone! It’s the beginning of May and rather than dance around a May pole, David and I decided to look back to the beginning of the year and do a Feedback Loop. Since we pretty much missed doing one for the entirety of Year A, we are practically doing this back to back with the last one! Which was six months ago! We have not included Advent for Year B; we are starting at the Baptism of the Lord and going through to Easter 5, which was this past Sunday.
The purpose of the Feedback Loop is...
2018-05-0348 minMore Than HearingYear B, Easter 5, 2018 – Where Do You Live?How many of you reflexively answered the question above with your house address? Don’t worry; we aren’t mining for data here, but framing an idea that connects the three passages for this Sunday. When asked this question, “Where do you live?” most of us think of the place where we have all our stuff and sleep at night. A house, an apartment, a town home – a living space. We are very fortunate to have some real property in an era of increasing homelessness due to the economy or warfare, thanks be to God. Let’s put a different em...
2018-04-2635 minMore Than HearingYear B, Easter 4, 2018 – Lay It On DownHello friends! The Fourth Sunday in Eastertide is traditionally Good Shepherd Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary, as you’ll see below. So you might be expecting a picture of sheep here, but instead here’s someone laying stone. What gives? It’s tied more to the Acts 3 passage for this week, wherein Peter tells the high priestly types that Jesus, whom they had crucified, is the stone foretold by the psalmist, rejected by the builders but made to be the cornerstone. Laying the foundation connected audibly with Jesus saying in John 10 that he lays down his life for the sh...
2018-04-1933 minMore Than HearingYear B, Easter 3, 2018 – Body LanguageHey! Welcome back! This week’s passages are all about preaching – Peter preaches a sermon in Acts, Jesus gives some instructions in Luke, and the author of 1 John teaches listeners how their lives should be lived on this side of the Resurrection. The texts are all heavily weighted toward WORD smart, but oddly enough, we think the best way to explore them is through BODY smart. How might that be, you may be asking. Go ahead – ask. {waits} Glad you asked! Each of the passages include strong testimony* regarding the BODILY resurrection of Jesus. {Ta-DA!} Each passage speaks of Jesus...
2018-04-1030 minMore Than HearingYear B, Easter 2, 2018 – It’s Resurrection TimeHe is Risen! As mainline and lifelong church goers, David and I are accustomed to this traditional Easter greeting. About 20 years ago, good friends of ours added the phrase “rock and roll” to the end of it, and we all laughed and laughed and opened another bottle of wine as we gathered for post-worship cookouts. Good times! Anyway, the startling effect of this phrase has lost some of it’s juice. For those of us long steeped in the story, these words are shorthand. But what if we were to do something unpredictable and counter cultural with this reality – like say...
2018-03-2734 minMore Than HearingYear B, Lent 5, 2018 – The Common DenominatorI apologize that this week’s episode is so late. My hard drive crashed over the weekend, and it’s been a challenge to rebuild my digital environment, including recovering files and applications for producing the podcast. The episode is on the long side and the sound may be off a bit because of the chaos and running out of time. Thanks for your forbearance. –David
Hey all! Welcome back to another episode of the show! Often when putting together these show notes, the connection among the three passages is sitting right there, waving at me. Thi...
2018-03-1637 minMore Than HearingYear B, Lent 2, 2018 – Trust IssuesGreetings!! In a past Year B cycle, I remember doing a series of sermons about covenant based on the Old Testament lessons for this year. I was struck by how the idea of the covenant continued to narrow through the weeks. Last week, God made a covenant with the entirety of creation and this week, the covenant is with one particular person, with the intention of spilling out into the whole world. The catch is that this one person had to trust that God would be faithful to the covenant in spite of 24 years of waiting. Trust is precious...
2018-02-2133 minMore Than HearingBonus Track! “Handlebars” CovenantIt’s been a while since I’ve written a song. As happens with Winnie-the-Pooh, I don’t really write songs so much as songs come to me, and this one just came along. Now, I should point out, when I say “write songs” what I mean is I come up with new lyrics to someone else’s music. That’s what this one is. I was thinking about Genesis 9 for this week’s episode, and the repetition in it clicked in my mind as fitting the song “Handlebars” by Flobots. While “Handlebars” has three or four verses and a couple bridges, this h...
2018-02-1601 minMore Than HearingYear B, Lent 1, 2018 – Reading RainbowsLent?!? What happened to Christmas?!?!
Hey everyone, welcome back to the site! It it is time to begin the journey to Jerusalem and on to Golgotha. I am writing this on Ash Wednesday – the day we are reminded that we are dust and to dust we will return. Do we really need that reminder, though? Much of our human angst derives from an almost cellular recognition that death is our life long companion, leading us to make some really questionable decisions, both personally and corporately, to install some distance from it. The historical context behind the passages fr...
2018-02-1535 minMore Than HearingYear B, Ordinary 4 (Epiphany 4), 2018 – Authority IssuesHello! We’re glad you are back or joining us for the first time! Roughly eight years ago, the woman in David’s congregation who had been the director of Vacation Bible School for 20 years retired from that role. Uproar ensued. Well, not entirely, but there was a lot of concern about who would fill her shoes; she was energetic, imaginative, devoted, and began working on VBS around Christmas. As the time for VBS neared that year, we finally settled on calling three other people to fill her one position. No one person felt adequate to take the entire posit...
2018-01-2533 minMore Than HearingYear B, Advent 4, 2017 – More Than Hearing, LIVE!Hey All!! Welcome back to More Than Hearing!
David and I have tried something for this podcast that’s different from the usual. The main idea of our podcast (applying Multiple Intelligence Theory to preaching and worship leadership) has not changed, but how we prepare ourselves for the podcast has. If you’ve been downloading our worksheets, you can see how they have evolved over the past two years as we’ve navigated this uncharted sea. In the past couple months, we’ve discovered that in order to find material for this show, we’ve devoted a lot of tim...
2017-12-2143 minMore Than HearingThe Feedback Loop! Year A in ReviewWelcome back to the MTH Feedback Loop, a bonus episode where Molly and David talk about some of the multiple intelligence illustrations and special effects from previous More Than Hearing episodes that we have actually used in worship and how they turned out. For the most part, pretty well! We have discovered that if you are going to use these tools, especially the special effects, it helps if you are fully committed to them. This not only engages you and thereby your congregation, but if it should happen that the effect doesn’t fully connect with your people, they wil...
2017-11-2353 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary 26, 2017 – It’s Not About YouWelcome back! The calendar in this part of the world says it is now autumn. Someone needs to inform the weather who doesn’t seem to know we’ve moved on from summer. We had a “yellow alert” day this week due to heat; that means people who have breathing issues, the very young, and the very old need to take care to protect themselves from high temperatures. While the vulnerable around here were told to take precautions, I am certain it was the vulnerable who were on the minds of the Israelites in the wilderness in the Exodus passage...
2017-09-2832 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary 25, 2017 – What? Where? Why?Greetings!! We’re publishing this with minimum show notes for now so we can get the file out. Notes are forthcoming.
And here they are!! The three passages for this Sunday involve a question of identity in Exodus (what is it?), destiny in Philippians (where do we go to serve Christ best?), and purpose in Matthew (why is following Jesus valuable?). Questions of identity, destiny, purpose follow us all though our lives so it is comforting to know that Scripture has guidance to answer them. Let’s go see what we can find.
This w...
2017-09-2133 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary 21, 2017 – Vacation, All I Ever WantedHey all! Since we are away from our equipment while out of town, we are leaving a list of links that we regularly use to prepare our own sermons and this podcast. We’ll be back with a show soon, so stay subscribed and be smart!!
Looking Into the Lectionary – Jill Duffield at The Presbyterian Outlook
Old Testament Lectionary – Anna Grant Henderson at Old Testament Lectionary
another good Old Testament resource is Howard Wallace
Bill Loader – Bill Loader’s Home Page
Left Behind and Loving It – D. Mark Davis at Left Behind and Loving It
The Lectionary Lab – The Rev. Dr.’s...
2017-08-1903 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary 19, 2017 – A Rock and a Hard PlaceWelcome back! Sometimes we face challenges and know it; the pressure surrounds us and threatens to overwhelm us, and we seem to have no good options. Other times, we walk into bad situations that in retrospect we should have seen coming. In the passages for today’s Lectionary, Paul is hard pressed to bring two groups together in union with Christ, and the disciples in Matthew are working hard to keep their boat upright in a wind storm. In Genesis, Joseph walks right into the hornet’s nest of his older brothers’ resentment. In all three situations, the proverbial rock a...
2017-08-0934 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary 14, 2017 – FaithfulHey everyone! Have you ever needed to make a long trip with an uncertain outcome at the end of it? Have you ever struggled to break a bad habit? Have you ever given up in weariness and frustration? Have we got a show for you! In Genesis, Abraham’s servant makes a long distance trip back to Abraham’s hometown to find a wife for Isaac. By the time he reaches his destination, he has a plan but it will only work if God is faithful. In Romans, Paul touches on the universal struggle to do the right thing even...
2017-07-0434 minMore Than HearingYear A, Pentecost, 2017 – Blowin’ in the WindHey everyone, welcome back! This coming Sunday is a big day for the life of the church according to the liturgical calendar and tradition – it’s our birthday! We cannot help but be drawn by the display and the sound of Pentecost, much like the residents and pilgrims in Jerusalem that day. Luke’s version of the Spirit’s descent is the standard by which all other experiences are measured. This is a bit unfortunate, because, really, how can anything stand against tongues of flame, speaking in tongues, and a sermon by Peter that converts 3,000 people on the spot? It’s tou...
2017-05-3132 minMore Than HearingYear A, Easter 7, 2017 – WitnessGreetings!! We’re glad you’re back with us! Sometimes, we can find a common theme running through the passages for the week easily. I’m finding myself searching this week. I feel like I do when I just know my car keys are near me but danged if I can find them. I do find them once I stop trying to look, and like magic, they appear! Well, okay; what really happens is I stop stressing and try to think where I saw them last. So….. in the Acts passage, the last time the disciples see Jesus, he is being...
2017-05-2432 minMore Than HearingYear A, Easter 2, 2017 – ProofHey everyone, welcome back! The Lord is risen!
We took a week off for Holy Week preparations and services, and we hope that your time with family, friends, and your worshipping communities was filled with God’s presence. We joined two colleagues in the area for a truly powerful Good Friday service. We’ll try to get that posted at some point. At any rate, we are back for a second year of post-Resurrection preaching and worship ideas! The texts are below and have as a common thread a need for or a provision of proof. In Acts...
2017-04-1832 minMore Than HearingYear A, Palm Sunday, 2017 – I Love a Parade!Welcome back! Today, we are exploring the two solitary texts for Palm Sunday, Year A. No matter the year in the cycle, the Old Testament selection is Psalm 118. Year A selects the Palm Sunday processional story from Matthew 21. It is truly difficult to read the Psalm in its historical context; it has been fairly well Christianized by its partnership with Gospel readings on Palm Sunday. I don’t think that is necessarily the fault of overly zealous Christian interpreters, per se. Rather, I think it is also the careful and deliberate selection of both the Gospel writers who catalogued so...
2017-04-0430 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary 6, 2017 – What’ll it Be?Hey everyone! Welcome back! Whenever our family goes out to eat, we always send our server away at least twice to give David plenty of time to decide what he wants to order. We will make our choices, drink water, talk, laugh, and generally ignore how hungry we are as we wait for him to make a choice. To say that this is a defining characteristic of my husband is a bit of an understatement. I have already told him that when he dies, I’m inscribing his headstone with the question: What are my options? The passages for th...
2017-02-0832 minMore Than HearingBonus Track! Beatitudes ChantHere’s a little extra for you this week. Something about the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 got my Music Smarts going, and I came up with this rhythmic chant based on the NRSV text. We’re presenting this as a demo of how it might go. There’s an intro in the recording and then the chant itself starts at about [01:28].
If you have musically inclined folks, they can probably do a better job with it than I did. Here’s a pdf of the score for the chant, so you can have a go at it.
Let me k...
2017-01-2502 minMore Than HearingYear A, Ordinary 3, 2017 – Kingdom Come On!Greetings!! Do any of you watch Wheel of Fortune? I’ll have it on from time to time, and I always perk up when the Before and After puzzles come up in the game. The solution to the puzzle is a compound phrase that shares a middle word – {A Chip Off the Old [Block} Party], for example. Or, the title of this episode! As I read the passages for this Sunday, I see each of them presenting the kingdom of God approaching with images of hope and light. (Isaiah and Matthew are specific about that.) Then, the letter to the Co...
2017-01-1729 minMore Than HearingYear A, Advent 1, 2016 – I Saw the LightHello! Welcome back to More Than Hearing! We are excited to begin our second year of lectionary podcasting! As we said way back in time when we first began (cue flashback music and wavy filter —
— which resolves into me sitting in much the same spot looking very much the same because it was only a year ago after all), we decided to start this project because we thought using the multiple intelligence theory would be an innovative way to approach the lessons. We have used it ourselves and have found this method fun, challenging, sometimes frustrating, and quit...
2016-11-2328 minMore Than HearingYear C, Christ the King, 2016 – Kings and ThingsWelcome back to More Than Hearing! We are at the end of Liturgical Year C – wow. We still have some 2016 to get through but for our Lectionary purposes, we are at the end. For this last Sunday when we recognize Christ as King, the Old Testament issues a warning to the shepherd kings of Israel that God will attend to them the way they have not been attending the sheep, and that is not good news for them. The Good News for the sheep is that a new shepherd is coming, one that will embody God’s righteousness. The New...
2016-11-1532 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 33, 2016 – The End! (Or Is It?)Greetings!! Welcome to More Than Hearing! We have made it – one whole year of the lectionary cycle – with a couple skips here and there due to life catching up to us. Whoot! When we started this project a year ago, we had no idea how much fun or work it would be. We both think that our preaching has been energized by these ideas, and we truly hope that you have given one or two of them a spin for your own preaching or leadership. This week is the final Sunday in the ordinary lectionary; next week is the culm...
2016-11-0833 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 26, 2016 – Deeds and TrustsGreetings!! Welcome to More Than Hearing where, in spite of the title of today’s post, we do NOT offer financial advice – believe me! Instead, we bring you sermon illustrations and special effects, and the three passages for this week’s Lectionary selection provide plenty of both. In Jeremiah, the prophet provides a living parable by helping out some kin. Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman may have gotten the title for their play You Can’t Take it With You from the 1 Timothy passage. Luke continues to surprise and discomfit us with stories about wealth. Looking closely at all three...
2016-09-2134 minMore Than HearingThe Feedback Loop! – Easter 5 to Ordinary 21Welcome back to the MTH Feedback Loop, a bonus episode where Molly and David talk about some of the multiple intelligence illustrations and special effects from previous More Than Hearing episodes that we have actually used in worship and how they turned out.
It’s been about 5 months since we made the loop, so we had dozens of illustrations and special effects that we’ve tried since then! We sorted through them and picked some of the most interesting to tell you about, either because they worked really well or because they didn’t go as well as we had...
2016-08-2730 minMore Than HearingGod’s Vineyard Blues Bonus TrackHere’s a bonus for you. Well, you might not think so after you hear me sing. It’s my adaptation of Isaiah 5:1-7 to a 12-bar blues, as referred to in our COrd20 episode. Think of it as a demo tape, but with theological implications. That’s Molly on the guitar, and the song is in the key of C. Here’s a link to the lyrics: God’s Vineyard Blues.
There’s nothing like a master blues singer practicing his craft. And this is nothing like a master blues singer practicing his craft! But we hope you’ll enjo...
2016-08-1102 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 15, 2016 – Out of PlumbHello, Everybody!!
My late father was a civil/architectural engineer, so I know a thing or two about constructing stuff. Well, let me say, I’ve seen many things constructed and know the names of tools used in constructing! I think I would do fairly well if I were to be plunked into a workshop and asked to identify tools since I spent many weekends of my childhood handing Dad whatever object he needed – as well as lifting and holding things. (Remind me to tell you about the time he asked me to stand on 2×4’s as he used...
2016-07-0932 minMore Than HearingYear C, Ordinary 14, 2016 – Good InfectionGreetings!! In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis referred to Christian life as a “good infection.” One would be forgiven for scoffing at this oxymoron – how can an infection be good? Naaman, who is the central figure in the Old Testament passage, might wholeheartedly agree as he was suffering from leprosy. He was eventually cured of his disease after some wise words from his servants and a decision to get off his high horse. In the Luke passage, Jesus sends out seventy disciples into villages and towns where he intends to visit himself on his tour to Jerusalem. To me, t...
2016-07-0134 minMore Than HearingThe Feedback Loop! – Ordinary 4 to Lent 5Welcome back to the MTH Feedback Loop, a bonus episode where Molly and David talk about some of the multiple intelligence illustrations and special effects from previous More Than Hearing episodes that we have actually used in worship and how they turned out.
It’s been about two months since we made the loop, so we had over 30 illustrations and special effects that we’ve tried since then! We sorted through them and picked some of the most interesting to tell you about, either because they worked really well or because they didn’t go as well as we h...
2016-03-2118 minMore Than HearingYear C, Lent 1, 2016 – The TemptationsIs it Just My Imagination – Running Away with Me?
I Ain’t Too Proud to Beg that My Girl be Treated Like a Lady.
Due to an accident that totaled our car and has kept me confined to limited movement for the past week, we decided to give the Transfiguration a pass. We’ll both still be preaching on it this Sunday, but the podcast is moving on to Lent. We apologize for this and hope to cover those readings at a later date.
Meanwhile, the passages for the First Sunday in Lent...
2016-02-0830 minMore Than HearingThe Feedback Loop!Welcome to the MTH Feedback Loop
The More Than Hearing Feedback Loop is a segment where Molly and David talk about some of the multiple intelligence illustrations and special effects from previous More Than Hearing episodes that we have actually used in worship and how they turned out. We included a Feedback Loop in our third episode and expected that it would be a regular part of the show. This Feedback Loop (FBL) was originally intended to be included in the most recent episode, but the other parts ran to just about exactly our half-hour cut-off. So we...
2016-01-1506 minMore Than HearingYear C, Christmas 1, 2015 – Merry Christmas and change!We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And if you are one of the lucky ones who gets to lead worship on the Sunday after Christmas, we wish you would listen to this episode! We have some ideas for you on the lectionary texts du jour.
This week’s texts are:
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 – In this passage, Hannah and Elkanah go to Shiloh for the yearly sacrifice and Hannah brings along a little robe she made for her son, Samuel. This detail seems to be a throw away line in the story, but I imag...
2015-12-2228 min