Rev. Tom Honey and a reconciliation of Suffering and a caring God

At a February 2005 TED conference, a "bonus" talk, was delivered by Rev. Tom Honey, a parish priest in the Church of England. For some, it was the event to remember.

"It's a classic problem in theology: How can the existence of evil be reconciled with a God who is supposed to be all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful? Reverend Tom Honey attempts to answer this question in the wake of the tsunami" which had occurred just weeks earlier.



This coming Sunday we'll listen to the talk and then we'll talk about what we heard and our understanding of what we heard. Please feel free to preview at the link above.

Join us at 9:45. We'll be glad to see you. And bring the kids because superb childcare is provided.

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

This coming Sunday we'll view and discuss a talk by Eliazbeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love." From the website, she "muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk."

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

If you want to preview the talk, it's at the link above.

Please join us at 9:45. We'll be happy to see you. Loving childcare is provided.

Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight | Video on TED.com

Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight | Video on TED.com

This coming Sunday, we're going to get a dose of TED. You'll love this. We're going to view the talk shown above, by Jill Bolte Taylor. If you'd like to see it now, just click the link above. It's hard to call this a talk. It's seems much more. Jill (Dr. Taylor) is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist, a research scientist. In the mid 1990's she had a stroke. Usually a devastating medical disaster, Jill has turned her stroke experience into a vast, meaningful understanding of the spirit of humanity and it's place on the earth.

Please join us. We'll be glad to see you at 9:45. And remember, excellent childcare is provided.

For next Sunday, May 2, we'll listen to portions of writer Anne Lamott's interview by the Very Reverand Alan Jones at Grace Cathedral.
Here's the link to the page that contains the link to the interview.
http://www.gracecathedral.org/forum/for_20061022.shtml
In order to listen to the interview straight from the page, you must have RealPlayer installed on your computer. (It's free download available of the same page...just follow the links.) Alternatively, you can download the MP3 file and listen to it on whatever.

Here's the site's blurb Ms. Lamott's interview:

"Funny, serious, and decidedly unconventional, an afternoon with Anne Lamott is one you will treasure. From her self-deprecating humor to her deeply felt insights, Lamott's practices include an eco-friendly, unorthodox Christianity that has earned a following around the world. Her honesty is heartfelt and formidable; her wit means there's never a dull moment."

Please join us at 9:45. You'll be warmly welcome. And as always, loving childcare is provided.

MicroLoans with Jerry Nagel

Coming up on April 25th we will host Jerry Nagel who will speak on MicroLoans to individuals and groups in the less developed world. Many of you will know Jerry from his previous presentation to the Adult Forum. However, this occurred before I arrived, so I invited him back.
I aske Jerry to send me something about himself and his talk, and here's what he said:

"I taught various field biology courses at ETSU from 1969 to my retirement 13 years ago and was active in local naturalist rallies and environmental groups. Got interested in microloans through our Issues Sunday School class at Covenant Presbyterian in Johnson City while we were doing a study on Globalization. We studied "The True Cost of Low Prices: The Violence of Globalization" - basically a lousy book with lots of whining about US exploitation but almost nothing about solutions. We were all rather frustrated, so I volunteered to do a wrap-up session summarizing what PC(USA) was doing about these social justice issues and found out that we were involved with a Dutch faith-based group called Oikocredit which raises capital to fund microloans to small, 3rd world entrepreneurs without access to commercial banks. The whole concept really intriqued me and I have been studying and prosyletizing the concept ever since. We personally have committed about 10% of our resources to microloans via groups we are confident are interested mainly in social justice rather than profit."

Please join us for the presentation and discussion. We'll welcome you warmly. And as it is with us, the very best in childcare is provided.

The Big Questions Continue!

This coming Sunday Mike Garrett continues to ask hard (but fascinating) questions about evolution, religion and our place in the universe. The past Sunday's event was both excellent and entertaining. Mike is a charming and gifted presenter. Expect more of the same.
Please be warmly invited to join us at 9:45, and if you have small children, we provide superior childcare.

"Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck?"

This coming Sunday Mike Garrett will help us explore "Randomness and God's will."

Mike writes:

"I've been puzzling over what God might mean in a world governed by randomness and rules, so I am exploring a book on extinction by the evolutionary biologist, David Raup. It's an easy read, but the ideas are surprisingly slippery.

Over two Sundays, I'll be presenting the book and asking for help in figuring it out. A little math, a little probability and statistics, a little paleontology, and hopefully some great discussion.

Here's a link to the book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Extinction-Bad-Genes-Luck/dp/0393309274 Raup is a major figure in the field, a mentor to Stephen J. Gould, and an engaging writer."

Please join us at 9:45 for some engaging ideas and lively discussion. We'll be delighted to see you. As usual, calm and caring childcare is provided.