brian shivers

Watch the sermon  here . Listen to the sermon  here . Isaiah 51:1-6 "Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth wi

This has been a long and an amazing summer full of trips with students, family getaways, important meetings, big decisions, reading, and lots of thinking. All the while the world has continued to spin on its axis, and its people have been struggling in both small and mighty ways to get along with one another. There is so much to reflect upon and write about. The next several posts will be about many of these experiences and happenings. Please be patient as I fumble my way through. For those of us in the PCUSA, the beginning of the summer was marked by decisions made at our general assembly (GA) held in Detroit, Michigan. The GA is held once every other year and brings Presbyterians from around the world together to pray, worship, meet in committees, and vote on issues that are viewed to be important to our community and our unique expression of faith. In Detroit, the assembly entertained hundreds of issues and overatures. Several of the decisions made proved to be difficult and con