Closed door, open window

I forgot exactly where I heard that saying — When God closes a door, He opens a window — but as corny as it sounds, it’s true.  Last year, I dropped out of the “Missional Leadership” Doctor of Ministry program track at Fuller.  The program is great, but the process we were to lead our church through was not working at our church for reasons that are unimportant here.  But, my point is, after spending a lot of time, study, and money, I decided it would be in the best interest of the church for me to discontinue that line of study.  Fuller was very accommodating, and I did not lose any credits in the transition, but it was still a disappointment to not be part of that cohort.

I am halfway through the DMin program, so I need two more seminars to finish.  As I looked at other course offerings, none of the courses Fuller was offering seemed to be a good fit for me.  A couple of weeks ago, Fuller posted a new course — Missional Ecclesiology.  That’s a good fit for me with my previous missional leadership courses.  “But, wait, there’s more,” as they say on TV!  The course is to be taught by N. T. Wright, who is one of my favorite authors and theologians.  And, I’m in!  This is The N.T. Wright who is the Bishop of Durham, the author of a new book, Surprised by Hope, and of the magnum opus, The Resurrection of the Son of God, plus about 4 dozen other books.   The course is offered Feb 23-27, 2009 at Fuller, which is also perfect timing.  So, as they also say, “God is good…all the time!”

Sermon podcast: Living In Exile, April 6, 2008

Here’s the podcast of the sermon I preached last Sunday, the third Sunday of Easter, on April 6, 2008. The text is 1Peter 1:17-23, and the sermon is titled, Living In Exile. Hope you find it helpful.