Unfinished Community Podcast: Recent Episodes
Pastor Don
Do you feel like the Bible is a giant unholy mess that only makes sense to cultic crazies, obtuse academics, and people with way too much time on their hands?
Well guess what? I have way too much time on my hands (and am a pastor, with a couple of Master’s degrees too), so I’ll try to walk you through it, while attempting to be amusing in the process.
So give us a listen! Here you can find content from the Unfinished Community, featuring Rev. Don Van Antwerpen, Travis Love, and other guests both from the community and beyond.
Hope you enjoy!
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible one story at a time - with additional Micah for effect - starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Welcome back as we dive in to the anti-imperialistic madness of Exodus, Chapter 5. Who is doing the screwing here; Moses, Pharaoh, or God? How, and why, does the hardening of hearts happen, and can Pastor Don successfully explain it before the end of the episode? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Tithing and Donations: bit.ly/unfinishedcommunity
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley - with an additional Micah/Llama this time - explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the 4th chapter of Exodus as we throw up our hands to form a full-on genki dama of snark! Foreskins are back on the men as everything goes creepily off the rails. Where did all these weird blood rituals come from? Is any of this even supposed to make sense? How many confused faces can Courtney make, anyways? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Tithing and Donations: bit.ly/unfinishedcommunity
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the book of Exodus, now with a bonus special guest! Join us as we discuss the terrifying, miraculous events of Exodus 4 with an atypically elevated level of snark! Does this confirm the presence of Solid Snake in the Biblical canon? Does God really give a crap about any of our limitations? Did you know that being white is apparently a disease? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Tithing and Donations: bit.ly/unfinishedcommunity
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the book of Exodus, already in progress! Join us as we go at the second part of Chapter 3, and explore God's revelation of the Divine name to Moses. How do you pronounce a word that has no vowels? How long have we been trying to do that anyways? Did God seriously pick a word/phrase for the Divine name that could basically mean anything? Can it be pronounced "Yiffy?" Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as video on YouTube (link on the church website below) if silly videos are more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Tithing and Donations: bit.ly/unfinishedcommunity
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the book of Exodus, already in progress! Join us as we settle in for the first part of Chapter 3, and our discussion of Moses' encounter with the burning bush. Is this a euphemism for an STD? Why, exactly, does the Bible kinda forget who Moses' father-in-law was? Isn't it interesting that God chooses an expression of nature for the Divine self-revelation? And does our personal revelation in God's presence automatically turn us against the Empire? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on our YouTube channel, if crazy facial expressions and visual humor is more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Tithing and Donations: bit.ly/unfinishedcommunity
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
After a much-deserved break following our dramatic finish of Genesis, and our big Exodus 1 livestream event, we are BACK with our continuing coverage of the book of Exodus, already in progress! Join us as we continue our dive int Chapter 2, and our much-longer-than-expected discussions on the origin of the first great Biblical super-hero. How ominous can God really be, when it comes to it? What happens when we take the oppression of our imperial society as a given, America? How great and marvelous is the infinite of God's creation, and how easily can Pastor Don get pissed off at young-earth creationists? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Tithing and Donations: bit.ly/unfinishedcommunity
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
After a much-deserved break following our dramatic finish of Genesis, and our big Exodus 1 livestream event, we are BACK with our continuing coverage of the book of Exodus, already in progress! Join us this week as we dig into chapter 2, and the beginning of the story of Moses. How awesome are Hebrew midwives? How linguistically NUTS is Moses' name? And perhaps...murder? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Tithing and Donations: bit.ly/unfinishedcommunity
Good Friday; the day in which we mark the suffering, crucifixion, and death of Jesus Christ. Join us this evening for a time of meditation and reflection on this terrible moment in our history, as we consider what it means to us in our world today, and how it helps set the stage for the great morning to come in a few days time.
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing.
First Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A13-14&version=NRSVUE
Second Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A28-30&version=NRSVUE
(Sermon manuscript available at the website below)
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
This is the sermon delivered remotely by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey on March 17, 2024.
Today's sermon is drawn from Jeremiah 31:31-34 and John 12:24-33, and we talk about the importance of our relationship with God growing and evolving over time, both individually and as church communities. What happens when you take a stalk of wheat and plant it under ground? Are we supposed to do church the same way as we always have? What happens when we let ourselves explode into new life? Listen in, and find out!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
First Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2031%3A31-34&version=NRSVUE
Second Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+12%3A24-33&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
At last we have arrived, at this our final, nice, episode of Back to Basics; Genesis Edition, and we're taking our last shot at Chapters 48-50 simultaneously! Is it true that "The Lord of the Rings" movies stole their idea of the repetitive ending from the book of Genesis? Was Jacob actually the first mummy? Since Joseph was definitely turned into a mummy, is it possible that some Victorian Englishman ate him during that whole "mummy jerky" phase? And if the evangelical cultists are right about the whole issue of "blood magic," does that mean that somewhere in England this man's descendants live on completely unaware that they have inherited phenomenal Biblical mummy powers? Can we fund our church by selling the movie rights to this idea and, if so, can we get Brendan Frasier attached? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Tithing and Donations: bit.ly/unfinishedcommunity
This is the sermon delivered remotely by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey on February 25, 2024.
Today's sermon is drawn from Mark:31-38 and Romans 4:13-25, and focuses on what can happen when we allow ourselves to become overconfident. What do Red Mages have to do with preaching the gospel? What is it like to be so confident that you'd tell Jesus off directly to his face AND not be a white person at the same time? How far outside of his mind is Peter, anyways? Listen in, and find out!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
First Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+8%3A31-38&version=NRSVUE
Second Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+4%3A13-25&version=NRSVUE
(Sermon manuscript available at the website below)
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Come on in as we take aim at Genesis, Chapter 47, wherein Joseph finished the long, hard, but ultimately rewarding work of settling the family of Israel in Egypt. Surely, nothing bad can come from that! But did Joseph actually invent the idea of a company town centuries before Bezos gave it a go? Is capitalism truly the universal constant? Is the story of Genesis going to have a happy ending after all, or just an ominous one? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Tithing and Donations: bit.ly/unfinishedcommunity
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Come on in as we take aim at Genesis, Chapter 46, wherein Jacob gets the whole gang together and brings them down into Egypt to find his long-lost son. Did you know that Biblical cultures have really had a bone to pick with shepherds for this long? Did you think we were gonna make it out of Genesis without at least one more Xeongears reference? Also...did you think there wouldn't be just one more callback to Abraham's repetitive work with Abimelech? Because there is! Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of Monocacy Valley Church on January 28, 2024.
Today's sermon is drawn from 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, and focuses on the sometimes absurd ways that God breaks through our un-listening ears to make God's self known. What do idol sacrifices have to do with the practice of Christian love? How does the breaking of our expectations actually help us be better Christians? What do circus clowns have to do with lessons in English grammar? Listen in, and find out!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+8%3A1-13&version=NRSVUE
(Sermon manuscript available at the website below)
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Join us as we dig into Genesis, Chapter 45, as Joseph finally drops everything and reveals himself to his brothers. With a header like that, is it any surprise that the first verse reads, "Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out..."? How many terrible jokes can we make before this whole series gets cancelled? And are all these unintentional double entendre really coming out of the climax of the story, if not the entire book? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of Monocacy Valley Church on January 21, 2024.
Today's sermon is drawn from Jonah 3:1-5, 10 and Mark 1:14-20, and we continue on from last week's sermon by exploring just what we do after we listen to God. What does it take to actually follow Jesus? Is it as easy as walking in a straight line? Is walking in a straight line actually easy? What do toddlers, repentance, and advanced robotics all have in common? Listen in, and find out!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
First Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jonah+3%3A1-5%2C+10&version=NRSVUE
Second Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+1%3A14-20&version=NRSVUE
(Sermon manuscript available at the website below)
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Join us for our exploration of Genesis, Chapter 44, as we realize that oh yes Joseph very much CAN get even crazier and crueler with his treatment of his brothers. How many times is he gonna have to repeat the same trick before he gets the reaction he expects? What exactly did Jacob think was gonna happen after all this Egypt nonsense? How long have we been talking about Genesis, anyways? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of Monocacy Valley Church on January 14, 2024.
Today's sermon is drawn from 1 Samuel 3:1-10and John 1:43-51, and focuses on the delicate and difficult challenge of actually listening to God. What does it mean to really listen; is it more than just opening our ears? Does God want us to just sit down and shut up, or are we being asked to do more, to be more? Listen in, and find out!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
First Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+3%3A+1-10&version=NRSVUE
Second Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A43-51&version=NRSVUE
(Sermon manuscript available at the website below)
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Join us this week for Genesis, Chapter 43, and the brothers returning to Egypt with their youngest (living) brother, Benjamin. How badly is Joesph gonna mess with his long-lost brothers? Is Joseph literally a drama king at this point? What else can he do to make this harder on his family? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the Unfinished Community on Epiphany Sunday, January 7, 2024.
Today's sermon is drawn from Isaiah 60:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-12, and focuses on what true authority really looks like. Does it involve bold declarations and confrontation, or is it something totally different than that? Listen in, and find out!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
First Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2060%3A1-6&version=NRSVUE
Second Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+2%3A1-12&version=NRSVUE
(Sermon manuscript available at the website below)
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
This is an updated and revised sermon, re-delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey on December 18, 2023.Today's sermon is drawn from Isaiah 61:1-4 and Luke 1:46b-55, and focuses on what it means to do more than restore, more than reform, but to regenerate. As a church community, what does it mean to surrender our attachment to what was, and become a truly new creation in Christ? Listen in, and find out!(Manuscript available at the website below!)Scripture links are below! _______________ LINKS: This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!First Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+61%3A1-4&version=NRSVUESecond Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A46b-55&version=NRSVUE(Sermon manuscript available at the website below)Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Join us for the second part of Genesis, Chapter 42, as we get the return of the parade of brothers to their father in Canaan. How important is the youngest son to Jacob? At least Reuben complained about leaving Joseph behind; doesn't anyone care about Simeon? And what are acceptable losses for a grocery run, anyways? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, if you'd like to watch us glare incredulously, directly into the camera!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week we start hacking away at Chapter 41 of Genesis with the return of Joseph's brothers! Is it really ok for Joseph to be THIS petty? How smart do you have to be to make calculated threats in implications in one language knowing that they'll be just as threatening when translated? Does a centrist who complains about injustice but goes along with it anyways still get treated as just? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, Chapter 40 of Genesis is on the menu, as we limber up for the last 10 chapters of the book! How bad of a soothsayer do you have to be to miss the message of a dream this intense? How much repetition do you really need to get the point across? Did you remember that Joseph had a wife and kids? Is that REALLY the message here? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website link below) if you wanna check out Pastor Don's objectively ridiculous outfit.
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is an updated and revised sermon, re-delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the Unfinished Community as a bonus on November 16, 2023.
This sermon is a rework of "Standing in Wait," a sermon delivered as part of the "Casual Sermons" series back in March. It draws from 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and Ephesians 5:8-14, and explores just who it is that is called to lead the church forward into the future. Spoiler alert; it's probably not who you think!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website below) if you wanna watch Pastor Don gesticulate wildly and (very occasionally) actually pound the pulpit!
First Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2016%3A1-13&version=NRSVUE
Second Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%205%3A8-14&version=NRSVUE
(Sermon manuscript available at the website below)
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, we dive into Chapter 40 of Genesis, and find Joseph rotting in prison, exactly where a Biblical hero should be, right? How badly do you have to screw up as a baker for the king to throw you in prison, only to think better of it and later have you impaled AND beheaded? How much does pastor Don hate the term "interpretation?" Why didn't our Sunday school teachers ever tell us that Joseph got nothing for all his dream interpreting? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website below) so you can watch our dedicated team glare at each other from around the world!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, we dive into Chapter 39 of Genesis, and return to the story of Joseph already in progress. Is it still sexual assault if a woman does it to a man? (Spoiler alert; IT IS!) What about false accusations; are they still a thing? (Once again, YES!) How serious is God about this whole consent thing, anyways (VERY!)? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (link on the website below), if you would like to watch Tim and Courtney roll their eyes at Pastor Don in HIGH DEFINITION!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the Unfinished Community, on Sunday, November 5, 2023.
Drawing from Revelation 7:9-17 and Matthew 5:1-12, we spend a little time this week working through the difference between the wise, rational, and reasonable decisions made by humans, angels, and elders alike, and the wild and unreasonable choices made by God. How do the dictates of the reasonable constrain us in our lives? Does God really want us to practice love in careful and measured ways, or are we meant to love proudly and without restraint? And what does it mean when the world calls us unreasonable for it; what happens to us when we love as God loves? Have a listen to this week's sermon to find out more!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a video on YouTube, if you'd like to observe the preacher in its natural environment. It's like a theological safari!
First Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%207%3A9-17&version=NRSVUE
Second Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205%3A1-12&version=NRSVUE
Sermon Manuscript: https://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished/post/be-reasonable
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
You all asked for it, so here it is; Pastor Don's 5(ish) minute sermon!
Drawing from Amos 5:18-24 and Mark 6:1-6, let's spend a quick minute talking about how the church is dying because it's been quietly kicking Jesus to the curb, in almost the same exact way that non-affirming parents do with their LGBTQIA+ kids. Maybe neither group should do that, ya think?
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
First Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos+5%3A18-24+&version=NRSVUE
Second Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+6%3A1-6%2C&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, NJ, on Sunday, October 16, 2023.
Drawing from Matthew 22:1-14 and Philippians 4:1-9, we spend our time talking about that great conundrum, whether anyone can really know if another person is truly a Christian or not. Is it solely an internal thing, or is there some criteria we can look to? Is God truly for everyone, or does God have partiality to some over others? What does it really take to be welcomed to God's royal party? Have a listen to this week's sermon to find out more!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
_______________
LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
First Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A1-14&version=NRSVUE
Second Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A1-9&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the Unfinished Community, on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
Drawing from Matthew 21:23-32, we spend our time talking about what it means to live out our lives as people who do the work of Christianity, rather than striving just for the look of it. Is there something we need to have to call ourselves Christian and, conversely, are there things we can see as identifiers that others maybe aren't? Does it matter if you worship a specific way, dress a specific way, or look a certain way, or does it matter if you go out and do the work of God? Have a listen to this week's sermon to find out more!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
_______________
LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A23-32&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!Back to Basics, Episode 58: Tamar Gets the Upper Hand (Genesis 38, Part 3)
This week, we continue with Chapter 38 of Genesis, and the profound weirdness of Tamar's relationship with the male line of her family. What could possibly motivate Tamar to deceive Judah like that, and why is she in the right to do so? How many different words for "whore" are there in ancient Hebrew? Can you blame Judah for being at least a little hesitant to give a third son to Tamar? Can you blame Tamar for fighting back using the only means given her under the laws of the time? How many more times will we use the phrase "sexually outmaneuvered" before we finish the first book of the Bible? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via he website linked below) if you want to watch the crazy people react to crazy things!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, we continue with Chapter 38 of Genesis, and the profound weirdness of Tamar's relationship with the male line of her family. What could possibly motivate Tamar to deceive Judah like that, and why is she in the right to do so? How many different words for "whore" are there in ancient Hebrew? Can you blame Judah for being at least a little hesitant to give a third son to Tamar? Can you blame Tamar for fighting back using the only means given her under the laws of the time? How many more times will we use the phrase "sexually outmaneuvered" before we finish the first book of the Bible? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via link on the website below), in case you want to watch our shock at the random patriarchal BS!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, we arrive at the passage that Pastor Don has been waiting for since we started this wild ride. That's right, we've arrived at that absolutely clown-shoes bonkers passage where God starts killing people for no clear reason, and everyone assumes it has to do with rogering the slender weasel. How weird were ancient customs regarding progeny, anyways? How many terrible jokes can Pastor Don make about riding the devil's slip n' slide? Did Onan's death have anything to do with the celebration of "Palm" Sunday? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (link on the website below), if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, we begin our LONG journey through the story of Joseph. What kinda of absolute narcissist is Joseph, really? What in the heck is a "dream-master?" Did Jacob/Israel have a serious disconnect with reality, or was he just so in "love" with his wife that he forgot she'd died? Does the story of Reuben prove to us that being a non-confrontational centrist is just another way of tacitly endorsing the terrible acts of the violent majority? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, we finish the story of Genesis 35 with the death of Isaac, the death of Rachel, and a WHOLE LOT of lineage stuff. Did Jacob just...change his kid's name over the wishes of his dying wife? Why are there 10 minutes worth of lineage for a nation that isn't even Israel? What does it take for two brothers to finally reconcile? Wait...Ruben did WHAT? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, we return to the story of Jacob, as his people return to Bethel and finally set aside all their non-God gods. What's up with the earrings? What does "terror from God" mean? Is there a reason the Bible keeps repeating itself? Are there any pagan or pagan-adjacent practices that weren't Christian at one point in time or another? Is there a reason the Bible keeps repeating itself? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
TW: Discussions of sexual violence and vengeance. Viewer discretion is advised!
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, we turn our attention to one of the better-known cases of sexual violence in the Old Testament; the rape of Dinah? Is the mark of a truly great leader the willingness of their people to slice off parts of their genitals in order to hide their leader's son's crimes? Is it possible to go too far in retaliating against a rapist? What is the line between justice and vengeance, anyways? Did you notice that absolutely NO ONE blames Dinah for any of this? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website below) if you want to watch us get very angry at people who have been dead for thousands of years.
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Get Thee Behind Me," a new series from Unfinished Community where we explore the objectively terrible theology and somehow even worse writing of the "Left Behind" novels from the late 1990s. These books (and other media) were a massive hit in their time, but they didn't come out of nowhere; they're the evolution of centuries of heresy and cultism made manifest with all the polish and shine that the evangelical/political organization in America could bring to bear.
In Episode 6, we continue our journey with both Tim Gross and Lady Courtney the Eternally Present, exploring the second half of the "exciting" fourth chapter of this "book." How do you manage to cook an egg IN your coffee? If the anti-Christ is a third-tier Romanian politician focusing on currency conglomeration, what happened to Mitch McConnell? Did he finally have a "come to Jesus" moment? What about the rest of American politics? I mean, we don't want to be colonialist or anything, but given the state of the place one would assume that the antichrist would come from there, right?
For more about this...check out the episode! And for more from Unfinished Community, check out the links below. We hope to see you in the Community, either online or in person!
________________________________
LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, if you wanna watch us get simultaneously embarrassed by and offended at a 20+ year old book!
Website: www.unfinished.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, NJ, on Sunday, July 9, 2023.
Drawing from Song of Solomon 2:8-13 and Romans 7:15-25a, we talk about what it really means to love God. How is a modern evangelical like a besotted middle-school boy? How can our faith make us more like an incel than a true Christian? What does it really mean to love God? Have a listen to this week's sermon to find out more!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
OT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=+Song+of+Solomon+2%3A8-13&version=NRSVUE
NT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A15-25a&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Get Thee Behind Me," a new series from Unfinished Community where we explore the objectively terrible theology and somehow even worse writing of the "Left Behind" novels from the late 1990s. These books (and other media) were a massive hit in their time, but they didn't come out of nowhere; they're the evolution of centuries of heresy and cultism made manifest with all the polish and shine that the evangelical/political organization in America could bring to bear.
In Episode 5, we are joined by our good friend Tim Gross and, of course, Lady Courtney the Eternally Present! In this episode, our first two-parter, we begin going after Chapter 4, which has more baked-in racism and sexism than we've seen yet! Why is everyone so interested in international currency changes in the middle of an apocalypse? Why is every service-industry person female, and why are they all nagging all the time? Why is the "Asian" reporter so important to the story? Did Irene do anything OTHER than housewifery? The answers to these questions are...anti-semitism, sexism, racism, and OH MY, NO.
For more about this...check out the episode! And for more from Unfinished Community, check out the links below. We hope to see you in the Community, either online or in person!
________________________________
LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, if you like watching silly people be silly!
Website: www.unfinished.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the Unfinished Community, on Sunday, July 2, 2023.
Drawing from Romans 6:12-23, we dig into some of the...weirdness...of Paul. Did Paul stop being a fundamentalist when he converted? Is it ok for us to realize that Paul had some serious issues with seeing the world in binary terms? Did you know that Paul was the first non-denominationalist? Have a listen to this week's sermon to find out more!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a video on YouTube, if you want to see Pastor Don gesticulate like a crazy person!
OT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/...
NT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/...
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, we rejoin the story of Jacob and Esau already in progress, and take a look at both what a true, loving reconciliation can look like, and the many human ways we can even manage to screw that up. Does self-awareness automatically make you not a dick? Is the best revenge truly a life well lived? Will Pastor Don and Courtney EVER let a good moment be without finding ways to point out how it's still a little bit messed up? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website below) if you're still wondering just what Pastor Don actually looks like (hint; he's a real-life bear!)
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
"The members, congregants, and other participants in the life and ministry of Unfinished Community acknowledge the history of oppression, exclusion, and violence both spiritual and all too physical which rests upon our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender siblings. In the wider church, and society at large, these beloved children of God have been excluded, rejected, and subject to great and terrible indignity. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we at Unfinished Community welcome and celebrate everyone in all of their authenticity." (Unfinished Community Open and Affirming Statement)
Welcome to the audio recording of our 2023 Pride video. This month, we celebrate the full authenticity of all our LGBTQIA+ siblings by doing something all of us should do more often; having the cisgendered, heterosexual folks step aside for a bit, and let the voices of the community speak their own truths, and tell their own stories.
So please join us as we explore together what it means to be an LGBTQIA+ Christian in a world that is often hostile to this community, and to those who support or ally with them. And remember, all are welcome in God's house.
(And if you'd like to know more about Unfinished Community, please check out the links below. Happy Pride, everyone!)
___________________ LINKS: This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics," where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
This week, in celebration of our 50th episode, we take some time to talk not about the Bible, but about some of the basics of what is (and what isn't) Christianity. Certainly, the Christian faith has a LOT to answer for historically, but what about modernly? Is Evangelicalism actually Christianity like it claims, or is it something different? Is it even possible to remain a "Christian" organization when your primary defining characteristic is your total and complete independence from (and lack of accountability to) any aspect of the Christian religion? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as video on YouTube (link on the website below), if you wanna see our frustration unfurl in real time!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered remotely by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, NJ, on Sunday, June 18, 2023.
Drawing from Genesis 18:1-15 and Matthew 9:35-10:23, we dig into the absolutely terrifying impossibility of a God who calls us to sacrifice everything, but somehow make a better world. How does that even work? How can we take on systemic injustice and the greatest destructive institutions in the history of the world through a tactic of dedicated self-sacrifice and nothing else? Is any of this even possible? Have a listen to this week's sermon to find out!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at video on YouTube, if Pastor Don's wild gesticulations are of interest to you!
OT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+18%3A1-15&version=NRSVUE
NT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+9%3A35-10%3A23&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to at the monthly worship service for Unfinished Community, on Sunday, June 4, 2023.
Drawing from Matthew 9:9-17, we spend some time talking about what it means to "put new wine into old wineskins." Have our institutions, our ways of being Christian become old, cracked, and broken? Have all our efforts to "revitalize" the Christian church amounted to nothing? Where is Jesus, if not here? Have a listen to this week's sermon to find out!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a video on YouTube (via the link below) if you prefer watching your pastor make silly faces while preaching!
Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+9%3A9-17&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to at the monthly worship service for Unfinished Community, on Sunday, June 4, 2023.
Drawing from Matthew 28:16-20, it's time for a conversation about what this whole "Great Commission" thing really means. Is it really about having a "convert or die" mentality, or is Jesus perhaps getting at something greater, more rooted in the love which we know God is? Have a listen to this week's sermon to find out!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
_______________
LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2028%3A16-20&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're witnessing the greatest scriptural interlude of all time, and joining Jacob as he wrestles some sort of mystical random! Just who in the (possibly) hell was this guy, anyways? Is it possible to win a new name in a wrestling match? Can you smell what the [angel of the Lord] is cooking? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website below) in case you want to watch Courtney's face as Pastor Don tries and fails to make wrestling jokes for the better part of a half-hour.
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Get Thee Behind Me," a new series from Unfinished Community where we explore the objectively terrible theology and somehow even worse writing of the "Left Behind" novels from the late 1990s. These books (and other media) were a massive hit in their time, but they didn't come out of nowhere; they're the evolution of centuries of heresy and cultism made manifest with all the polish and shine that the evangelical/political organization in America could bring to bear.
In Episode 4, our growing panel of co-hosts gets back to work, including Micah "The Wise Old Llama" Enby, and our regular hosts Scott Fraley, Courtney Fraley, Kay Van Antwerpen, Finn Jaskowski, and Rev. Don Van Antwerpen! Today we tackle Chapter 3, with all the rapture insanity that entails. Can the venerable Mr. Williams master the intricacies of a blow-up slide? Did God (or the authors) really just straight-up murder the first officer because he dared to take a ride, instead of striding back to the terminal in a suitably masculine fashion? Did the evangelical God just do like...a million abortions simultaneously? Won't somebody please think of the children?
For more from Unfinished Community, check out the links below. We hope to see you in the Community, either online or in person!
________________________________
LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website below), so you can confirm that it is indeed a bunch of different people, and not just Pastor Don doing some surprisingly complicated voice-acting.
Website: www.unfinished.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're sticking with our boy Jacob, and seeing just how much he's been changed by all these years of dealing with Laban's BS. Have you ever wondered what trauma-induced hyper-vigilance looks like in a Biblical character? Was the author of Genesis using literary techniques from Mark before the Gospels made it cool? Is this what it looks like when a high school bully tries to make good? How good of an apology is a "please-don't-kill-me" present train? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via our website below) in the event that you actually want to see our faces as we do this thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're continuing Jacob's story, and seeing what happens when an angry Laban catches up with him. Is it really a demonstration of female agency when one of the main women in the story uses her period as a deception? If Laban's God's are real, how might they have felt about being jammed into a cushion and then (potentially) bled on? How bad of a father of daughters do you have to be (to say nothing of a husband) for this kinda gambit to work in the first place? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________
LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Sunday, May 21, 2023.
Drawing from Micah 6:6-8 and 1 Peter 4:12-19, join us for an examination of what it really means to "suffer" for Christ, and how many of us - even progressive, mainstream Christians - sometimes get caught up mistaking suffering for righteousness, and miss our chance to truly do the work of God!
(Manuscript available at the website below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a video on YouTube, because Pastor Don gestures like a crazy person, and people really should see that!
Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+4%3A12-19&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're continuing Jacob's story, and watching as he gets the hell outta dodge. Is it even possible to steal Gods? What does it take for angry sisters to reconcile? How much of a dick can Laban be, even screwing over his daughters? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, because we're ridiculous like that.
Website: www.unfinisihed.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Sunday, May 24, 2023.
Drawing from Acts 17:19-28, join us for a difficult but necessary conversation on the silence of the church, the idolatry of our own imagined ideas of who Jesus is, and the hard truth of our own progressive culpability in the religious radicalism running rampant 'round the world.
(Manuscript available at the link below!)
Scripture links are below!
_______________
LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, if podcasts are more your thing!
Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17%3A19-28&version=NRSVUE
Manuscript: https://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished/post/tomb-of-the-unknown-god
Unfinished Community: www.unfinished.love
Welcome to "Get Thee Behind Me," a new series from Unfinished Community where we explore the objectively terrible theology and somehow even worse writing of the "Left Behind" novels from the late 1990s. These books (and other media) were a massive hit in their time, but they didn't come out of nowhere; they're the evolution of centuries of heresy and cultism made manifest with all the polish and shine that the evangelical/political organization in America could bring to bear.
In Episode 3, our panel of hosts evolves, now featuring Micah "The Wise Old Llama" Enby in addition to our regular hosts Scott Fraley, Courtney Fraley, Kay Van Antwerpen, Finn Jaskowski, and Rev. Don Van Antwerpen! Today we dig into Chapter 2, and some of the underlying weirdness that happens on a plane mid-rapture. Amid drunks, adorable little old ladies, and the rampant sexualization and degradation of a stewardess for the crime of having human agency, we discover an astounding, remarkable existential truth; apparently all reporters know how to disassemble the in-flight entertainment system and hotwire it into a makeshift internet modem, circa the late 1990s. How is this important? Who knows, but it gives us plenty of opportunity to rant!
For more from Unfinished Community, check out the links below. We hope to see you in the Community, either online or in person!
________________________________
LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, if fun folks making silly faces is more your thing!
Website: www.unfinished.love
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're continuing Jacob's story, and watching as he figures out a creative way to get back at his father-in-law, Laban. How weird does your animal husbandry technique have to be to confuse scholars for millennia? How complex are the negotiating tactics of the ancient Middle-East? Did Jacob invent the entire field of genetics just to piss off his father-in-law? And how did Laban not see that coming? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, lest you miss a chance to admire us in all our great and terrible beauty. Seriously, we're like Galadriel if, instead of being played by an award-winning actor of renowned beauty, she was instead portrayed by a couple of mildly-unstable millennials ranting about the Bible!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
Today's episode is a BONUS EPISODE, where we start with a question that was cut from the last episode (for time), and which turned into an in-depth conversation about the challenges associated with Biblical translation. So if you're a Biblical literalist, if want to know more about all the many pitfalls associated with Bible translation, or if you just want to hear us once again get seriously down on the very many ways in which the Holy Scripture has been royally screwed with over the years, then this is the episode for you!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, if seeing our animated gestures and expressions gets your motor running for some reason.
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're continuing the story about the conflict between Rachel and Leah on the subject of childbearing. How many kids is too many when your sister-wife has more? How exactly does lineage work in this time period, anyways? Does it make sense to throw slaves at your husband just to get more children? How is Jacob not completely exhausted? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (link on the website below) because you REALLY should see Courtney's facial expressions this week; they're something else!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
"Casual Sermons" is a new series wherein Pastor Don either dusts off some older sermons from the archives (all from the pre-YouTube days), or just brings out something new, so we can all get a little bit of the Word in our week!
Today's sermon comes from John 19:40-20:18, and focuses on the divinity of critical thinking. Why was it that the male disciples missed actual angels in the tomb, while Mary Magdalene got it in one? Sure, Easter Sunday is fun...but do we all relate to the triumphant Jesus better, or does that triumph only make sense once we've sat with Jesus in the cold, dark, silence of the grave?
Scripture links are below, so give it a listen to find out!
(Manuscript available at the Unfinished Community website, linked below!)
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website linked below) if you really that visceral experience of watching Pastor Don pound the pulpit!
Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A40-20%3A18&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to "Get Thee Behind Me," a new series from Unfinished Community where we explore the objectively terrible theology and somehow even worse writing of the "Left Behind" novels from the late 1990s. These books (and other media) were a massive hit in their time, but they didn't come out of nowhere; they're the evolution of centuries of heresy and cultism made manifest with all the polish and shine that the evangelical/political organization in America could bring to bear.
In Episode 2, our panel of hosts - Scott Fraley, Courtney Fraley, Kay Van Antwerpen, Finn Jaskowski, and Rev. Don Van Antwerpen - dig into the first insane chapter of this...remarkable...book. Starting with an opening line that would be more at home in an adult video, and moving on through an entire chapter of something which is pornographic in an entirely different way, we get to know our main "characters," as well as the authors' wild lack of understanding concerning basic world history, basic causality, and even basic English.
For more from Unfinished Community, check out the links below. We hope to see you in the Community, either online or in person!
________________________________
LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, because we're all ridiculous, and you should get the full measure of that as you are able.
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're following Jacob out into his new life. Does the family of Abraham just use sexual assault as a greeting now? How hard-up do you have to be to cry boner tears? And how hard up do you have to be to not notice you've married an entirely different person until AFTER the post-ceremony sex? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website below), if you're particularly interested in Pastor Don's facial reaction when Courtney coins the phrase "boner tears."
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of Unfinished Community (in-person and online) in Ashiya, Japan, on Sunday, April 2, 2023.
Drawing from Matthew 21:1-11, we talked very briefly about what it means to truly follow Jesus for who he is, rather than who we expect him to be for us. Just like the citizens of Jerusalem cheering for Jesus as though he were a conquering warrior-king, we often expect that Jesus will conquer for us as well. But does a conqueror ride in on a donkey, challenge the wealthy and the privileged among his own people, and then sacrifice himself for the sins of the entire world - including your enemies?
Or is that what a messiah might do instead?
(Manuscript available at the link below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a video on YouTube (via the link below) if you'd like to critique Pastor Don's fashion choices!
Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A1-11&version=NRSVUE
Manuscript: shorturl.at/STW03
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're moving forward with the aftermath of the blessing incident, and the continuing story of Jacob. Does the biblical definition of marriage include spite-based polygamy? How do you translate the ramp-face of a ziggurat, and why isn't it "ladder"? How freaking weird is God, really? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (via the website below), if you want to watch Courtney continuously rolling her eyes at Pastor Don?
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
"Casual Sermons" is a new series wherein Pastor Don either dusts off some older sermons from the archives (all from the pre-YouTube days), or just brings out something new, so we can all get a little bit of the Word in our week!
Today's sermon comes from 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and Ephesians 5:8-14, and deals with the surprising origin of the kingship of David of Bethlehem. We spend so much time in our lives fighting for the outcast and rejected to be welcome within the church, that perhaps we've lost sight of the fact that God calls the rejected not just to be included, but to lead. What does it mean for us to embrace the leadership of the outcast, especially if we're the outcast ourselves?
Scripture links are below, so give it a listen to find out!
(Manuscript available at the Unfinished Community website, linked below!)
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a video on YouTube (link on the website below), in case you want to see silly face and over-the-top gestures along with your sermon!
First Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2016%3A1-13&version=NRSVUE
Second Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5%3A8-14&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
"Casual Sermons" is a new series wherein Pastor Don dusts off some older sermons from the archives (all from the pre-YouTube days), and fixes them up for our Community, today.
Our first sermon of the series comes from John 11:1-44, and digs into the death and resurrection of Lazarus. The global church is in decline, Christianity becoming a shell of its former power and glory, fewer people in pews and nary a program to reverse the great swelling tide of death that surrounds us. But is this a bad thing, or is it exactly what is supposed to be happening to the church?
Scripture links are below, so give it a listen to find out!
(Manuscript available at the Unfinished Community website, linked below!)
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available on YouTube, if you actually want to see Pastor Don pound the pulpit.
Scripture Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2011%3A1-44&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
This is the sermon delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Sunday, March 23, 2023.
Drawing from John 4:5-28a, and Romans 5:1-11, join us for an exploration of what it truly means to stand with oppressed and marginalized communities, and how that typically means that we need to shut up, listen carefully, and take the hit, rather than being the hero of the piece.
(Manuscript available at the website link below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available on YouTube, if you prefer to watch me gesticulate wildly!
First Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A5-28a&version=NRSVUE
Second Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A1-11&version=NRSVUE
Manuscript: https://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished/post/well-actually
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're talking coming to the end of the story of Jacob stealing Esau's blessing. Did Isaac really have a second, crappier backup blessing ready to hand? Is "it'll all blow over" just a gear which is built in to mothers? Is it murder o'clock? It's murder o'clock, isn't it? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (at the website linked below), because if you can't see it, you mightn't know where that lamb stew is coming from. Don't be like Isaac!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Get Thee Behind Me," a new series from Unfinished Community where we explore the objectively terrible theology and somehow even worse writing of the "Left Behind" novels from the late 1990s. These books (and other media) were a massive hit in their time, but they didn't come out of nowhere; they're the evolution of centuries of heresy and cultism made manifest with all the polish and shine that the evangelical/political organization in America could bring to bear.
In our first episode, we get to know our panel of hosts for this series: Scott Fraley, Courtney Fraley, Kay Van Antwerpen, Finn Jaskowski, and Rev. Don Van Antwerpen, and have a brief conversation where we try to sum up those centuries of heresy and cultism which led to this literary abomination.
For more from Unfinished Community, check out the links below. We hope to see you in the Community, either online or in person!
________________________________
LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (link at the website below) so you can see the proxy plush-doll (legal only in Indiana, because Pence is a freak).
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered remotely by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of Ashiya Christian Church on Sunday, February 26, 2023.
Drawing from Isaiah 58:5-8, 12, and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, join us for a conversation about what it means to truly follow Christ as a community, and how that often involves pulling away from the things that make us look good, polished, or even church-like.
(Manuscript available in both English and Japanese at the link below!)
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a "video" on YouTube (via the website below), if that's more your thing!
OT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=+Isaiah+58%3A5-8%2C+12&version=NRSVUE
NT Reading:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A1-6%2C+16-21&version=NRSVUE
Manuscript: https://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished/post/keeping-up-appearances-見かけをよくする
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're talking about the moment it all comes to a head and Jacob steals Esau's blessing. Did Isaac really not know what was going on? Is lamb stew a binding legal contract? Is "failure to recognize obvious duplicity" a love language? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (link at the website below) because we're totally making faces at you and you're not seeing it!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're continuing our conversation about Isaac's encounter with Abimelech. Why is Abimelech the only sane character in Genesis so far? Wouldn't you want the family of Abraham - and their assorted women - as far away as possible? How bad is it when a guy who doesn't even worship your God still doesn't wanna mess with them? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube (link on the website below) should you want to see Courtney and Pastor Don being ridiculous.
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're talking about Isaac's encounter with Abimelech. How stupid do you have to pull the same stunt that your father pulled twice already, and on the same king no less? And how stupid do you have to be to claim your wife a your sister, then start feeling her up right in said king's eyeline? And really....just how many times are we gonna rag on poor Abimelech before we move on already? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, in case you wanna check out some truly weird facial expressions!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered remotely by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, NJ, on Sunday, February 2, 2023.
Drawing from the very pointed rantings of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 58:2-12), and an oft-misunderstood yet regularly-used passage from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 5:13-20), we're talking about what it really means to break forth as the light of the world, and holding ourselves to account for the very notable absence of Christ's true church on the world stage these last few decades. It's not necessarily comforting news, but definitely something we all should be thinking about!
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available on YouTube (via the website linked below) if you like to look at people when they're talking, for some reason.
OT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+58%3A2-12&version=NRSVUE
NT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+5%3A13-20&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're exploring the story of Jacob and Essau, and their fun story of sibling rivalry that definitely didn't have any lasting consequences. Do boys always fight with each other? How many times is Pastor Don gonna whip out a textbook to prove a point? Is Essau a Saiyan or something? Does God want children to be just like their parents and, if so, how many times will Isaac wind up selling off his wife for fun and profit? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts; if that's more your thing!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to "Back to Basics!" In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! (Except on the last week of every month, when we'll take a break for some of that sweet, sweet New Testament deconstruction!)
Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're kicking off our new sub-series focusing on the New Testament by pineapple-ing our way through Matthew 2; the visit of the magi, the massacre of the infants, and the escape to/from Egypt. How did a handful of astrologians from the East get from "probably a comet fragment" to "look, the Jews just got a new Messiah?" How many times can the infancy narrative say that power is a real problem before people start to listen? What is a prophecy anyways, and why are we still talking about it? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube. You should check it out, because Courtney makes a LOT of faces in this one!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!In today's episode, we're recovering from last week's exciting 2-parter with a bunch of short stories covering the end of Abraham's time on earth. Did Abraham ever not have children with someone? Is Abraham technically the root cause of the Babylonian Exile? Wait, when exactly did Ishmael get here? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more! __________LINKS:This video is also available on our YouTube channel (link at the website below) if you're really still not watching us there too!Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinishedFacebook: @UnfinishedKIPCInstagram/Twitter: @PastorKumaDiscord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered remotely by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, NJ, on Sunday, January 22, 2023.
Drawing from some hopeful words from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 9:1-4), and an angry rant from the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 1:10-18), we spend our time talking about what it means to approach conflict as a Christian in ways that "would make Elon Musk faint with fear and Fred Rogers cheer with glorious and supportive glee."
Scripture links are below!
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LINKS:
This sermon is also available as a video on our YouTube channel (link at the website below) in case you wanna watch Pastor Don make funny faces!
OT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%209%3A1-4&version=NRSVUE
NT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+corinthians+1%3A10-18&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we've got the exciting conclusion of our two-part walk through Genesis 24, and the "marriage" of Isaac and Rebekah. Are men as a whole really so lazy that they haven't updated their approach to picking up women in thousands of years? Did Abraham's servant really offer Rebekah a level of agency that Abraham himself never offered his own wife? Does Courtney have a legitimate chance of succeeding Majel Barrett-Roddenberry as the voice of Star Trek's computer systems? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available on our YouTube channel (link at the website below), in case you were wondering what that really weird bit at the beginning was all about!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're kicking off the first part of our exciting two part episode on the Marriage of Isaac and Rebekah! Why is Abraham suddenly so protective of Isaac? Didn't he try to kill him a few verses ago? Does Abraham's servant got serious game? Have you ever had to use a safe-word in a church situation? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available on our YouTube channel (linked on the website below) if you want to see all the overdramatic insanity we put into this thing!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're doing our post-mortem on Sarah, Abraham's wife, who finally passes away after a lifetime of very confusing use as a sexual prop. Was she complicit in Abraham's weirdly abusive actions? What was the deal with her turning on Hagar like that; was it Stockholm Syndrome or something? Can someone still be revered as the founder of something, even if they were forced into building it against their will? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available on our YouTube channel (link on our website below) if you would like to see our shining faces while we discuss Sarah's questionable role in the founding of God's covenant people.
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're going a bit longer, but we still managed to keep our discussion of Genesis 22 and the whole almost-sacrifice of Isaac thing to a single episode. Has Abraham been saving up all his residual crazy just for this very moment? Why does Abraham get to speak directly to God in private, but only hear from angels when others are around? Does Isaac have a clue what's going on? How can a single comma (or lack thereof) do this much heavy lifting?!?! Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on our YouTube channel, if you would like to watch us as we roll our eyes at Abraham again and again!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Merry Christmas! Welcome to a fun, holiday-themed bonus episode of "Back to Basics," a series where Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible!
Today, in celebration of Christmas, we're going to jump a head and dig into Matthew 1:18-25; the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Why is this childbirth story all about father figures? How do you kludge together a marriage when you have to contend with Jewish law, Roman law, and/or Egyptian law? And who is this mysterious "Oily Josh" person anyways? Check out today's extra-long Very Special Episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on our YouTube channel (link available on our website below) if you happen to be interested in checking out Courtney's beautiful Christmas tree (which is absolutely not a euphemism, I promise!)
Bible Verse: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1%3A18-25&version=NRSVUE
Genealogy Sermon, Part 1: https://anchor.fm/pastorkuma/episodes/Revelation-You-Are-Part-of-Gods-Story-Rev--Akiko-Van-Antwerpen-e1rv9kv
Genealogy Sermon, Part 2: https://anchor.fm/kuc/episodes/Sunday--December-18--2022---Worship-Service-Sermon-e1sdhik
Unfinished Community Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord Server: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we are looking at the rest of Genesis 21, and the covenant made between Abraham and Abimilech. Is Abimelech really the only sensible person in the Abraham story? Can you really blame Abimelech for making Abraham promise not to make any more trouble? Are we done with the crazy, or is Abraham just gearing up for one more whopper of a crazy move? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on our YouTube too, in case you ever wondered what kind of crazy faces Courtney is making when she thinks y'all aren't looking!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we are looking at Genesis 21, the birth of Isaac and the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael. If you had sold your wife twice, wouldn't you want to do whatever crazy thing she said, just to keep the peace? Does Abraham have a moral compass, or does he just an opportunist who does whatever he an to get ahead? Did God steal from Star Trek: Discovery, or did Disco crib from Jewish/Christian theology? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available as a video on YouTube, if you happen to be interested in that whole "moving pictures" fad.
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This beautiful sermon was delivered at Kobe Union Church by Rev. Akiko Van Antwerpen on Sunday, December 4, 2020. Coming from Matthew 1:1-11, she digs deep in to the genealogy of Jesus, and tells us how unexpected and surprising it truly is. Check it out!
Bible Verse Link: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1%3A1-17&version=NRSVUE
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we are digging into Genesis 20, and Abraham's triumphant return to form as a sex trafficker! If something works once, why wouldn't you try it a second time? How is it possible that Abraham is the Biblical hero here, but Abimelech is somehow the only one with an ounce of sanity? Seriously Abraham, what the hell? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available on YouTube (via the website linked below) if you really wanna see our doofy faces, for whatever reason.
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we are talking about the second part of Genesis 19, and the profound horribleness that followed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Is sexual assault as a problem solving tool somehow an inherited trait? How stupid do you have to be to run away from a place God specifically said is safe, just to go live in a cave? Is it possible that one of the absolute worst passages in the early Bible also has one of the first times female sexual agency is treated as (within context, at least) a generally positive thing? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
This video is also available on YouTube (via the website linked below) if crazy facial expressions are your thing!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we're finally doing it. Yes, it's the passage you've all been waiting for; Leviticus 18:22. Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Get this podcast as a video over on YouTube, if our silly faces are something you're interested in! Link is at the website below.
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we're digging into 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, and talking about lawsuits, conflict in Christian community, the origins of communism (hint: it's Jesus), and why it's stupid for churches and church folk to be suing anybody, right or wrong. Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Get this podcast as a video over on YouTube, if our silly faces are something you're interested in! Link is at the website below.
Today's Verse: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A16-24&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we decided to make the best out of a weird overlap. Since "Untitled" (our other hit video/pod series with ones of listeners!) just recently covered Genesis 19 and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in detail, we figured we'd just cut to their analysis already in progress. So, if you've already seen/heard "Untitled's" take on this passage, feel free to pass right through this episode on to the next. Otherwise, tune in for some special guests, as we take apart Genesis 19, where it's STILL not the gays!
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LINKS:
This podcast is also a video, if you're more a YouTube person. Check out the links on the Unfinished Community website below to find it!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we're digging into Matthew 19:16-24, and digging into the complex relationship between rich folk, camels, needles, self-delusion, and industrial-strength blenders. Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Get this podcast as a video over on YouTube, if you like seeing crazy faces and whatnot. Check out the website below for the link!
Today's Verse: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A16-24&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we are talking about the second part of Genesis 18, and the pronouncement of God's judgment against Sodom, Gomorrah, and all the rest. Did God just slip off a trio of bodies like you or I might slip off a pair of moderately uncomfortable shoes? If you annoy God long enough, do you accidentally wind up inventing keigo? Was it really the gays? No, seriously; was it actually the gays? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more! (Spoiler alert; it really wasn't the gays!)
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LINKS:
If you have the pressing desire to see our shining faces, this video is also available on YouTube via our website links below. Feel free to check it out!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we're digging into Ezekiel 16:44-58 and, just in case last week wasn't clear enough, taking a little more time to talk about what this whole "Sodom and Gomorrah" thing was really about. In case you were wondering, no; it's still got nothing to do with LGBTQIA folks, or really any kind of intimate sexuality. Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Get this video as a podcast at anchor.fm/pastorkuma, or by searching for "Unfinished Community" wherever you get your podcasts!
Today's Verse: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+16%3A44-58%09%09%09%09&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we are talking about the first part of Genesis 18, and the encounter with "the Lord" at the Oaks of Mamre. Does this count as the first incarnation of God in the world and, if so, why is it a kind of slenderman-esque creepy? How are covenant-era Israelites and Hobbits the same? Did the Lord of the Rings crib a Christian hymn? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
If you have the pressing desire to see our shining faces, this video is also available on YouTube via our website links below. Feel free to check it out!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we're digging into Genesis 19:1-29, and exploring the often misunderstood story of Sodom and Gomorrah. In case you were wondering, no; it's got nothing to do with LGBTQIA folks, or really any kind of intimate sexuality (though violations of consent abound, and we'll definitely talk about that!) Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
If you have the pressing desire to see our shining faces, this video is also available on YouTube via our website links below. Feel free to check it out!
Today's Verse: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+19%3A1-29&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we dive into the discussion about Genesis 17, and the second crack at the whole "covenant" idea. Is circumcision a terrible idea, or does it make sense given Abraham's weird penchant for sexual abuse as a problem solving technique? Wouldn't you want to change your name after forcing everyone in your tribe to undergo involuntary genital surgery? If God can make you the father of many nations after cutting up your parts, what can't God do? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
Check us out over on YouTube (link available on the website below) if you prefer your Biblical silliness with a healthy dose of facial expression and weird hand gestures!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This is the sermon delivered remotely by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen to the congregation of First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, NJ, on Sunday, October 30, 2022.
Drawing from a fiery rant by the prophet Isaiah, and the oft-misunderstood story of Zacchaeus in the gospel of Luke, join us for an occasionally spicy deep-dive into that hardest aspect of the Christian life: reconciliation.
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LINKS: This sermon is also available on YouTube, via the links on the Unfinished Community website below), if hand gestures and facial expressions make the Word of God more real to you!
OT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+1%3A10-18&version=NRSVUE
NT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+19%3A1-10&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we're digging into Matthew 26:6-13, and talking about the anointing at Bethany, and that weird-yet-terrible line about always having the poor with you. Spoiler alert: it doesn't mean that we shouldn't bother helping the poor! Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Find us on YouTube as well, so you can see all our lovely facial expressions and over-the-top reactions to things!
Today's Verse: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26%3A6-13&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we dive into the discussion about Genesis 16, and the birth of Abram's first son, Ishmael. How messed up do you have to try to build God's covenant community on a foundation of sexual assault? Is this how Abram solves all his problems; with sexual violence? And how does someone say "Karen" in ancient Hebrew, anyways? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
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LINKS:
Find us on YouTube as well, so you can see all our lovely facial expressions and over-the-top reactions to things!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we're diving into a passage that isn't often misused, so much as it is misunderstood: Mark5:21-36. We're digging into the difference between what we want and what we need, and how we can all too often lose sight of what God is actually doing when we get distracted by flashier things like healing and miracles. Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Find us on YouTube as well, so you can see all our lovely facial expressions and over-the-top reactions to things!
Today's Verse: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+5%3A21-36&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we continue our dive into Genesis 15, and lean into the trippier portions of Abram's vision. How bad is it to admit that this isn't an objective history? What would a 4000+ year old Twitter account look like? What does it mean to understand the Old Testament using Christ as a filter; would that be more like a 4000+ year old Instagram instead? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
________________
LINKS:
Find us on YouTube as well, so you can see all our lovely facial expressions and over-the-top reactions to things!
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we're finishing our deep-dive into Luke 17:11-19, and Jesus' healing of the lepers. Grace isn't an economic exchange and, surprise surprise, the Samaritan leper didn't come give thanks despite his foreign-ness, but because of it! So maybe, Jesus is showing us that we should listen to other groups and learn from them, why not? Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Find us on YouTube as well, so you can see all our lovely facial expressions and over-the-top reactions to things!
Today's Verse: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=+Luke+17%3A11-19&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we finally dive into Genesis 15, and discuss the covenant between Abram and God. Did you know that Biblical history has definitely been edited over the years? How do you sign a contract when both signatures and contracts haven't been invented yet? Are animal sacrifices just God's way of not breaking the Prime Directive? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
________________
LINKS:
Find us on YouTube as well, so you can see all our lovely facial expressions and over-the-top reactions to things!Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we're taking a swing at Luke 17:11-19, and talking about Jesus healing some lepers. We like to think that God's grace only applies to those who worship God, or that grace only applies to those who give back, or show a positive turn towards growth. But grace with a price isn't grace - it's payment, and that's not how Jesus works at all! Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Don't forget to check us out on YouTube as well!
Today's Verse: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+17%3A11-19&version=NRSVUE Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we put the Bible aside for a minute and talk about the divine and religious important of taking a FREAKING break sometimes!The capitalist ethos of productivity isn't a Christian belief or practice, neither is it endemic to humans, so why do we do it? 'Cause it's fun? Why did we have no episode last week anyways? Is it possible for Don and Courtney to talk even longer if they aren't talking about the bible? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
________________
LINKS:
Find us on YouTube as well, so you can see all our lovely facial expressions and over-the-top reactions to things!Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, we join with our intrepid hosts for part two of our exiting two-part episode! We're continuing with our deep-dive into Luke 16:1-13, and furthering our long-running grudge against The Message, Joel Osteen, and scriptural abuse in general. Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS: Todays Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2016%3A1-13&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at Genesis 14B, and talking about what happened when all those defeated kings from the last passage found out Abram had just Mary Sue'd his way to victory over their foes. Have you ever wondered where that 1/10th figure for tithing first comes from? Is there a good enough reason to refuse someone offering you a bunch of money as a reward? Why is Abram OK with Egypt giving him stuff, but not these guys? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Today, thanks to the absence of Mallory, we went wildly afield with our exploration of Luke 16:1-13, so settle in for part one of an exciting two-part episode! Again! Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS: Todays Scripturehttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2016%3A1-13&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!) In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at Genesis 14A, and talking about that time Lot got captured in the middle of a war between a geriatric grab-bag of local kings, and Abram (with, no doubt, the deepest of sighs) saddle'd up to bust him out. If that many different nations come together to attack the country you just immigrated to, would you rethink your plans? How obvious does something need to be before it crosses from "epic foreshadowing" to "obvious spoilers?" Shall ye actually be as gods, or is that just the sentient weapon system talking smack again?? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own live.
Today, we fortunately managed to keep our distractions to a minimum, and stayed on topic (though, not without a fair amount of no-holds-barred commentary!) with our deep-dive into Luke 14:25-33. Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Todays Scripture: hhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+14%3A25-33&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at Genesis 13, and talking about that time Lot and Abram decided to go their separate ways. Have you ever wondered what mitosis would look like if you did it with wealthy proto-historical patriarchal clans? What do you get for the man who has everything (because he decided to pimp out his wife because he was feeling a trifle non-confrontational)? Just how many times does a city have to ruin your life before you start to think living there is a bad idea? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own live.
Today, we pick up where we left off last week, and continue our deep-dive into last week's lectionary passage: Hebrews 13:1-9. Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ!
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LINKS:
Todays Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=+Hebrews+13%3A1-9&version=NRSVUE
Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/
Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at Genesis 12B, and talking about that time our boy Abram wandered down into Egypt. If conservative Christians hate illegal immigration, what do they think of Abram dippin' down to Egypt for a bite to eat mid-famine? How do we reconcile our understanding of Abram as a biblical hero with all the rampant lying he seems to do? What's a good price to get when you sell your wife into sexual slavery? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Have you ever wondered what the Bible really says about...well...everything? Have you ever wondered what it looks like when two churches from wildly different backgrounds get together to talk about it? We sure did, which is why Unfailing Love Church and Unfinished Community have come together in this new series called "Untitled," where we spend time talking about the Bible, what it says, and how we can apply it to our own live. Today, we discuss basically everything, but eventually land on our lectionary passage for this week: Hebrews 13:1-9. Give it a listen to find out more about this passage, and to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ! _______________ LINKS: Todays Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=+Hebrews+13%3A1-9&version=NRSVUE Unfailing Love Church: https://ulcfw.com/ Unfinished Community: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at Genesis 12A, and getting to know the newest character in our story, Abram. Have we finally transitioned from hard myth into pseudo-historical stories? Was Abram really the first-ever monotheist? What does it mean when God "promises" land to Abram, especially since that land is already occupied? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at Genesis 10 and 11, talking about the famous/infamous Tower of Babel, as well as a nonliteral boatload of begats. Are ancient aliens possibly a thing in the Bible? Why would the Almighty get pissy about a big tower? Do any of these begats really matter anymore? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at Genesis 9, and talking about the return of mankind...well...Noah-kind...to the Earth. What kind of PTSD do you get when you've just watched literally everyone drown? How quickly could you go from zero to passed-out drunk if there were no more grapes? If the line of Cain has been extinguished, from where will racist lunatics draw their absurd and incorrect theology? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at the Genesis 8, and talking about the end of Noah's time on the water. Was there a reason Noah started with ravens but moved on to doves? Can olive trees grow underwater? Did Noah seriously take two of every animal, and then burn a few when they landed just for funsies? Does God really have a sense of smell? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at the Genesis 7, and talking about the start of the Flood itself. Was this a real event, or some sort of literary theft from other cultures? What does a cultural memory of an apocalypse really look like, and how might we try to remember such a thing in the ages before the written word? Just how do Biblical literalists think two (or more) of every animal on earth fit in an Ark that size? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!" (Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at the second half of Genesis chapter 6, and talking about just how it was that Noah was spared when everyone else wasn't. If everyone now only lives to 120, why did Noah live for 950 years? How righteous can you really be if the story ends with you passing out drunk and naked around your family? What even is a cubit, anyways? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
This sermon entitled "Who are You Listening To" was delivered remotely by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen of Unfinished Community in Ashiya, at the Sunday Worship Service of Yokohama Union Church in Yokohama, Japan.
Based off scripture from Genesis 18:1-10a and Colossians 1:15-28, the sermon talks about the the Christian call to radical hospitality. Give it a listen!
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OT Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2018%3A1-10&version=NRSVUE
NT Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1%3A15-28&version=NRSVUE
Unfinished Community Links:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!"
(Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at Genesis chapter 6, and the surprisingly complicated prologue to the story of Noah and the flood. How are half-angel babies connected to the patriarchy? What exactly were those rock-monsters in the Russel Crowe "Noah" movie? Is it possible to be so attractive that a six-winged volleyball full of eyes and/or a creepy rock monster wants to get it? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS: Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!"
(Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at Genesis chapter 5, and the list of long-lived descendants running from Adam to Noah. Why is it that everyone in the Bible lived so long? Why are these kinda genealogies important? What, exactly, is an aglet, anyways? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS: Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!"
(Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at the very first list of "begats," and finding ways to make it interesting. Where exactly did Cain wander off to and somehow manage to find a wife? Why do both Cain and Seth have descendants named Lamech? Where does Russel Crowe figure into all of this? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS: Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!"
(Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at the very first murder. Why did God prefer meat to veggies and the like? Is the mark of Cain hereditary? And how is it that God once again had no idea where the super-intelligent monkeys he just made were? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS: Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!"
(Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we're looking at just what was going on with that whole apple-tree nonsense. What exactly was a snake supposed to be originally, and why could it talk? Why is everyone so quick to blame Eve here? Did God really not understand how reverse-psychology works? Check out today's episode to find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS: Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!"
(Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we dive into the second of our two creation narratives. Did you know that these two stories had two different authors, with two VERY different understandings of how this whole "God" thing worked? Did you know that people like to exaggerate things like crazy when they're in trouble? Did you ever wonder why God would set such an obvious trap? Well, watch today's episode, and then you can find out about all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Just in case you missed our in-person worship service on May 29th, we managed to sneak in a recording of the sermon. It may not be the best quality, but it is at least audible!
This week's sermon is called "A Time for Fire," and is delivered by Rev. Don Van Antwerpen preaching from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and Mark 12:41-44. We're talking about some of the blind spots we all encounter when we're dealing with the rough questions about how to act as Christians out in the world. It's easy to think that the "peace" we're meant to stand for is something quiet, unimposing, and generally banal, but when we're presented with an image of Jesus angrily protesting the abuses of temple authorities, and a passage that tells us that yes, there is a time for things like hate and war, we have to question just what a truly Christian definition of peace really is. That's the direction we're going in this week's sermon, but if you'd like to know more you should give it a listen!
__________________
LINKS:
OT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%203&version=NRSVUE;JLB
NT Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2012%3A41-44&version=NRSVUE;JLB
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!"
(Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we dig into some of the interesting details surrounding Genesis 1, and the first story of creation. For example, did you know that there are more than one creation story in the Bible? Did you know that it's not a literal story of 24 exact hour days? Did you know that there are some words and conjugations that we still don't understand? Well, watch today's episode, and then you can know all that and more!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to our "new" series, "Back to Basics!"
(Well...by new, we mean...repurposed. This isn't the same as the previous series by the same name!)
In this series, Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley are going to explore the Bible, one story at a time, starting at the beginning, and working our way forward until we either get bored or run out of Bible! Tune in every week for a brief exploration of the next chapter in that thrilling and oft-misunderstood story, the Bible!
In today's episode, we spend a little time discussing the Bible itself as a warmup, and going over some of the basics about how to read and understand the text before we start the grand adventure. Tune in for a great conversation about how to understand the Bible authentically, how to understand the Bible from a Christian perspective, and just...generally how to understand the Bible!
__________________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Facebook: @UnfinishedKIPC
Instagram/Twitter: @PastorKuma
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Welcome to the FINAL EPISODE of "Monday Musings," a series where Pastor Don (that's me!) comes to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode we're talking about the divine art of self-reflection. We spend a lot of time these days exploring the necessity of identifying corrupt leadership, rooting out evils among us, and dealing with injustice, oppression, and our own culpability in all these things. We love to explore this macro-level things, big things that we can change, build, or fight against to leave our mark on the world and leave it a better place than when we came into it. But, in doing that, we can often forget to look at the effect we're having on the people around us, rather than the issues that define us. But as Christians, it is those personal relationships that matter as much, and sometimes even more, than any larger issue we might tackle. That's where we start but, if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
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LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode we're talking about what it means to be a community without borders. That's the theme from this past Sunday's sermon at Unfinished Community, which is what we're bringing you today! Coming from Isaiah 66:1-4 and Acts 9:1-6, Pastor Don brings a message about understanding that human desire to isolate, other, and reject people, and how that's just an expression of our own insecurities, and our own desire not to be isolated ourselves. Building community is a constant struggle against that desire, and making the conscious decision to welcome without judgement, and to accept without fear. That's where we start but, if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
SCRIPTURE LINKS:
Isaiah 66:1-4: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+66%3A1-4&version=NRSV;JLB
Acts 9:1-6: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+9%3A1-6&version=NRSV;JLB
____________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode we're talking about doubt, but it's not...quite...what you might expect. The story of Thomas doubting is one we all know, but one we rarely look at the broader context for...which makes it a GREAT opportunity to explore how context affects our understanding of the Bible! Imagine, if you will, what it means to someone like Thomas when the leadership of his fractured and scattered religious movement - mourning the execution of their leader and hiding in fear, unsure of who to trust, and with no idea who to follow now that Jesus is gone - comes out of nowhere to claim, sans proof, that Jesus is totally alive again and wants the leadership to keep going on as before. Would it seem like a miracle you just happened to miss, or something much shadier, much more suspicious; something far more human? That's where we start but, if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
____________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode we're exploring what a lot of us dug into somewhat yesterday; Palm Sunday. We're looking at what one might call the hypocrisy of praise - a phenomenon where we'll often find ourselves praising and glorifying someone (even God) because of what we want from them, but get utterly, ruthlessly violently angry with them when it turns out that this person is, in fact, a real person with whom we are expected to have a relationship, rather than an object placed into our lives by God just to make us happy. It's the same hypocrisy that governs the crowds on Palm Sunday, and which often governs our own lives as well. That's what we're talking about today (and what I hope many of us talked about yesterday!) but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
____________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode we're doing something new and revisiting Sunday's sermon instead! During our fun, Spirit-filled first worship in our new space, we talked about what it means to be a kaizen Christian - someone who only attributes value in their spiritual life to those things which produce a measurably positive result. Like good capitalists, we're always thinking in terms of growth, improvement, and the constant upward momentum, but does the Christian experience actually look like that? Are we all heroes in waiting, or is our path a bit more...retrograde...than that? That's what we're talking about today (and what we were talking about yesterday!) but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
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LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode, we continue our lenten mini-devotional theme with an exploration of the washing of Jesus feet, and the surprising logic of Judas. As humans, we often use logical, even righteous-appearing reasoning as a guise to hide our fearful intentions; to push back against the scary things to which God often calls us, and back towards those things that we understand, and can control. This is especially terrifying among church leaders, who will often couch bigotry, hatred, or just selfish and incompetent leadership in justifications that sound good, even while they run contrary to the calling of God. So...is it justice, or justification? That's what we're talking about today but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
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LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode, we continue our lenten mini-devotional theme with an exploration of the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree from Luke 13:6-9. We often think that this one is about a merciful delay from the judgement of God-as-vineyard owner but, in truth, it's the gardener who is the stand-in for God in this parable, and the vineyard owner eager to cut the tree down is a stand-in for life.
Which means that having our roots dug up and being covered in crap is a good thing?
That's what we're talking about today but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
____________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode, we continue our lenten mini-devotional theme with an exploration of both the Old Testament scripture from this past Sunday's worship (Genesis 15:1-8) along with Matthew 6:1-8.
Clearly we're feeling the first 8 verses of things this week.
For today, we meditate a bit on what it means to be a faithful servant of God (rather than just having faith), and work on our awareness of those forms of piety we use to shield ourselves from feedback and criticism. We talk about how easy it is for us to become convinced that just because we think God has ordained a particular thing to happen, that we know how that thing must therefore happen and, by wrapping ourselves up in those forms of demonstrative piety, we can wind up convincing ourselves and others that we are following God when, in reality, we're just following our own messed up methodology instead. That's what we're talking about today but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
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LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode, we start off with a bit of a lenten mini-series where I'm going to tackle certain problematic texts and other scriptural concepts that bear some deconstructing, particularly in light of how they have been abused by American Christians in the past few centuries. Today, we lead off with a discussion about 1 John 2:18-20, and the idea of "antichrist." No, it's not some future mega-hitler that we totally don't have to worry about today. Antichrists (it's a type of person, not one individual) are people from within the Christian community who bend the faith away from God, wearing the teachings of Christ like a costume while leading people away from self-reflection, repentance, and care for others. Like a mirror-universe Jesus (goatee optional) antichrists use Christian-sounding language and a missional mindset to direct people away from the inner work Spirit which moves us to openness, acceptance, love, and compassion for all. That's what we're talking about today but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
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LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode, we follow up on a conversation that started with our Sunday afternoon worship service; a conversation about what it means to be deliberate in our actions as Christians, even when it would be so much easier to do literally anything else. On Sunday, we explored how choices of convenience can bear disastrous fruit, and result in the rise of corruption, and even evil among us. Today, we go a little further beyond that, and explore the fear that sits not only in our own hearts when we court convenience, but in the hearts of those corrupt and evil people we stand against as well. It can be tough to be compassionate in the face of evil but...spoiler warning...that's what it means to be deliberate! That's what we're talking about today but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
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LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode, we talk about what it means to participate in church, both in worship and in general as part of the community. You may think that you need to prepare heavily, and through your contribution produce the best possible product of your efforts for God, but that isn't at all what God wants. Instead, God wants you to find ways to be present and active in worship of the Lord in ways that move you to joy, regardless of whether those actions look well and polished to others. That's what we're talking about today but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
____________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
In today's episode, we discuss the personal and spiritual importance of taking the "L." In our lives, we all too often focus on "winning" in a particular situation, allowing our sense of righteousness to motivate us to keep fighting loosing battles especially when the cause we're fighting for seems just. But, when we do that, we wind up failing to accurately discern what the call of the Holy Spirit actually is on our lives, and blind ourselves to different options to do justice, and love kindness, which only ask us to sacrifice our sense of victory in service of God's good work. That's what we're talking about today but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
____________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
Today's episode is about an issue we all have in our faith lives; the development of fixed perspectives, and committing to the momentum those perspectives carry instead of learning, adapting, growing and maturing. There's a LOT of things in our faith tradition that we stick to because reasons, but which are not loving, not caring, and often not even biblical...but we stick to them, even to the extent that it hurts other people, because momentum is a powerful thing. That's what we're talking about today but...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
____________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Welcome to "Monday Musings," a new series where Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
Today's episode is about Social Contracts and the Paradox of Tolerance, that unfortunate paradox where we try too hard to be a tolerant community and wind up actually giving rise to more intolerance instead, and hastening the end of our church community as a whole. This is a tough one to struggle with, because it requires us to confront not only how people in power can abuse it to seize control (which DEFINITELY happens), but how terrifyingly easy it is for us to overcompensate in either direction when dealing with the issue. But...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
____________
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Since technical difficulties are currently keeping us from putting out our usual audio/video stuff, Pastor Don is trying something new; "Monday Musings!"
In this new series, Pastor Don (that's me!) is going to (try to) come to you every week with a new/interesting topic for discussion about life in the Christian community. I'll try to explain it as best I can, and hope that you'll come on over to the Discord server to continue the conversation!
Today's episode is about the "Church Death Spiral;" a process by which an otherwise well-intentioned church which has begun to decline winds up accelerating the process, and absolutely craters itself into the ground at a high rate of speed. This is a very common cause of church death, and the solution as is as counterintuitive as it is biblically-based. But...if you want to know more, listen to the episode!
LINKS:
Website: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Discord: https://discord.gg/mJxWv6c
Instagram/Twitter: @pastorkuma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnfinishedKIPC
Though most of the Unfinished Community media is still offline, we've still managed to get a little bit of interesting content out!
Today we have Part 1 of a 5-part miniseries based on the 5-part article series "5 Signs Your Church Might Be Headed Off the Rails."
With Rev. Emmie Arnold of the PCUSA, join Pastor Don as we do a deep-dive discussion into how some of the more common challenges in a church can turn deadly, when human insecurities and desire for power run a church into the ground. In Part 1, we're discussing the difference between having difficulty attracting volunteers, and having difficulty retaining volunteers; one is a sign of a healthy church ready for growth, and the other can be a sign of something much worse at work.
Read the article at https://medium.com/@kipc.pastor.don/5-signs-your-church-might-be-headed-off-the-rails-part-1-274bad36b044, and join us over the next few weeks as we dig deep into some of the ways to spot
Welcome to Episode 4 our new series on the Gospel, "Back to Basics." Featuring Lindsey Peacock and Pastor Don, this series takes a different approach to the Gospel message, working line-by-line through the text and discussing just what exactly is going on with this sometimes confusing, often-misinterpreted story.
This week, we continue our deep dive into the back half of Mark 1, talking about the language and translation in the text, exploring some of the words and phrases that may have lost some nuance, or been flat-out mistranslated, in the move from Ancient Greek through to Modern English. Strap in for a fun ride (if you're a linguist, or generally interested in Biblical translation, that is!)
Of course, the video is just the start of the conversation; let's keep it going over on our Discord server, where we have a specific thread just for talking about what we've learned from "Back to Basics." Join us there to dig even deeper into the text, as we walk together through this wonderful, and occasionally frustrating, text!
Links to the Discord server and more can be found on our website: http://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Two white guys talking about racism? How could you not want to check this one out?
In all seriousness though, this is one episode where we broach an important topic; why is racism and white supremacy so attractive to white, male, Christians? Especially when it is so antithetical to the Gospel message? Of course, there's no better way to discuss that idea than by actually having two white, male, Christians talk about just how the in-group/out-group dynamics of Christendom got to them, and how they worked through it, so why not join us for that!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted. See you out there! WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to Episode 3 our new series on the Gospel , "Back to Basics." Featuring Lindsey Peacock and Pastor Don, this series takes a different approach to the Gospel message, working line-by-line through the text and discussing just what exactly is going on with this sometimes confusing, often-misinterpreted story.
This week, we settle in for the second half of Mark, Chapter 1, and we spend our time in part one talking about Jesus himself, his education, his background, and how his place as a member of the educated religious leadership connected with his prophetic role, and his role as a more itinerant preacher. Establishment vs. anti-establishmentism, all in the best biblical traditions!
Of course, the video is just the start of the conversation; let's keep it going over on our Discord server, where we have a specific thread just for talking about what we've learned from "Back to Basics." Join us there to dig even deeper into the text, as we walk together through this wonderful, and occasionally frustrating, text!
Links to the Discord server and more can be found on our website: http://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
We're BACK again, with part 2 of our newest episode of Remote Pastoral Care!
Today, we join Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley for the second half of a conversation that basically boils down to, "Why church?" What's the point? Why are we doing this big-building'd, insular-community'd, power-hungry-leader'd....thing?
Join us for the exciting conclusion to our fun and hard-hitting conversation!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted. See you out there! WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Today is the SECOND episode of our new series on the Gospel , "Back to Basics." Featuring Lindsey Peacock and Pastor Don, this series takes a different approach to the Gospel message, working line-by-line through the text and discussing just what exactly is going on with this sometimes confusing, often-misinterpreted story.
In part 2 this week, we're tackling the Ancient Greek text itself, and look at how things have been translated, and explore some of the surprising twists that have happened in the text's journey to modern English. Join us for a fun, interesting, and hopefully fulfilling conversation, as we take the Gospel message "Back to Basics," every week on Monday evenings (JST)!
Of course, the video is just the start of the conversation; let's keep it going over on our Discord server, where we have a specific thread just for talking about what we've learned from "Back to Basics." Join us there to dig even deeper into the text, as we walk together through this wonderful, and occasionally frustrating, text!
Links to the Discord server and more can be found on our website: http://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to a new episode of our new series, "Kuma's Corner." Every Sunday, Pastor Don shares a brief message about a particular life issue, and how we can understand that in a healthy, Christian way.
For our first episode, we're looking at one of the core issues of inequality; those in power and privelege moving the goalpoasts, and calling the poor and vulnerable lazy when they can't meet the ever-changing standard they use to measure who is and isn't worthy of life in our society. Millennials, this one might hit home for you!
Check it out! And after you've checked it out, jump on to our DIscord server, where we have a specific thread just for discussing this week's "Kuma's Corner" episode, and exploring together how we can see the good in other people, even when they REALLY piss us off. Link is on the website, so feel free to hop in and join the conversation!
Hope to see you there!
(Oh, and if you would prefer to read rather than watch/listen, you can find this episode on our Medium blog feed (https://medium.com/@kipc.pastor.don) You can also find this video on our Instagram account (@pastorkuma), on YouTube, and on our podcast channel too. Links to all of that can be found on our website, http://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished)
Now that #SummerSabbath has come to a close, we're BACK with a new episode of Remote Pastoral Care!
Today, we join Pastor Don and Courtney Fraley in a deep-dive discussion on church history, church and government, and the big question of what it means to be the church. What does church do for me, and what should it be doing for me? What is the point of these big damn buildings, sitting empty because of coronavirus but still asking people to donate money for upkeep and maintenance. What's the point?
Join us for part 1 of a fun and hard-hitting conversation!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted. See you out there! WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Today is the first episode of our new series on the Gospel , "Back to Basics." Featuring Lindsey Peacock and Pastor Don, this series takes a different approach to the Gospel message, working line-by-line through the text and discussing just what exactly is going on with this sometimes confusing, often-misinterpreted story.
First, we're tackling Mark 1, verses 1-13, and in part 1 we focus more on understanding the text in context, discussing what we can understand from how Mark presents the story, and what these events would mean in the context of 1st century BCE Israel. Next week, in part 2, we'll tackle the Ancient Greek text itself, and look at how things have been translated, and explore some of the surprising twists that have happened in the text's journey to modern English.
Join us for a fun, interesting, and hopefully fulfilling conversation, as we take the Gospel message "Back to Basics," every week on Monday evenings (JST)!
___________________
Of course, the video is just the start of the conversation; let's keep it going over on our Discord server, where we have a specific thread just for talking about what we've learned from "Back to Basics." Join us there to dig even deeper into the text, as we walk together through this wonderful, and occasionally frustrating, text!
Links to the Discord server and more can be found on our website: http://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Now that we've come to the end of our #SummerSabbath, we want to introduce you to our new series, "Kuma's Corner." Every Sunday, Pastor Don will share a brief message about a particular life issue, and how we can deal with that in a healthy, Christian way.
For our first episode, we're looking at the way adults, and parents in particular, manage to look past the frustrating, stupid, and occasionally evil behavior of children, and thereby grasp the fundamental goodness within them, but fail to do so when it comes to fellow adults.
Check it out! And after you've checked it out, jump on to our DIscord server, where we have a specific thread just for discussing this week's "Kuma's Corner" episode, and exploring together how we can see the good in other people, even when they REALLY piss us off. Link is on the website, so feel free to hop in and join the conversation!
Hope to see you there!
(Oh, and if you would prefer to read rather than watch/listen, you can find this episode on our Medium blog feed (https://medium.com/@kipc.pastor.don) You can also find this video on our Instagram account (@pastorkuma), on YouTube, and on our podcast channel too. Links to all of that can be found on our website, http://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished)
During our Summer Sabbath, we’re using our time to prep new material for September. However, for every piece of “new” content that we manage to get rolling, there’s always a few that don’t make it out. So, this month, we’re going to be showcasing some of the truly “unfinished” projects that we’ve tried to make which, for whatever reason, didn’t entirely work out.
Today’s Unfinished Project is the second of two completed episodes from our untitled podcast project, dipping our toes into that giant issue that is American nationalism masquerading as Christianity.
We started working on this before we came up with the idea for Remote Pastoral Care, and you can hear some of the same general ideas here. However, unlike Remote Pastoral Care, this was a bit more scripted, researched, and academic, as well as a bit more polished in presentation. In the end, we didn’t wind up pursuing this project because, for now at least, the amount of careful editing necessary to make a quality-sounding podcast was a bit more time consuming than we could manage and, to be honest, it still didn’t end up sounding as good as we might have hoped.
However, as things resume…who knows? Maybe the “Unfinished Pod” project might bear revisiting!
Hope you enjoy, and we’ll see you all in September!
___________________________
Visit our website at http://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Or follow us on Facebook at @UnfinishedKIPC
During our Summer Sabbath, we’re using our time to prep new material for September. However, for every piece of “new” content that we manage to get rolling, there’s always a few that don’t make it out. So, this month, we’re going to be showcasing some of the truly “unfinished” projects that we’ve tried to make which, for whatever reason, didn’t entirely work out.
Today’s Unfinished Project is the first of two completed episodes from our untitled podcast project. We started working on this before we came up with the idea for Remote Pastoral Care, and you can hear some of the same general ideas here. However, unlike Remote Pastoral Care, this was a bit more scripted, researched, and academic, as well as a bit more polished in presentation. In the end, we didn’t wind up pursuing this project because, for now at least, the amount of careful editing necessary to make a quality-sounding podcast was a bit more time consuming than we could manage and, to be honest, it still didn’t end up sounding as good as we might have hoped.
However, as things resume…who knows? Maybe the “Unfinished Pod” project might bear revisiting!
Hope you enjoy, and we’ll see you all in September!
___________________________
Visit our website at http://pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Or follow us on Facebook at @UnfinishedKIPC
Join us for PART 2 of our first Japan-residents-only episode of Remote Pastoral Care. We've got a great conversation about the wider world of Christianity, insights about how this denominational mess comes together, and the role of American Christianity in pulling the rest of the world in odd, even dangerous directions. It was a fun, lively conversation, so check out part 1 if you haven't already, and join us for part 2!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted.
See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Even though our community is ostensibly "based" in Japan, this. is the first episode of this series featuring ONLY people from Japan! Join us for a conversation about Christianity in the wide world, the intersection of American culture and the teachings of Jesus, and an exploration of how this whole great mess comes together. It was a fun, lively conversation, so check it out!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted.
See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Like it says on the tin, this isn’t a sermon! I actually hadn’t planned on delivering a sermon today, but God has a funny way of working inspiration when you’re reading Amos on the Fourth of July. So, listen in for some more off-the-cuff remarks about Amos, justice, and the uncomfortable situation of being both American and Christian in a time when both groups are the perpetrators of great injustices in the world today. I can’t promise a comfortable listen, but I hope it’s something that at least someone out there could use to hear!
Also, there’s some prayer at the end, so stick around for that!
As always, today's “sermon” is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation! For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more! (Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!) See you out there!
Join us today for part 2 of our episode featuring Steve, Audra, and Courtney, and our new guest Jay! Watch and/or listen for the exiting conclusion to our conversation about coming out, Christian education, and our own experiences with the judgmental voices that call out from within the Christian church. Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted. See you out there! WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
With Scripture read from Mark 5:21-43 by our new Education Director, Audra Warrick, today's sermon looks into the "Markan Sandwich" story of Jairus' daughter, and the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. Both of these sound like terribly dramatic stories in their own right, but when they are brought together we find a story that deconstructs power and privilege, and teaches us something about Jesus' intentionality in making the first last, and the last first. It's rather much more of a big deal than you might expect, so please join us for this week's sermon podcast!
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation!
For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more!
(Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!)
See you out there!
In today's episode of Remote Pastoral Care, we're joined by regulars Steve, Audra, and Courtney, and. anew guest Jay! We spend our time talking about coming out, Christian education, and everything in between. It was. a great conversation; so great that it's another two-part episode! So check out part one today, and tune in next week for part two!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted.
See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
In today's episode of Remote Pastoral Care, we're joined by our new Director of Education Audra, and our returning guest Emmie Arnold, a chaplain with the PC(USA). We spend our time talking about fear, faith, and how we wrestle with some of the darkest, most difficult moments in life, as well as how that applies to larger issues of justice, mercy, and generally not being an idiot. Check it out!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted.
See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
In today's episode of Remote Pastoral Care, we're joined by some old faces, but two new faces as well. With Kate and Audra, we start by digging into some of the weird, sexual misconceptions at the root of supposed "Christian" opposition to women's rights and bodily autonomy, and we wander through a number of good topics from there. Join us for an in-depth conversation on some truly meaningful issues!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted.
See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Working out of Mark 3:19b-25 (as read this week by Kate Mears), we spend our time today wrestling with one of the most annoying passages in scripture, and trying to figure out just what it means to be advocates for a God who calls us to real, true reconciliation. Do we keep making calls for bold and decisive action, big proud speeches that call for justice and paint our opponents as enemies of progress and enemies of God? Or is there a different way instead, a way that is at once more painful and more righteous? What would it mean to look for that way ourselves? Join us as we consider these questions, and a few more!
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation!
For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more!
(Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!)
See you out there!
In today's episode of "Remote Pastoral Care," we enter into the long-expected second part of our crossover episode! Featuring Rev. Dr. JJ Flag of the UCC, and Steve Augustin, we continue logically from our multi-topic conversation last week and spend some time talking about Christian worship, music, and how all...that...works.
It's part 2, y'all! So enjoy!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted.
See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
In today's episode of "Remote Pastoral Care," we get what is quite possibly the greatest crossover event in denominational history! Ok...at least the greatest crossover event in the history of Unfinished Community, at any rate.
This week we we are joined by both our regular contributors, Courtney Fraley and Steve Augustin, as well as Rev. Dr. JJ Flag of the United Church of Christ, and Chaplain Emmie Arnold of the Presbyterian Church, USA. We start with the general question of why the church has historically been so hateful towards our friends in the LGBTQUA+ community...and then the conversation takes on a life of it's own; you really have to see it (or at least hear it) to believe it!
In fact, we all talked so long that today's episode got divided into TWO FULL EPISODES, with the second coming next week! Tune in next Friday for part 2 of this exciting conversation!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted. See you out there! WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Working out of Romans 8:22-27, we spend our time today meditating on just what it means to encounter the Holy Spirit when we don't feel like big, flaming pageantry. What does God need with big, bold miracle stories anyways, and why are we always so fixated on this one miracle story, when God isn't about the big show of force anyways? Join us for a conversation about the quiet Spirit this Pentecost instead!
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation!
For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more!
(Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!)
See you out there!
In today's episode of "Remote Pastoral Care," Courtney and I start the process of breaking down a big issue, and one that really weighs on a lot of hearts: sin, predestination, and the question of why there is evil in the world if God truly plans out every last detail. At the heart of this discussion is the story of Judas Ischariot, and just...what's up with that guy.
It was a good conversation, if a bit difficult, and the first of several we hope to do in a series on this particularly difficult topic. I hope you'll give it a listen, and join us for next week as well!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted.
See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Today's scripture comes from John 15:9-17, and in it we find a sermon that was almost too difficult for me to write! Today we talk about Christ as our friend, as our "buddy," and confront the one thing that our evangelical and charismatic "siblings" actually get very right in how they conceive of almighty God.
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation!
For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more!
(Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!)
See you out there!
One of the many challenges during a pandemic is that you simultaneously find yourself with enough time on your hands to deeply consider and wrestle with all the inconsistencies, questions, worries, and doubts you have encountered along your faith journey, while at the same time being completely unable to just...go to church and have a sit-down with the pastor to hash them out.
Well...allow us to introduce you to what (we hope) is the next best thing!
In today's episode of "Remote Pastoral Care" series, you'll find a conversation between Pastor Don, and Courtney Fraley, the Church Admin for Unfinished Community. Here, we're working our way through some of these questions, doubts, mysteries, confusions, anxieties, and general annoying issues about faith. Today, we're talking about the problems that arise when Christ intersects with capitalism, looking at some of the more communist-adjacent origins of the Christian community, and how our capitalist, culturally-ingrained desire to be productive above all else tends to get in the way of the work of the Holy Spirit in ourselves and in our communities. Join us for a good, in-depth conversation!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted.
See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Welcome to the second episode of "Remote Pastoral Care!" One of the many challenges during a pandemic is that you simultaneously find yourself with enough time on your hands to deeply consider and wrestle with all the inconsistencies, questions, worries, and doubts you have encountered along your faith journey, while at the same time being completely unable to just...go to church and have a sit-down with the pastor to hash them out.
Well...allow us to introduce you to what (we hope) is the next best thing! In today's episode of "Remote Pastoral Care" series, you'll find a conversation between Pastor Don, and Steve Augustin, the Music Director for Unfinished Community. Here, we're working our way through some of these questions, doubts, mysteries, confusions, anxieties, and general annoying issues about faith. Today, we're talking about the problem of "sacrilege agains the Holy Spirit," and how that doesn't mean "disagreeing with the church or its leaders," despite what many of us have been taught. We also spend a little time talking about how to balance the utilization of our God-given gifts with the fact that not all of us are called to professions that are particularly focused on helping others. Join us for a good, in-depth conversation!
Of course, if you're hungry for more, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted. See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Rabbi Ruttenberg's Twitter Thread: https://twitter.com/theradr/status/1188736009808351232?lang=en
Welcome to the first episode of our new video/audio series, "Remote Pastoral Care!"
One of the many challenges during a pandemic is that you simultaneously find yourself with enough time on your hands to deeply consider and wrestle with all the inconsistencies, questions, worries, and doubts you have encountered along your faith journey, while at the same time being completely unable to just...go to church and have a sit-down with the pastor to hash them out.
Well...allow us to introduce you to what (we hope) is the next best thing!
In our "Remote Pastoral Care" series, you'll find a conversation between Pastor Don, and Courtney Fraley, our wonderful Church Admin and all-around awesome individual, where we work our way through some of these questions, doubts, mysteries, confusions, anxieties, and general annoying issues about faith. In our first episode today, we're talking about what it really means to take the Lord's name in vain, and how that idea has been used (and mis-used) over the history of the church.
Of course, if you're hungry for more conversation, come join us on Discord! As an online church community, our Discord server is the place where we all come together, 24/7, in fellowship and interaction with each other around the globe. There's threads on just about every topic imaginable, including a running Bible study (starting a new topic next week!), prayer-chains, general geekery, and even a place for angry, irreverent ranting. You can find the link to the server at our website below, and if you run into any problems, feel free to send Pastor Don an email directly (kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com) and he'll get you sorted.
See you out there!
WEBSITE: pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished
Art Link (the "Black Jesus" mentioned in the episode): http://www.ehfcreations.com/
We're still working through technical difficulties with the new video format, (which is why we're not only a day late but also opening with a disclaimer about doing visual bits on a podcast), but we're starting to get the hang of things. I hope!
Anyways, today we're talking about a very important subject: sheep. White sheep, black sheep, brown sheep, and all so very fuzzy and warm! But also...surprisingly good at being the basis for Biblical parables that we tend to really misunderstand, usually with tragic consequences. So join us for our meditation on Matthew 18:12-14, and a conversation about what it really means to be a "lost" sheep!
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation!
For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unf.... You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more! (Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!) See you out there!
It's a day late due to technical difficulties, but never fear; the sermon has arrived!
(It's me. The technical difficulties are me. Sorry!)
Today's sermon is a tough one, but after a brief explanation about our new video format (and a scripture reading from Luke Luke 24:36b-48 delivered by our very own Courtney Fraley), we delve into the difficult topic of confronting a difficult reality, in particular the reality of white supremacy and murder. This is a difficult topic, and some of what we discuss might be difficult for you, but if you're willing (and especially if you're a white, American Christian!), I would encourage you to try to work through this issue with us today.
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation! For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished. You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more! (Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!)
See you out there!
LINK: https://vimeo.com/536331629
If you missed our Easter Sunday service online (and aren't really big on YouTube), then here's the next best thing!
Listen with us as we work through the story of Holy Week, recapping the story of Jesus' arrest, death, and crucifixion, before leaping joyfully into the odd and unexpected story of resurrection with Pastor Don's sermon entitled "And." We're talking about one of the core beliefs of the Christian faith today; how the resurrected Christ doesn't appear to those who believe blindly, but to those who doubt, reason, and ask questions!
For more details, feel free to check out our website at www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished, or follow us on facebook at @unfinishedKIPC. You can also join our community Discord server (link on the website) which is where we all join in fellowship throughout the week. Hope to see you there!
(For our audio-only friends, this has been taken from our Good Friday Meditation and Reflection video, which was shared via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube on Good Friday. If you do actually like videos, feel free to check it out in one of those locations as well!)
On this Good Friday, join us for a brief meditation and reflection on the crucifixion death of Jesus Christ. In this time, as we turn our eyes to Easter, let's not be afraid to take the time we need to sit in the discomfort, suffering, pain, and death knowing that, on the other side of it all, Easter is waiting to dawn.
Feel free to check out our website at pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished for more content. You can also join our Discord server too; we’d love to have you join us in conversation and fellowship!
Featuring a mid-sermon scripture reading from the wonderful Claire Van Antwerpen, today's sermon comes to us courtesy of Pastor Akiko Van Antwerpen of Kobe Union Church, whose Palm Sunday sermon entitled "Come thou Unexpected Jesus - Cognitive Dissonance in Our Faith" explores a particularly hard question: what do we do when we call for Jesus to save us, and Jesus starts by wrecking up our own hurtful beliefs and practices rather than going after our enemies? How can we turn our eyes inward, and see how Christ calls us to look within ourselves for the roots of our own misfortunes, rather tha heaping blame on others and expecting God to save us? Let's listen for the Word of the Lord!
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation!
For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished. You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more!
(Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!)
See you out there!
Today's "sermon" is less our usual walk through a particular bible passage, and more a discussion on the violent events of the past week, some of the history of racism in general (and American racism in particular), and what, just maybe, the great dysfunction at the root of it all might be. In the end, of course, (SPOILER ALERT!) the love of God is the solution, but understanding how to get there is important, and I hope you'll take that journey with us this week!
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation!
For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished. You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more!
(Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!)
See you out there!
With scripture from 2 Kings 2:23-25 read lovingly by our own Courtney Fraley, today's sermon tackles one of the weirdest, most absurd passages in the Bible and, in tackling it, we talk about what it means to make false correlations as a means of covering our own backsides, justifying ourselves, and making ourselves appear a bit better than we are, and what the consequences of that can be sometimes.
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation!
For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished. You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more!
(Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!)
See you out there!
One of the big questions us church folk often find ourselves asking is, "What are we doing wrong?" We wonder if we're making the right programs, preaching the right sermons, or inviting the right wealthy donors to our potluck fundraisers, all the while never questioning whether any of what we're building was what God really wanted built in the first place. Today (with scripture reading by Travis Love), we explore Jesus' cleansing of the temple through the lens of church potlucks, Easter Sundays, and all those warm and wonderful memories so many of us have of the church in its best form, and wrestle with the realization that our "Sunday best" often leaves the Almighty in a whippin' mood.
As always, today's sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the whole thing. The conversation continues on our community Discord server throughout the week, and you're welcome to join in! No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome in our community. We'd love to see you in the conversation!
For the link to the Discord server, or for more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished. You can also find sermon manuscripts there, links to our YouTube channel, and more!
(Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!)
See you out there!
Have you ever felt like you were doing it all wrong, because no matter how hard you prayed, no matter how much you dedicated yourself to living in a suitably "Christian" way, things never seemed to get better? Have you ever wanted to hear a pastor talk about the Holy Spirit yeeting people into the middle of nowhere? Then this week's sermon might just be something you could stand to hear!
With scripture readings from Mark 1:9-13 lovingly provided by Kate Mears, today's sermon lives in the tension between our transactional expectation that things will be "all better" once we join up with "Team Jesus" (TM) (C) (R), and the truth that the way to God's justice, mercy, righteousness, and love in the world goes through some pretty hard places for us. But nevertheless, God still believes in us, takes pleasure in us, and knows that we're up to the challenge
As always, this sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the entirety of one. We meet weekly in person on our community Discord server, every Saturday (10:30pm JST/8:30am EST) to talk it through, and start figuring out where we go from here. This week, we'll be talking about the role of community organization in Christian life, and how to work discerningly with people and organizations throughout the world.
No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome to join us. We'd love to have you there!
For more information, check out our website at http://www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished, where you can find the link to our discord server, sermon manuscripts, and much more!
Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted myself!
See you there!
Would you like to participate in an Ash Wednesday service, but you can't go to a church because of the pandemic? Or maybe you're just interested to see what it might look like when a church does Ash Wednesday across multiple continents, without ashes, and also in the middle of a pandemic?
If that's something that interests you, check this out! It's the 2021 Ash Wednesday service for Unfinished Church!
You can check us out at www.pastorkuma.wixsite.com/unfinished (you'll find the YouTube video version of today's prayer and meditation, and you can get the link for our Discord server there too!)
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @pastorkuma.
Or just reach out in the comments or something. We're not picky, and we're always glad to hear from you!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a community where it was safe to be authentically broken? With scripture reading from Matthew 18:15-20 provided by Steve Augustin, today's sermon wrestles with what it means to be an imperfect person, living in a community of imperfect people, holding each other accountable with grace and mercy even (and especially) when the leaders among us need to be held accountable. It's a challenging topic, and one I hope you'll sit with us as we work through it!
As always, this sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the entirety of one. We meet weekly in person on our community Discord server, every Saturday (10:30pm JST/8:30am EST) to talk it through, and start figuring out where we go from here. This week, we'll be talking about the role of community organization in Christian life, and how to work discerningly with people and organizations throughout the world.
No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome to join us. We'd love to have you there!
Just head over to https://forms.gle/iTFrq6x3Qi4BvVjw6 to let us know you're interested, and get the link to the Discord server.
Or send an email to kipc.pastor.don@gmail.com, and I'll get you sorted!
See you there!
With a scripture reading from Galatians 5:16-28 lovingly offered by Rev. Andy Nakajima, today's sermon talks about how we can move past reading the Bible self-centeredly, and use it not just to determine what qualities we should have in our own ineffable spiritual lives, but as a means of discerning the qualities God asks for from those entrusted with the service of community leadership.
As always, this sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the entirety of one. We meet weekly in person on our community Discord server, every Saturday (10:30pm JST/8:30am EST) to talk it through, and start figuring out where we go from here. This week, we'll be talking about the role of community organization in Christian life, and how to work discerningly with people and organizations throughout the world.
No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome to join us. We'd love to have you there!
Just head over to https://forms.gle/8SXTP2CHa3mM5hPQ7 to let us know you're interested, and get the link to the Discord server.
See you there
For those of us who are Christian, taking time to pray is important. We may not be together, or even on the same continent, but we can share a time of prayer remotely, whenever and wherever we can. Prayer can be a difficult subject for some of us, so I hope that wherever and however this prayer finds you, that we might find a little light for the week together. Remember that no matter where you are, and no matter when you are, you are in our prayers, God is always with you!
___________
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Re-Forming a Christian Identity: Conversations about What Comes Next
Fourth Conversation: Saturday, February 6, 2021 (10:30PM JST/8:30am EST)
LINK: https://forms.gle/n2HU7izXBbUNTRbT7
________
Toady, in a bit of a solo venture from Pastor Don, we talk about how to deal with some of the absolutely frustrating lunatics in our lives (yes, even the QAnon folks) by surrendering ourselves in the interests of God's holy and divine love. Spoiler alert: it's a lot harder to do than it is to write (or preach) about!
As always, this sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the entirety of one. We meet weekly in person on our community Discord server, every Saturday (10:30pm JST/8:30am EST) to talk it through, and start figuring out where we go from here. This week, we'll be be a community who serve God together, and how you do it, when your church is online, and your community is scattered around the world.
No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome to join us. We'd love to have you there!
Just head over to https://forms.gle/5Bj7VA2qZxxg89UP8 to let us know you're interested, and get the link to the Discord server.
See you there
For those of us who are Christian, taking time to pray is important. We may not be together, or even on the same continent, but we can share a time of prayer remotely, whenever and wherever we can. Prayer can be a difficult subject for some of us, so I hope that wherever and however this prayer finds you, that we might find a little light for the week together. Remember that no matter where you are, and no matter when you are, you are in our prayers, God is always with you!
___________
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Re-Forming a Christian Identity: Conversations about What Comes Next
Third Conversation: Saturday, January 30, 2021 (10:30PM JST/8:30am EST)
LINK: https://forms.gle/2kDKRhMGUE4uQeWj7
________
As discussed in the prayer, here are some YouTube links for a couple of songs that resonate with me, and help me to experience God.
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck8Hx3rwdr8&list=PLAF3_bZgad1DHd0eWjwdXH8d4l2m8iZIK&index=12
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLJr3PjFkg4&list=PLAF3_bZgad1DHd0eWjwdXH8d4l2m8iZIK&index=4
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1vYD6gFau0&list=PLAF3_bZgad1DHd0eWjwdXH8d4l2m8iZIK&index=7
With scripture reading from the amazing Claire L. Van Antwerpen (from Jonah 3:1-5), today's sermon speaks to how we can come to reckon with our own sense of self-righteousness, and explore what it means to serve the Lord not from a position of moral superiority, but from the position of a servant seeking only to do God's will, and not to layer our own biases and judgements on top of God's desire to love all, welcome all, and accept all.
As always, this sermon is meant to be the start of a conversation, not the entirety of one. We meet weekly in person on our community Discord server, every Saturday (10:30pm JST/8:30am EST) to talk it through, and start figuring out where we go from here. This week, we'll be looking at what it means to worship God together, and how you do it, when your church is online, and your community is scattered around the world.
No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome to join us. We'd love to have you there!
Just head over to https://forms.gle/6d1PN44Kijfb19ZMA to let us know you're interested, and get the link to the Discord server.
See you there!
For those of us who are Christian, taking time to pray is important. We may not be together, or even on the same continent, but we can share a time of prayer remotely, whenever and wherever we can. Today's probably going to be a bit stressful for all of us, what with the inauguration and all, so I hope that wherever and however this prayer finds you, that we might find a little light for the week together. Remember that no matter where you are, and no matter when you are, you are in our prayers, God is always with you!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Re-Forming a Christian Identity: Conversations about What Comes Next
Second Conversation: Saturday, January 23, 2021 (10:30PM JST/8:30am EST)
LINK: https://forms.gle/oCfVdhF3jEhbkpTp7
With scripture readings by Claire Van Antwerpen (Isaiah 51:1-8) and Travis Love (Romans 12), today's sermon is less of a call to repentance, and more of a wrestling match. The first step of that journey of repentance is wrestling with just what has happened, and starting to figure out who we are without that piece of ourselves we're repenting of. From a youth spent watching evangelical theology creep into our Protestantism, to last week's violence, with a good handful of pop-culture deep cuts, join us as we start moving towards a clearer understanding of our identity as Christians by confronting just what it was that tempted us down that path in the first place; the desire to grow in number, and assume the mantle of savior for ourselves.
As with last week, this sermon is the start of a conversation, not the entirety of one. We're also meeting in person on our community Discord server every Saturday (10:30pm JST/8:30am EST) to talk it through, and start figuring out where we go from here. No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are, you're totally welcome to join us. We'd love to have you there!
Just head over to https://forms.gle/Pbq4V8GukgAsYpEU6 to register, and get the link to the Discord server.
See you there!
For those of us who are Christian, taking time to pray is important. We may not be together, or even on the same continent, but we can share a time of prayer remotely, whenever and wherever we can. I hope this prayer helps you find a little light this week, knowing that no matter where you are, and no matter when you are, God is still with you!
With scripture readings by Travis Love and Kate Mears, today's sermon is based as much on the tragic and terrifying events of this past week as it is on the passages from 2 Timothy 3:1-9 and Matthew 7:3-5. In our sermon, we hopefully start the conversation about the role of repentance in responding to this week's attacks, and what it means to explore our own responsibility in the terror that has grown among us.
As is mentioned at the end of the sermon, this is meant to be the beginning of the conversation, and not the entirety of it. Below, you'll find some discussion questions, as well as an invitation to join our discord server to continue the conversation about what it means to be a Christian, and how we can make that term matter going forward. I hope you'll join us there!
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Discussion Questions
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What is a Christian? If we are to define it, what definition should we use; what criteria? From where should we take these criteria?
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Obviously, once you set criteria, there will be times where all of us fail to live up to them. What then? Where is forgiveness, grace, and mercy in a model such as this?
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What can we do, actively, today, in order to speak out against this? How can we differentiate the true teachings of Christ (and his followers) from those who pretend the name in this way, without appearing (or worse, actually being) entirely disingenuous?
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How can we talk to those who have fallen to this false "Christianity," and how can we lovingly (and safely) invite them to come home again?
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What do we do if (or when) we lose family and friends over this? What if we already have? What do we do then?
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Join us on our Discord server to continue the conversation!
https://discord.gg/87mR6eY
Hope to see you there!
This is the audio recording of the online Christmas Eve service for "Unfinished." Featuring scripture readings by Courtney Fraley, Kate Mears, and Claire Van Antwerpen, this is a brief exploration of the what, why, and how of the Christmas story, and what it means to us not just on Christmas, but as followers of the newborn Christ in all the days to come. Please join us, and have a truly Merry Christmas!
(As always, please subscribe to this podcast so you can get new content as soon as it's released. And feel free to share it around, if you like too!)
Delivered for the International Japanese Fellowship's Christmas service, Pastor Don speaks from Luke 2:1-20, and talks about how the Christmas story might not be the Advent we expected, but it'd definitely the Advent we needed.
Join in the conversation on Pastor Don's Discord server, using the link: https://discord.gg/vqxYTfkcTk. We'd love to hear your voice!
In a sermon based on Amos 5:18-24, today's sermon talks about how God's calling on our lives brings us away from a group identity, and not necessarily towards one. It's a complicated topic, so join us for the conversation here and on online; email Pastor Don for details on how to join in!
In a sermon based on readings from the book of Deuteronomy and the Gospel according to Matthew, today's sermon talks about the ways we confront injustice in our lives, and in the world, and how we might push our faith to the point of moving mountains, rather than anthills.
Worshipping once again with the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey, Pastor Don delivers a sermon entitled "The Measure of a Man.," which is more than a little bit based on the episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation by the same name. In this sermon, Pastor Don discusses the difference between precious speech and worthless speech, and why that difference is important to us in our lies as Christians.
Worshipping again with the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey, Pastor Don delivers a sermon entitled "The dreamer...and the dream." In it, Pastor Don discusses the Song of Solomon, and the difference between respecting our elders, and always assuming they are correct in all things. Join us for a conversation about power, and the wisdom God imparts to the youngest among us!
Delivered at the First Reformed Church in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Pastor Don delivers a sermon titled "Father's Day" (which, funnily enough, was delivered on Father's Day). In this sermon, Pastor Don explores our understanding of God as a Father, and talks about why maybe it's not always the best idea to look at God that way...
Drawing from the text of 1 Kings 19:11-13a and Romans 5:1-8., Pastor Don speaks about what it means to find God in the midst of trouble, endure, and face up to our own failures and mistakes, including the mistakes of our nations, cultures, and races. Check it out!
Drawing from the gospel text of Luke 24:36-49, Pastors Don and Akiko speak about what it means to have to wait for the Lord, follow the directions, and get lost a little bit. We also talk a little bit about ancient technology like "Mapquest;" tune in for a great dialogic sermon!
This is the sermon preached by Pastor Don on March 1, 2020 at Kobe Union Church, based on the texts of Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11, including a fun story about a tree that didn't really fall, and a father who didn't really see it.
This is the sermon preached by Pastor Don on February 2, 2020, based on the texts of Micah 6:1-8, and 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, on wrestling with our own logic, and ways of understanding the world.
This sermon was delivered by Pastor Don at Kobe Union Church on January 1, 2020, and is called "Declaring Chaos."
In this sermon, Pastor Don explores God's seemingly chaotic approach to our lives, and talks about how what we experience as chaotic or challenging, might just be God at work in our lives!