I’m excited this week to be participating in the Sex and the Soul Blogathon at the Faith ON Campus Blog.
In an article connecting Christian sexual ethics and mission, I ask: is not having sex the most important thing about being a Christian? And what does sex have to do with mission?
Hit the link to read the entire article: http://faithoncampus.com/missional-sexuality/
The Christmas Wish List
Written by Rev. Dr. Pat Hannon
Read by Rev. Dr. Pat Hannon
Click play button to the left to listen.
“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64:1-4
When I was a child, the season of Advent was dominated by pondering the answer to one question: What do I want for Christmas? Every year I diligently sought to craft the perfect Christmas wish list.
Making a Christmas list was an activity filled with hope—hope that I could receive whatever I truly wanted. Yes, I knew I would not receive everything I asked for, but there remained the glimmer of possibility that wrapped under the tree on Christmas morning could be the item I most desired in the world—with my name on it.
Isaiah 64 opens with Isaiah’s wish list. He cries out for that one thing that he longs for more than any other: for God to step out of heaven and come down to make the reality of His presence seen on earth. Isaiah has written about all of the tragedy and injustice he has seen in the world. He calls out for the one thing that could set everything right: for God to come and be among us.
Advent calls us to wait in hope that God is breaking into the world. In light of this hope, what will be on your Christmas list this year?
-Rev. Dr. Pat Hannon, from The Indiana Wesleyan University Advent Devotional Guide 2011
This week North Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, a day to rest and carb-load so we have the energy reserves necessary for Black Friday shopping. Thursday we’ll try real hard to be thankful for what we have so that Friday we can get on with the important business of being thankful for what we are about to buy. Of course, all the stuff we buy on Friday will become the stuff we pretend to be thankful for next year.
Here’s an idea before you head out to do all your Christmas shopping on Friday: Stop. Don’t.
And a confession: I may head out Friday morning out to buy a few small and well priced items. Perhaps I’ll pick up one item I’ve been saving for that is an extra good deal. You’ll probably find me in line at the used bookstore, waiting for my free gift card to use on used books.
But my kids don’t need more stuff and I won’t be buying them a lot of presents.
What they’ll get from me this year:
So, before you head out to wait in line Friday morning, maybe scrap the whole idea and give presence this year.
Today is Halloween, and once again the interwebs are filled with ideas about how Christians should appropriately approach Halloween. Should we boycott, offer alternative celebrations, ignore the holiday, or hand out bibles to everyone who rings our doorbell?
I’ve decided the most missional way to engage halloween is to participate in my neighborhood’s trick-or-treat.
I open my door and hand out candy to neighbors, both friend and stranger.
I walk the neighborhood with my kids, talking with neighbors.
Halloween is the only night many of my neighbors will open their houses and engage in life together.
In most of our neighborhoods, it is just not normal to ring doorbells and meet neighbors.
Halloween offers us a culturally approved way to do exactly this: ring doorbells and say hello.
Why wouldn’t we take advantage of this?
So, on Halloween night, you won’t find me at an alternative non-Halloween festival. You won’t find me locked in the house with all the lights off. I’ll be out in the neighborhood, talking with neighbors, making connections.
It is the simplest and most effective way of being missional this week.
When Jesus prays, we should pay attention. The prayer of Jesus in John 17 invites all of Jesus’ disciples into a missional spirituality marked by radical intimacy with the Triune God, authentic community with the members of the church, and mission in the world in the way of Jesus. Click the headline above to read the rest of my article “Listening In As Jesus Prays” at the Faith ON Campus blog.
Many of us would love to make big changes in our lives.
Many of us feel called to accomplish big things with our lives.
The bigness of our goals can block our progress on these goals because the end result seems so far in the future.
That’s why its so important to remember the power of small actions. Any goal worth having cannot be accomplished in a day, a week, or a month. You can’t loose 50 lbs today. You can’t read the whole bible today. You can’t write an entire book today. Knowing that we can’t do it all today often creates stress that keeps us from moving forward on our goals. Since we cannot do it all today we often do nothing.
But you can do something today. You can take a small step that moves you forward on your goals. You can eat a healthy meal for lunch today. You can read the Bible for 10 minutes today. You can write 100 words on of a book. These are so easy to accomplish that we feel like we’re not making any progress. But string together a week of these small actions and you’ll have made noticeable progress. String together a month of small actions and others will notice your progress. String together a year of small actions and you will have accomplished your goal.
Michael Hyatt has posted a helpful article on The Power of Incremental Change Over Time.
What small action could you take today that could be the start of accomplishing a life goal?
We were not created to live without margin in our lives. We need margin. Yet what if living with margin is ultimately not for us, but for others?
Everyone must answer this question: Is what you have only for you, or is it also for the good of others?
Sermon presented by Dr. Pat Hannon at Indiana Wesleyan Chapel April 15, 2011.
A friend recently sent me this question about running:
Hey Pat. How have you been? I know this may seem random, but I have started running and can’t seem to get past 1.5 miles. It has been like that for a couple of weeks. You are one of the only people I know who enjoys running yet doesn’t do marathons. So I was wondering if you would have any advice if you don’t mind.
Here is my response.
How long have you been running? Being stuck for a couple of weeks isn’t long.
My number one rule: just keep at it.
How often are you running? And for how many minutes?
Don’t worry so much about the mileage at the beginning. Try to build a good habit of running regularly for 20-30 minutes. You’ll see improvement come.
A while ago I posted 8 Keys to Unlock New Habits, looking at how running became a habit for me. Perhaps something there will be helpful.
And don’t feel like you have to run all the time.
It’s OK to throw some walking in. Just keep moving.
I quit running for 6 months to get my dissertation finished. It’s been hard to get back to consistent running and I’ve lost a lot of stamina. But I’ll keep at it.
What about you? Do you have any suggestions? Let us know in the comments.
Anderson University School of Theology honored Rev. Dr. Phil Kinley with the 2011 Distinguished Ministries Award, Rev. Dr. Patrick Hannon with the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award, Sarah Blake with the 2011 Distinguished Young Alumni Award, and Rev. Dr. Fred Shively with the 2011 Distinguished Service Award at the annual SOT Alumni & Friends Annual Awards Luncheon on Monday, June 27.
Rev. Dr. Patrick Hannon is a promising young alumnus serving his community, Christian higher education, and the church-at-large. Hannon received his B.A. in Christian Ministries and Music Business from Anderson University in 1996, and both this M. Div. (2000) and D. Min. from Anderson University School of Theology 2011. He holds the distinction as one of fewer than 10 “Super Alumni” in Anderson College-Anderson University history to hold a bachelor’s degree and two graduate degrees all from our institution. Hannon has already served with distinction in his short ministry career. For more than seven years, Hannon served as pastor of the Faith Community Church of God, in Grayson, Georgia, a growing community in the northern metro Atlanta area. It was there that he began honing this preaching and teaching ministry. Long time pastor (now retired), Rev. Paul Rider said of Hannon, “He is a gifted preacher. He moves with ease in the pulpit, drawing people into the message and the call to ministry that each sermon offers.” It was in this congregation that Hannon began exploring a calling to ministry in Christian higher education. Hannon found his calling confirmed when he accepted the position as Associate Dean of the Chapel for Indiana Wesleyan University’s Wesley Chapel. In this capacity he serves as one of the campus pastors for IWU where he provides spiritual formation guidance and pastoral care to college students. Hannon also serves as an adjunct faculty member at this institution. Hannon and his wife Alison, have three children, Eliana, Ashlyn, and Ian, who keep their lives full and enjoyable.
