tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311292522012-02-07T06:42:32.694-05:00The Blog of Gordon Pruitt the Pastor of St. Matthew's United Methodist Church in Richmond VirginiaGordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.comBlogger1311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-11931972235421931412010-04-23T22:34:00.000-05:002010-04-23T22:34:16.984-05:00

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-35337028696250020512010-04-16T12:01:00.000-05:002010-04-16T12:01:44.334-05:00

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-652426355473107332009-12-07T11:01:00.003-05:002009-12-07T11:08:42.009-05:00

I went to Kansas City back in October for the Church of the Resurrection Leadership Institute with my annual stewardship sermon series already planned out. It was 3 weeks and was going to be from the book of Acts and was going to be titled "Enough." I had also written the fist letter to be mailed out to the members of the church. While I was at COR (short for Church of the Resurrection) I was

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-40204880246939967872009-11-24T17:07:00.003-05:002009-11-24T17:16:52.270-05:00

When I started watching House two years ago I was amazed by how much Foreman (Omar Epps) looked like Pittsburg Steelers' coach Mike Tomlin. Last night this was referenced. I wonder if anyone has ever seen them in the same room?

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-32358821945503907372009-09-03T21:06:00.002-05:002009-09-03T21:25:34.864-05:00

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-74365693580094018432009-09-01T08:48:00.003-05:002009-09-01T08:50:59.232-05:00

Rereading a Devotional guide to Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard and the first chapter is titled Kingdom Possibilities. When we read certain parts of scripture its as if we are looking into another world, a world that many professing Christians do not believe can be entered into. Willard believes as i do that this world is possible and is promised. Ephesians 3:19-20, 1 Peter 1:8,22, 2

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-22151297462650584632009-06-23T13:46:00.002-05:002009-06-23T14:01:55.575-05:00

A few weeks ago we had a new family attend our church. I sent a thank you for coming email and below is part of the response I received.Also, my children are still growing from their communion experience! Ourbackground is Baptist and while my kids have witnessed and heard aboutthis ceremony they so enjoyed the action. My middle daughter asked if wewere going to go back to 'that church to

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-9178614828817319452009-05-20T09:36:00.000-05:002009-05-20T09:37:46.221-05:00

Read a great article byJohn Ortberg in Leadership Journal titled The Sin Tamer (don't think the article is online yet). Here are a few quotes.Sin is both the overstepping of a line and the failure to reach it-both transgression and shortcoming. Sin is a missing of the mark, a spoiling of goods, a staining of garments, a hitch in one's gait, a wandering from the path, a fragmenting of the

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-39857143078213223312009-05-12T06:36:00.002-05:002009-05-12T06:46:45.647-05:00

I was watching 60 Minutes on Sunday night and they had a great story about a guy named Bill James, (view video here). Bill James is a former security guard whose love of baseball and statistics helped change the way we view what is important in baseball. One example. Batting average used to be one of the key stats when looking at the effectiveness of a hitter. James came up the On Base

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-14318127791627896292009-05-07T09:38:00.006-05:002009-05-13T07:34:56.505-05:00

Wesley Junia Pruitt born May 6 at 4:14 PM.7 pounds 9 ounces20 inches long

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-26806429728216543162009-04-29T11:06:00.008-05:002009-04-29T11:34:56.736-05:00

I just heard that Tenth Avenue North won the best new artist award at the Dove awards. I was fortunate to be part of an event with them and got to spend some time with them, including lots of basketball. Needless to say i tore them apart and gave them some lessons. Congrats to Tenth Avenue North! This is my favorite song of theirs.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-32480363607731156302009-04-06T12:29:00.003-05:002009-04-06T12:34:05.303-05:00

On March 22nd we had one of the best days that we have had at St. Matthew's in the 4 years that I have been here, when we hosted a Stop Hunger Now, Operation Sharehouse packaging event. It rocked! Here is a video that my friend Kirk Andrews put together of the event.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-16264192153267702132009-01-18T23:17:00.003-05:002009-01-18T23:22:08.630-05:00

i've been reading instead! These were the books i had to read for my dr. of ministry classes that just ended. I plan to get back to blogging in the next couple of days.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-74742117518745582312008-12-04T15:18:00.002-05:002008-12-04T15:21:03.025-05:00

Just kidding. But we are in the equally circulated Goochland Gazette!Check it out!

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-61782403993556156882008-12-03T10:45:00.002-05:002008-12-03T10:53:49.389-05:00

In chapter 2 of Scot McKnight's the Blue Parakeet, Scot suggests that there are 3 ways to approach the Bible. 1. Reading to Retrieve. "We return to the times of the Bible in order to retrieve biblical ideas and practices for today". If Moses or Peter tell us something then we do because it says so. Some try to retrieve all and some seek only what can be savaged. A. J. Jacobs humors book The

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-32621815854049297872008-12-01T22:59:00.001-05:002008-12-01T23:03:15.333-05:00

You know you are a lame blogger when you blog a record amount of times in October and follow that up with a single blog post in November. The good news is that it is now December! The December book of the month is the same as the November!Here we go.Scot McKnight's, The Blue Parakeet starts off with his journey of reading the Bible and I think its a journey that many of us can relate to, i know

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-21140998646011319452008-11-13T23:07:00.001-05:002008-11-13T23:09:52.095-05:00

My good friend Brian Greene has had a little too much free time lately but the results are very cool!

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-64798601325972230122008-10-28T10:03:00.001-05:002008-10-28T10:06:08.942-05:00

Chapter 6 and the Epilogue of Jesus Wants to Save Christians closes out the book as any Christian book should, with hope. The title of this chapter is Blood on the Doorposts of the Universe, an obvious reference to the Passover. Rob and Don connect the Passover Meal, to the last supper, to Jesus on the cross, to the mission of the Church. The solution to Exile, because of God’s grace is

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-44339312466976269312008-10-27T22:23:00.006-05:002008-10-28T08:07:26.703-05:00

Our November book discussion will be Scot McKnight's new book, The Blue Parakeet. Scot is one of my favorite theologians and also the author of my favorite blog. We will do a few chapters a week starting next week. This is form the back cover.Why Can't I Just Be a Christian?"Parakeets make delightful pets. We cage them or clip their wings to keep them where we want them. Scot McKnight

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-37279247113444460202008-10-20T11:45:00.001-05:002008-10-20T11:49:32.434-05:00

Chapter 5 of Jesus Wants to Save Christians is not the feel good chapter of the book. Rob and Don start off reminding us of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus who were with Jesus everyday but still did not recognize him. They make the connection that Christianity in the West, particularly in America have fallen into this mindset. We think we are following Jesus, and in many ways we are, but

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-49317920290969841832008-10-16T23:56:00.003-05:002008-10-17T00:07:51.983-05:00

One of the things I love about Rob Bell’s preaching is how he connects dots where you did not even know there were dots to be connect to, particularly dots from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The 4th chapter of Jesus Wants to Save Christians connects many dots and brings clarity, and deeper understanding to Biblical passages that I have read many times before but had often skipped

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-40691137085982226802008-10-16T11:45:00.003-05:002008-10-27T22:18:59.517-05:00

Eight days ago we hit double digits for our food pantry as we servered 10 families. Last night we served 23 families! Say Amen if you can!

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-46308303271917488722008-10-15T10:29:00.005-05:002008-10-15T22:35:33.302-05:00

Last night St. Matthew's had a table at the Goochland County Chamber of Commerce Business Expo. I went to this event last year and i thought what a cool thing it would be for us to be represented. There were over 60 businesses there and we were the only church. For me the main objective was to get our name out and let people in our community know what St. Matthew's is doing and i believe we

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-85662758120180084842008-10-13T10:10:00.002-05:002008-10-13T10:15:32.777-05:00

We are continuing our discussion of the new book Jesus Wants to Save Christians. Chapter 3 starts with the Israelites back in Jerusalem, but things are not well. The current superpower, the Rome Empire is the occupying force. The Israelites are in Jerusalem but are captive like they were in Egypt and Babylon. After 400 years or so like this, Jesus is born and he fulfills all the prophecies of

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-59572374233637113692008-10-11T21:02:00.001-05:002008-10-11T21:04:16.689-05:00

you need to turn the volume up and pay attention, but its worth it!thanks Marko

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-33430384000189468922008-10-09T08:41:00.002-05:002008-10-09T08:44:48.878-05:00

Chapter 2 of Jesus wants to Save Christians begins with the Israelites in exile in Babylon. They cry out and God as God always does hears their cry. They write "because it's when we're fully present in our pain, when we're willing to sit in our tears, that we're ready to imagine a different kind of tomorrow." This is what happens in exile. They start to reimagine a new exile, like the ones

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-88338272652849336012008-10-07T16:47:00.002-05:002008-10-11T21:05:32.981-05:00

i can't believe it but they took the video away

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-74398772783163964982008-10-05T22:33:00.002-05:002008-10-05T22:36:17.451-05:00

Here we go. Chapter 1 of Jesus Wants to Save Christians starts with an introduction to New Exodus theology. The chapter is broken into 4 parts:Egypt, Sinai, Jerusalem, Babylon.Egypt- The Jewish people are in Egypt, enslaved and oppressed to the superpower of their time. They cry out and God hears their cry. This is central to this book and is central to the character of God. "God always

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-54631974533496868872008-09-29T10:23:00.003-05:002008-09-29T10:28:23.490-05:00

I am 0-2 at book reviews/discussions but like they say the 3rd times a charm! Starting Monday Oct. 6 we will begin a discussion on Rob Bell and Don Golden's new book Jesus Wants to Save Christians. Here is a brief description of the book. "There is a church not too far from us that recently added a $25 million addition to their building. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-74138083384922360332008-09-29T07:45:00.004-05:002008-09-29T07:50:16.760-05:00

Here is the David Crowder Band performing the Sonseed classic.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-6339450705743820832008-09-24T22:52:00.001-05:002008-09-24T22:53:51.492-05:00

We hope to be playing this in church in the next couple of weeks.Enjoy.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-59580201874662938342008-09-23T08:21:00.007-05:002008-09-23T08:58:22.797-05:00

For the 3rd time in the last 6 months we have had someone become part of our church family largely because of our podcast. In one case a lady that Leigh Ann and I knew through preschool had over time found out that i was a pastor and goggled my name. Which led to the blog and then to the church website, then to the sermons online. Before they ever came to the church she had listened to

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-40632784717548230772008-09-18T12:23:00.004-05:002008-09-18T12:36:04.521-05:00

Richard Foster who perhaps has written one of the best books ever, Celebration of Discipline was interviewed in the latest issue of Christianity Today. One thing that really stuck out to me was his response to the question, "how did spiritual formation effect your early ministry?"Early on we were moving into a building program. And we did the various studies and so on and so forth, so I really

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-60843795895389412592008-09-17T09:49:00.006-05:002008-09-17T10:36:14.132-05:00

Today is a big day in the life of St. Matthew's Church as the Neighbors Food Pantry opens today at 5 PM. One thing that we are doing to make this food pantry different is to create community by inviting all food bank participants to come to the Wednesday night dinner to share a free meal with others from the church. Often when we serve the poor we unintentionally do it in a way that you have

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-49395744394349274972008-09-12T15:12:00.002-05:002008-09-12T15:16:14.078-05:00

I am in the tank for the cowboys and for Tony Romo. He is a cool story about him from last week. Enjoy.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-23178765379035257752008-09-11T14:02:00.000-05:002008-09-11T14:03:13.150-05:00

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-2773638410232347272008-08-27T09:25:00.003-05:002008-08-27T09:30:21.630-05:00

I was coming home from work yesterday when my car just shut off. Had it towed this morning. Hopefully this is not the end of the 94 Civic. Please pray for us.PS Jordan is doing great at Kindergarten and Leigh Ann and I are as we!

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-10705170628580749962008-08-25T08:02:00.006-05:002008-08-30T20:08:32.759-05:00

Today at 7 AM our oldest daughter departed for kindergarten. While i am excited as is Jordan, i was surprised how emotional it was for me. I figured it would be for Leigh Ann, but not for me. How is she going to know where to go? How is she going to survive 2 hours on the bus? Who is going to help her with her lunch? What if someone is mean to her? We get to wait 9 hours, thats right,

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-16843502287849654612008-07-08T22:56:00.001-05:002008-07-08T22:57:56.185-05:00

Hat tip to Marko

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-60455337517716267602008-07-03T11:17:00.003-05:002008-07-03T11:23:29.980-05:00

Here is a devotion from my friend and mentor Rev. Dennis Dorsh about the 4th of July. Enjoy. Greetings, More thoughts on the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. Refer to Matthew 23:23-39, preferably in the NRSV or the New Jerusalem Bible. American history and the history of God’s people are not the same. We Americans are usually not aware that for several

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-53636107034080269142008-07-03T10:57:00.002-05:002008-07-03T11:03:39.003-05:00

Dan Kimball has a great post on his blog about how the organ created controversy in its early days. The next time you hear someone complain about the current status of church music it would be good to remember a few of the stories from this post.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-7589824971404029252008-06-27T10:31:00.001-05:002008-06-27T10:37:22.981-05:00

One of my favorite theologians/authors NT Wright was on Colbert last night.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-43536418111766994522008-06-25T15:48:00.003-05:002008-06-25T16:02:08.607-05:00

Great post today on Jesus Creed concerning the comments James Dobson made about Barack Obama. In case you missed it, Dr. Dobson sharply criticized Senator Obama yesterday on the “Focus on the Family” radio program. Among other things, Dr. Dobson said of Obama, “He’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology.” Dobson

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-82770317961536995982008-06-01T19:44:00.006-05:002008-12-09T15:53:15.187-05:00

Chloe, our 21 month old and i went to visit a family that came to church today. The family broke out some old school toys, the original Fisher Price Little People, just like the ones i had growing up, the hospital and the school. Chloe starting bringing the Little People to me, and she brought this one to me, and said, "daddy!" What do you think? Does it look like me?

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-16837903572507227912008-05-28T21:43:00.004-05:002008-05-28T21:53:39.992-05:00

Earlier in the year I decided to pursue my Doctor of Ministry degree and finished my first set of classes last week. I had an awesome time. I am sad to say this but for the first time in my academic career, (high school, college, seminary) I wanted to learn. In the past it was a means to an end. Better late than never. Over the next several days I hope to blog about some of the really cool

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-21118027360576068322008-05-14T21:26:00.001-05:002008-05-14T21:28:18.849-05:00

Thanks Marco

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-33152035800585005162008-04-28T08:58:00.003-05:002008-04-28T09:01:53.214-05:00

If you care at all about General Conference you should check out Mark Holland's blog. Its a short recap of each day described as only Mark can.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-72543297795493934622008-04-28T08:53:00.002-05:002008-04-28T08:57:55.617-05:00

Thought i would share my devotional reading today from Proverbs 6:16-19. I particularly like the 2nd part of verse 19. 16 There are six things the LORD hates,seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes,a lying tongue,hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out liesand a person who stirs up

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-63909475061456025702008-04-23T12:29:00.005-05:002008-12-09T15:53:15.404-05:00

The General Conference of the Untied Methodist Church starts today in Dallas Texas. Here are a few things for you to check out if you are interested.-General Conference Home Page-Article from Tom Berlin-Article from the Dallas Morning News, -A daily Blog by my friend Mark Holland

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-78351081306283341312008-04-14T09:03:00.004-05:002008-04-14T09:17:10.363-05:00

"let's say I confessed to you my disgust with someone who annoyed me and how hopeless I felt about ever loving this person. What if instead of trying to make me feel better by saying, 'Nobody's perfect,' you said you believed in God's power to transform me into a radical person who pays loving attention to those who annoy me? What if you prayed for me about this? What if later that day you

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-60729066545931882722008-04-08T16:40:00.004-05:002008-12-09T15:53:15.581-05:00

This week I preached a sermon on the hospitality and here is a quote i used from Bishop Robert Schnase's new book The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. He is talking about the decline of the mainline church."People getting mad and leaving is not the cause of our decline. Members simply grow old and die, and no one takes their places. The church as a “front door” problem rather than a

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-90525145707550503352008-04-05T15:13:00.005-05:002008-04-05T15:22:00.275-05:00

I am behind in my sermon prep this week. My wife and i celebrated our 6th anniversary by going to Myrtle Beach for a few days and I did not start working on my sermon until yesterday. And it is not going to well. So i started doing what i do when my sermon is not going well. I've prayed more than normal, I've called up a few friends and asked for old sermons or illustrations, (got hold of one

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-37996159598556782312008-03-27T09:06:00.005-05:002008-03-27T09:12:16.783-05:00

E. Stanley Jones, from, Conversion (1959)"Building the Kingdom" depicts the unsurrendered self thinking it can build the Kingdom by its own efforts. But "receiving the Kingdom" depicts the surrendered, receptive self with emptied hands accepting God's gift of grace, forgiveness, conversion, new birth, and this is the point--introducing him to the most exciting fact of the universe, the Kingdom

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-57419340019784961342008-03-19T15:33:00.002-05:002008-03-19T15:36:37.259-05:00

I have a very unexciting final 4. Two number 1 seeds, and #2 and #4. UNC, Memphis, Georgetown, and UCONN. With UNC and Memphis in the title game and UNC winning. Who do you have?

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-18188960523692216842008-03-18T10:49:00.002-05:002008-12-09T15:53:15.899-05:00

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-80033548574748071792008-03-16T21:28:00.006-05:002008-12-09T15:53:16.179-05:00

A group from St. Matthew's went to hear Tony Campolo speak tonight. He was awesome as usual. Tony has been a great influence in my life and ministry and a great source for illustrations. Best line of the night, "you know your old when your wife asks you to come upstairs for sex and you say, 'honey, I can't do both."

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-71316942954753518452008-03-07T10:57:00.004-05:002008-03-07T11:25:19.909-05:00

Before you take this quiz that was designed by Scot McKnight,which of the following 3 categories do you think you view of the Bible will fit..Conservative, Moderate, or Progressive?After you take the quiz go here to see what it means and in the comments let me know what you thought you were, and what the quiz said you were and do you agree. Mine are in the comments.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-47381613504609642842008-03-06T09:56:00.004-05:002008-12-09T15:53:16.377-05:00

Yesterday was donuts with dad at Jordan and Karis's preschool.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-35398248663016637922008-02-28T15:05:00.001-05:002008-02-28T15:07:07.954-05:00

Who thinks of this stuff?

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-16267843305033929202008-02-27T11:15:00.004-05:002008-02-27T14:39:43.116-05:00

Below is a portion of an article from the United Methodist News Service that actually excites me about our church. I will have a few comments afterwards.A new agenda Weary of decades of the church's top legislative meeting being consumed by debate over homosexuality and other hot-button issues, the Council of Bishops and other denominational leaders have shaped a new churchwide agenda with

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-53953189959489713962008-02-23T22:25:00.004-05:002008-12-09T15:53:16.763-05:00

Karis had her kidney removed. Hard to believe its been 2 years. i did not even realize it until Leigh Ann told me. Karis had something called nephroblastomatosis. I could be wrong but from what i understand/remember nephroblastomatosis is when the kidney continues in its embryonic state and continues to grow at a rapid rate. Her kidney should have been about 4 cm but hers was 14 so they had

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-43715189220404479872008-02-19T11:39:00.003-05:002008-02-19T11:46:15.090-05:00

i am thinking about using this for Easter? What do you think?Hat tip to Reformissionary

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-8615469168165582632008-01-14T23:59:00.000-05:002008-01-16T15:57:18.707-05:00

First of all the Cowboys choked. The Giants won and I believe wanted it more. The better team won. The frustrating thing about the game was how poorly the Cowboys executed.Here are some examples:Patrick Crayton 1. Two dropped passes, one on a third down where he would have had a huge huge gain.Poor Tackling. The Giants first score was the result of 3 miss tackles.Special Teams. After the

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-27502293474255556852008-01-10T16:45:00.000-05:002008-01-11T10:17:43.998-05:00

This article by John "Jr." Feinstein was in Monday's Washington Post, a day or so before Gibbs retired. Though i am a cowboy fan and therefore don't think much of the redskins i've always admired Gibbs for his coaching and also for the way he lives his faith. This article talks about Gibbs faith in a not so positive light. What are your thoughts?

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-81907403137602576712007-12-10T09:56:00.000-05:002007-12-10T10:51:08.508-05:00

My friend Brian wrote a Christmas song called Glory Hallelujah. Below is an acoustic version (and the version i like better). If you click here you will get cord charts as well as an MP3 version of it. let me know what you think.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-28092296473578976382007-12-05T11:26:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:16.935-05:00

also happens to be one of my favorites. According to the December issue of Men's Health.. Outback's Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing is the worst food in America (from a health prospective). Check out the stats. 2,900 calories 182 g fat, 240 g carbs. Other than that it is ok. The article says, "even if you split these "starters" with three friends, you'll have downed a dinner's worth of

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-18281234137055380172007-11-30T14:12:00.000-05:002007-11-30T14:16:01.951-05:00

I was asked by the Washington Post to write a Christmas meditaion. Just kidding, it was the Goochland Courier that asked me. Here is what i have written below. Let me know what you think. It’s Not Your Birthday.It’s not your birthday that we will celebrate on December 25. It’s Jesus’ birthday that we celebrate. What would happen if on one of my daughters birthdays’ I got myself some

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-67416893412980093762007-11-08T10:16:00.000-05:002007-11-08T10:58:06.940-05:00

Started reading Tim Keel's book today, Intuitive Leadership and thought i would try and blog through it. I am 0 for 1 in doing this so wish me better luck this time!Keel is pastor of Jacob's Well, a church in Kansas City Missouri. I heard Keel speak at an Emergent Conference many years ago in Nashville and also some where else, can't remember where but he left a good impression. The back cover

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-89552247000859647012007-11-06T22:10:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:17.140-05:00

My friend Tom Houck has written a book about 2 of my favorite things, football and Jesus. It is titled Between the Tackles and you can get it here for only $13. I am proud to announce that we are having our first give away so the first 3 people to send me an email (pastorgkp@hotmail.com) will receive a free copy of the book.UPDATE- The books are gone, Austin, Serena and Ryan Congratulations.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-45546604030801498292007-11-06T11:13:00.000-05:002007-11-06T12:11:27.385-05:00

We devoted part of our service to “All Saints Day” on Sunday. We had a candle lighting in memory of all those that were part of our church community that passed away in the last year. What we did differently this year is that we used the screen to project pictures of the ones that pasted away and had family members light a candle as we showed the picture. This worked beautifully and was very

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-28596586744620126612007-11-01T12:06:00.000-05:002007-11-01T12:15:57.367-05:00

"That is why the real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger stronger,

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-88706765154415275782007-10-15T14:30:00.000-05:002007-10-15T14:31:42.998-05:00

From one the best blogs out there, Jesus Creed

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-54295342788603764852007-10-05T10:29:00.000-05:002007-10-05T21:29:30.178-05:00

so one person sharpens another." This verse from Proverbs has been on my mind all week. After church on Sunday I left for West Virginia to participate in a prayer retreat with 7 other pastors. I would say it was 3 days of iron sharpening as we prayed, worshiped, studied, ate, laughed, complained, sweated, dreamed, and shared gas (like being in college again) together. It was great for my soul

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-63802233082468028722007-09-26T14:59:00.000-05:002007-10-05T22:51:44.987-05:00

Jordan, our 4 1/2 year old had a little incident at her preschool on Monday where she hit a boy, (he had it coming). We had big talks with her after that and when i got out of a meeting this afternoon I had a voice message from Jordan (using her mom's phone), "I have good news, i didn't hit anybody today!" I guess that is good news! That's now my favorte quote as it passes, "sing it like

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-31712702089805681022007-09-18T09:16:00.000-05:002007-09-18T09:36:42.955-05:00

This past Sunday we started our 3rd worship service (9:45) which is really our 2nd (between 8:30 & 11). It was the largest service of the day as it had over 90 in attendance. Many of those was special occasion people, some wanted to see what the service was going to be like others came to the service because it was the first one. I really believe that by this time next year because of the

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-71407824788222798492007-09-14T20:32:00.000-05:002007-09-14T20:40:10.444-05:00

I played golf on Wednesday with my friend Tim and i for the first time in my life i played a round without losing a ball. As a matter of fact in might be the first time i have not lost multiple balls.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-44311533103914952482007-08-17T19:29:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:17.473-05:00

We are vacationing in the Outer Banks this week and we saw this church trailer. We assume the name for the church is taken from Acts 2:2 and is meant to reference the Holy Spirit and the mighty winds that come off the ocean. However, that was not my first thought. What about you?

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-79497065553407740412007-08-10T20:08:00.000-05:002007-08-11T10:17:26.070-05:00

John Ortberg who i consider to be the most consistently great preacher gave the the 3rd talk today. As usual he was awesome. The only bummer was that i had already heard him give this message and I used a lot of it in one of my sermons and even blogged on it. With that being the case still in my opinion the best talk so far.UPDATE: Here is the page you can find the Ortberg sermon. It is the

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-61665403129329712012007-08-10T13:16:00.000-05:002007-08-10T13:28:43.282-05:00

Bill Hybles interviewed Colin Powell this morning and it was great. This guy should be running for president, i would then be happy about my choice. It was a presentation/interview where you were more interested in listening and soaking it in than talking notes. Hybles would ask Powell about what called his Powellisms and then Powell would expand on them:Promote a clash of ideas,-even as the

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-56341861990203968482007-08-10T13:10:00.000-05:002007-08-10T13:15:38.425-05:00

Jeff over at smart pastor is giving much better reviews about the leadership summit than i am. Check him out.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-78219737600106427782007-08-09T20:46:00.000-05:002007-08-09T22:00:46.575-05:00

The last talk of day one was Marcus Buckingham. He was awesome. I've heard him before and he is a great communicator, great use of humor and great content. Buckingham's schtick is that we should focus more on strengths than on our weaknesses. When asked the question, "which do you think will help you be most successful. Building on your strengths or fixing your weaknesses?" 41% of people

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-21767682674593206882007-08-09T13:35:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:17.721-05:00

Today begins one of my favorite weeks of the year, as Willowcreek Community Church starts their annual leadership summit.The highlights of this year include Bill Hybels, Carly Fiorina, Floyd Flake, Marcus Buckingham, Michael Porter, Colin Powell, John Ortberg, and Jimmy Carter.Founding pastor Bill Hybles gave the first talk titled "Vision to Die For." His basic point was that nothing matters

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-81549408068020958252007-07-31T10:22:00.000-05:002007-07-31T11:47:05.261-05:00

Been reading a devotional from Dallas Willard's book, Renovation of the Heart. Here are some of the highlights from my reading today:“A shift toward self-denial is needed to reorder the six dimensions of the human self in subordination to God. Christian spiritual formation rests on this indispensable foundation of death to self and cannot proceed except insofar as the foundation is being firmly

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-32904944496635229822007-07-17T20:52:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:18.155-05:00

A 17th century Moravian named Rupertus Meldenius said, "in essential beliefs we have unity and non-essential we have liberty." I have seen many Methodist churches quote this when talking about their beliefs or doctrines. What is interesting is that John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church never shared exactly what he believed those essential beliefs were.In the first chapter of Rob Bell's

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-532265849627153642007-07-09T21:21:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:18.452-05:00

This month's fast company has an article about the $50 billion bottled water business. Here are some of the highlights (low lights) and quotes.-24% of bottled water we buy is tap water repackaged by Coke and Pepsi-Fiji Water produces more than a million bottles a day, while more than half the people in Fiji do not have reliable drinking water.-We pitch into landfills 38 billion water bottles a

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-41760455177708879792007-05-10T22:09:00.000-05:002007-05-11T08:23:57.874-05:00

The first home run came at our worship committee meeting as we agreed to move forward with a 3rd worship gathering! This worship gathering (service) will be alternative, contemporary, postmodern, nonorgan, type of thing. I'm pumped as i have waited 2 years to do this! This service will be at 9:45 and will start in September. Will keep you posted.After the meeting i rushed to our church softball

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-43209388477330376782007-05-08T12:21:00.000-05:002007-05-08T12:30:37.601-05:00

My sermons are now available online. Well they have been for a while, I've just been waiting for a good one and I've realized that's not going to happen. Also you can get them on itunes.Also we have created a church blog during lent was a daily devotion type of thing that matches up with the sermon. Let me know what you think.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-23468961508253401192007-05-05T10:26:00.000-05:002007-05-05T20:15:09.915-05:00

Dan Kimbell's has a great post about observations he made this week while being in Northern Virginia. Everywhere he looked he saw guys wearing khakis, a blue blazer, an oxford shirt, and a tie. "I felt like there is some supernatural unspoken dress code, or that we were in some school district uniforms were required. But we weren't. "I must confess, this is my ideal choose of clothing and do

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-52065286990250121952007-05-01T09:04:00.000-05:002007-05-01T09:09:24.362-05:00

Bishop Scott Jones of the Kansas East and West conference believes the United Methodist future is bright. Thank you Andrew for the reference.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-30110469021222851602007-04-30T22:12:00.000-05:002007-04-30T22:28:35.341-05:00

This is a post from the Jesus Creed today. It's about Bill Hybels pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. I subscribe to Willow's podcast and it was on my computer this morning. I've searched their website and itunes and can't find it. If i do i will let you know.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-82046714085098102872007-04-30T21:48:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:18.867-05:00

Leigh Ann and I finally celebrated our anniversary last week. We went to Myrtle Beach for 3 nights and had a blast. Did i mention, the kids stayed home! We stayed at the Marriott's Ocean Watch Villas. Several months ago we received a phone call from Marriott offering us one of these 3 nights for $200 type of deals. The catch is you have to go to an hour presentation where they try to sell you a

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-71276340299285442352007-04-30T21:28:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:19.235-05:00

While playing with the girls on Sunday i took one of their bath toys and stuck it to my head. It was very funny until i looked in the mirror later in the day and again this morning. I now have hickeys on my head. Did i mention i have a funeral on Wednesday? Enjoy the photos, one is a reenactment and the other is the result. The good news is i am sure i can use this in a sermon at some point.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-80137030979831440632007-04-09T21:30:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:19.501-05:00

Jesus was not the only resurrection I celebrated on Sunday, though Jesus' resurrection was the most important. My pants, my wrinkle free Dockers have been resurrected!! Only $6 and you can't even tell that they were ripped.My pants have risen, they have risen indeed!

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-71383618434662507072007-04-06T15:10:00.000-05:002007-04-06T15:24:25.160-05:00

Today Leigh Ann and i celebrate 5 years of marital bliss. It just keeps getting better. I'm a blessed man. Check out some of our statistics, 5- years of Marriage 3- children4- moves and homes0- moves in the next 40 years 2 years and 3 months- time Leigh Ann being pregnant 11- months we had no diapers to change 200- approximate sermons Leigh Ann has had to suffer through 22- months until we

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-43463644736355728262007-04-04T13:40:00.000-05:002007-04-04T13:44:39.423-05:00

Thanks to all of you that give a donation for the war orphans in Sierra Leone. We made the top 10 which gets us a $10,000 grant! That is huge. We ended up #6 with 1041 donations for a total of $19,699 plus the $10,000 from Kevin Bacon for a grand total of $29,699. Thanks again.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-12137343697768919052007-03-27T09:33:00.000-05:002007-03-27T09:46:47.798-05:00

We are very close to getting a $10,000 matching grant from my good friend Kevin Bacon for war orphans in Sierra Leone. Look what $10,000 can do.$10,000 could support for a year 25 new foster care children (kids who don't have a home); or it could feed 60+ resident children for 1/4 of the year; or provide 75% of the annual education costs for the resident children; or cover 100% of the Child

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-59140400600448035382007-03-25T20:53:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:19.735-05:00

Two weeks ago after church i was playing with my girls and i ripped my wrinkle free dockers right up the crotch. I was bummed as this was my favorite pair of pants, i mean how can you not love pants you don't have to iron. Today after church when we got back to the house my wife noticed i was was wearing those pants! My wife had washed my holy pants and hung them back in the closet. To make

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-35843974744626991142007-03-19T18:02:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:20.323-05:00

It is hard to beleive but on Sunday Jordan celebrated her 4th birthday! We had a little party for her, it was a great day. Here are a few pictures.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-23127032686361611222007-03-17T20:25:00.000-05:002007-03-17T20:28:20.889-05:00

..she is on a roll! My wife got 28 out of 32 games in the first round. That is one of the best rounds i have ever heard of. The good news is i did pretty good as well, 26 out of 32.

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31129252.post-30405579040369911242007-03-13T13:47:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:53:20.568-05:00

My friend Dwight said to read the Mission Leader first and then read the Missional Church. So i will do as i am told. (see previouse post about the Missional Church).Chapter 1 of the Missional Church, "Six Critical Issues for Missional Leadership""This book was written out of the conviction that we need a new approach to leadership for missional communities," and the authors have identified six

Gordon Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443865412327260818noreply@blogger.com1