brian shivers

In January of 1955, in a speech titled “A Realistic Approach to Progress in Race Relations” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. boldly declared to an audience that was largely made up of clergy, “You must do more than pray and read the Bible” in order to destroy racism and segregation, “you must do something about it."   He went on to say, "How often are our lives characterized by a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds!  We talk eloquently about our commitment to the principles of Christianity, and yet our lives are saturated with the practices of paganism…This strange dichotomy, this agonizing gulf between the  ought  and the  is , represents the tragic theme of man’s earthly pilgrimage" ("Love in Acfion,"  Strength to Love  40). Dr. King repeatedly called the church, it's leaders, and those within it to find the courage to walk in the footsteps of the one whom we claim to follow, Jesus.  King admonished us all tha...

One of the most difficult things we teach our children is how to say, "Thank you." Saying these two little words doesn't come naturally. Developmentally, children believe and act as though they are the center of the universe and should be the focus of everyone's attention.  When this is the way in which one views the world, saying something appreciative to another person who has just done something for you or given you a gift doesn't fit.  In spite of this, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and teachers work hard to remind the little ones in their lives to say thank you.  We all believe that it is the right thing to do. As difficult and important as teaching and learning the practice of saying "thank you" may be, it pales in comparison with learning how to live a life characterized by the discipline of gratitude. Much like other disciplines, a life of gratitude is decisive, intentional, and responsive.  - A life of gratitude is ...

Funny thing about grace, you can't decide where it goes or how it's offered.  This is perhaps what makes us the most nervous about it.   We like parameters.  We like limits - even though we often pretend as though we hate them. We like the illusion of control.  But grace cannot be tamed!  Grace refuses to fit into our neatly constructed boxes of who is worthy and who isn't.  Grace will not stay behind the lines we have drawn in the sand as if to say, "You may go this far but no farther."  No, grace falls like rain on the hardened soil of fear and disdain. Grace brings life to even the most desolate of places. And yet, we stomp our feet and scream that it just isn't fair when those who we have deemed unworthy are offered grace. We pout and cloister ourselves as we watch with jealous rage those who have the audacity to dance in the rain, splash in its puddles, and soak in its abundance. That is the nature of grace. As uncomfortable as it may make us, we ...

The following prayer was based on Ubi Caritas  by Eleanor Daley (b.1955) as well as a sermon entitled “The Strength of Peace” with Ephesians 6 as its focus, “Put on the whole armor of God....Stand therefore....and for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.” Ubi Caritas Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor. Exsultemus, et in ipso jucundemur. Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum. Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero. Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Simul ergo cum in unum congregamur: Ne nos mente dividamur, caveamus. Cessent iurgia maligna, cessent lites. Et in medio nostri sit Christus Deus. Translation: Where charity and love are, God is there. Christ’s love has gathered us into one. Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him. Let us fear, and let us love the living God. And may we love each other with a sincere heart. Where charity and love are, God is there. As we are gathered into one body, ...

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We are deeply indebted to the work of this preacher, prophet, and leader. His legacy continues to impact our lives and our culture.  His message of audacious faith and hope in the face of oppression and injustice beckons us all to continue to pursue his dream of true equality and justice for all. Three years ago I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Atlanta with a group of fellow Christian Theological Seminary students as a part of our senior course on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught by King scholar Dr. Rufus Burrow, Jr.  There were many moving moments during the trip; standing in Dr. King's Ebenezer Baptist Church, visiting the King Center, paying respects to Dr. King and Coretta Scott King at the graveside reflecting pool and fountain, and walking the campus of Morehouse College (Dr. King's alma mater). However, the most important moment for me was our visit to the Robert...

Here is a wonderful article on the importance of family narrative.  Author Bruce Feiler argues " if you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family’s positive moments and your ability to bounce back from the difficult ones. That act alone may increase the odds that your family will thrive for many generations to come."  The importance of narrative within a family, congregation, or group of any kind cannot be overstated.  For more on the power of narrative, click the "New Narrative" tab above.  Also, you may be interested in " A Lesson Learned at the Kid's Table ".  Would love to hear what you think about Bruce Feiler's article or any of the posts you find here.

Consistency It isn't the most exciting or dramatic concept in the English language.  In fact, there are some instances when the word is used as a backhanded complement.  When a commentator says that an athlete is consistent, it can mean the individual doesn't really have any traits or qualities that stand out.  When a coworker praises someone for their consistency, it sometimes means that the best thing that can be said about them is that they show up to work every day. In Webster's Dictionary the entry for consistency reads... consistency  noun 1 a :  archaic : condition of adhering together : firmness of material substance 3 a : agreement or harmony of parts or features to one another or a whole : correspondence; specifically : ability to be asserted together without contradiction    b : harmony of conduct or practice with profession I would like to go on record saying that I desire consistency, and it is something I long to emulate. Le...

Paraphrasing a rabbi, theologian Miroslav Volf said, "I don't fear that at the end God will ask why I wasn't Moses (great leader) or Thomas Aquinas (towering intellect), but why I wasn't myself." From nearly the beginning of our lives, we live in a state of constant comparison with those around us.  She walked so early.  He didn't talk until late. She was always short for her age. He had many developmental delays. I'll never be as smart as she is. What did you get on that math quiz? I wish I was as tall as he is. I am not as pretty, talented, or gifted as they are. You're so much better at nearly everything than I am. Sound familiar?  We all do it.  We compare ourselves with our neighbors, our fellow students, our colleagues, our family members, or what we have come to believe is "normal." And this sickness invades all of our lives.  None are exempt from its fever and its lingering debilitating side effects. This is...

Sermon on Memorial Day – May 29, 2011 - (to view video, click here ) Acts 17:22-31 (click on citation to view text) The morning was full of excitement and anticipation. No one really knew exactly what to expect, but somehow everyone knew it would be great. The entire group had been preparing for nine months. They had explored, studied and discovered together. They had thought and dreamt about this very moment. And here they were. They had traveled to a new city, a new country together and had a full day ahead of them. As they walked down the street in the early morning sun, the energy was high and the chatter was lively. This was to be the first day of a ten day journey of faith. The group was handed their tickets and they began the climb up the magnificent hill. As they took the long walk up the hill the group had no idea what is in store for them when they would finally reach the top. I walked in the front of the group and stopped to face them. I wanted to see the looks on their fac...

This past Sunday, the Gospel lectionary text was the story of a man who was born blind and his interaction with Jesus.  It is a confusingly beautiful story of pain, sorrow and restoration, life.  Take a moment to read it... John 9:1-12 1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and t...

Psalm 119:98-103 -  "Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" In the early 70's there was a PSA (Public Service Announcement) campaign entitled "Time for Timer".  These minute-long cartoons were played during Saturday morning cartoons and after school specials.  Timer was this nondescript yellow character that sang songs about healthy snacks, the wonders of cheese and the importance of eating right.  All of his PSA's started the exact same way, "It's time for timer..." The one I remember most is "You Are What You Eat."  Timer moved through the ...

Look up Luke 7:36-50 (Or click here to read it online).    In this text, Luke has painted quite a scene.  Jesus has been invited to come dine at a Pharisee's home (a Pharisee was a Jewish religious leader in the first century).  While he was dining a woman came to Jesus and acted in a rather peculiar fashion.  This was a woman of bad reputation.   Apparently, everyone knew.   We are not told what her sins were.   That isn’t point.   What is important is that this unnamed woman came to Jesus immediately upon learning that he was in her town.   She had the audacity to enter into the house of a Pharisee.  She had the veracity to come to Jesus just as she was.   She came to him, but did not approach him in conversation.   Instead, when she was in the presence of Jesus, she wept.   She wept.   Her tears weren’t any ordinary tears.   No, t hese tears contained the entirety of her mis...

Where do you find hope?    Emily Dickinson once wrote, "Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune--without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm. I've heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me." Where do you find hope? In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul writes, "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit t...

Each and every day we face uncertainty.  It seems to be waiting around every corner and hiding in the darkness of every room.  We fight it with all of our might.  With jaw set and fists clinched, we stress and strain hoping that through our own effort we can turn that uncertainty into certitude making clear all that was once unclear.  At the close of another battle with this unseen foe, we realize that this fight is unending.  It seems that uncertainty will always be there.  Life's edges will always appear hazy and unclear. Yet, our hearts continue to burn for clarity in life.  We long to know exactly what we will face around life's next bend.  We want to know that our actions today will positively impact tomorrow's outcome.  Therefore, we try to project and plan the unclear and uncertain out of our lives.  We pray that their grip on our mind might finally be broken.  In his book Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning tells of a man who we...