tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170187192012-02-16T03:24:38.376-06:00Exploring that strange territory in which academic theology meets congregational ministry in the shift toward postmodernism. If you love Jesus and have a passion for helping people grow as his disciples, then please read on and add your own thoughts.Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.comBlogger801100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-6482224774654988482009-05-17T23:46:00.004-05:002009-05-18T01:12:12.884-05:00

Here's what I'm thinking about, and from many different angles:In Brad H. Young's book Jesus the Jewish Theologian, Marvin Wilson writes in the forward (p xviii), "What emerges, however, is not "Jesus the Jewish Theologian" in any Western, systematic sense. Rather, in Jesus, Dr. Young presents an Eastern, or Semitic, theologian, one who employs a living, vibrant theology distinguished by such

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-8530649001385000722009-02-06T15:06:00.000-06:002009-02-06T15:07:45.385-06:00

I'd like for you to meet my great friend, Duwe (pronounced like "do-ee"). He is near the top of the short list of my faith-heroes. And that's saying alot to have someone younger than me to look up to for my own journey.Duwe is from around these parts in southeast Wisconsin. But for the past 18 months or so since he graduated from college, he's been living in Thailand as a missionary. One of

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-74168001748325273072009-01-31T22:09:00.003-06:002009-02-01T01:08:09.368-06:00

Hi blog fans.Sorry for the absence in blogging. And thanks to all of you who checked in with me, knowing that my not blogging may be a sign of my depression getting the better of me. I'm happy to report that is not the case this time. Our home computer crashed several months ago. Since then, we've been using an old laptop that runs really, really slowly. So I haven't had the patience to

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-23725548553642962792008-07-16T14:40:00.003-05:002008-07-16T14:53:09.289-05:00

Pay attention near the end of the video to see JibJab's newest star: me!Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-72202755712271483122008-07-06T16:13:00.003-05:002008-07-06T16:31:33.330-05:00

In case you haven't heard of "Gabriel's Revelation", a text written on stone from just before Jesus' birth -- that speaks of Israel's messiah dying and three days later rising to life as redemptive for Israel -- then check out the New York Times story about it by clicking here.What do you think: does the concept that messianic death and resurrection pre-dates Jesus . . .(a) challenge the claims

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-73893519880756583072008-06-03T23:54:00.006-05:002008-06-04T00:29:47.083-05:00

This past Sunday, we launched at St. Stephen the Martyr an alternative worship start for teens with something I call "Wikiworship". I thought I had made the term up since I'd never heard or read it anywhere before. But before I sat down to blog, I googled "Wikiworship" and found a few people already using the word in much the same way as I envisioned it to denote an open source, participatory

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-46030707658510534532008-05-31T22:16:00.004-05:002008-05-31T22:26:15.989-05:00

If you're on facebook -- or even if you're not -- join the 2nd annual National Chipotle Day. Here's a snippet from the dude on facebook who started this holiday:For those who don't remember, or maybe didn't attend National Chipotle Day last year, it is just what it sounds like - a day to honor Chipotle and its burrito-y goodness. A visit to Chipotle is like a sneak peek at heaven, and a bite

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-60792918288239900882008-05-18T01:20:00.007-05:002008-05-18T12:12:16.972-05:00

Jesus healed me!!!Here's how it went down:You may have noticed that I haven't written in a long time, except for one post on Obama which took me like 5 hours to write. Well, it's no secret to people who know me that I live with depression. And in January, I bottomed out big time. Couldn't get off the couch if the house was on fire. That gave me a lot of time to pray for healing, except that

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-52179733935073515552008-02-20T08:13:00.014-06:002008-02-20T10:27:35.155-06:00

For people in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states which have yet to voice their opinion at the polls in this year's Democratic primary: a reflection of my experience of Barack Obama's campaign victory in Wiscosin...The pundits and pollsters were saying this would be a close election here in Wisconsin. But I had trouble believing them because polls were at least a week old. Obama has a

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-88303558491132136072007-12-22T21:18:00.000-06:002007-12-22T22:14:58.859-06:00

Here is the first part of my paper "Engaging Community: Peacemaking as Method in Ethics", which continues from where the introduction left off in my last post. This may look like a long post, but on paper it is only four and a half pages double spaced, so it will only take you a few minutes to read. If you're interested in the footnotes, I've placed them in the comments link as not to take up

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-14300278041185843472007-12-18T11:17:00.001-06:002007-12-22T21:17:57.169-06:00

You may have noticed that I haven't posted on this blog for awhile. For the last month I've been frantically trying to finish my papers for this semester, so there is not time for blogging anything that would require me to type up something new. That's why I've decided to share on my blog an ethics paper I've already typed. (Ah, copy and paste...so nice.) I will post it in sections over the

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-92025356977780493802007-11-09T09:09:00.001-06:002007-11-09T09:51:01.778-06:00

Last Tuesday at our new Thirst in Menomonee Falls, we talked about discernment, and we read the story in Daniel about a hand appearing out of thin air and writing a message on the king's wall. I got to thinking, wouldn't it be nice if God would do that more often? I mean, here we are trying to discern through prayer, scripture, and conversation how it is Jesus is calling each of us to follow him

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-62046413494854228452007-10-23T11:17:00.000-05:002007-10-23T11:28:30.949-05:00

This past Saturday, I accompanied 8 youth and 2 other adults to FrightFest at Six Flags Great America. Below is a copy of the Bible study we discussed during dinner. If you are leading a ministry event related to this Halloween season, feel free to use it or adapt it as you wish.What was the scariest thing you’ve seen or done so far at FrightFest?Is there a difference between being scared and

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-46940217000958966722007-10-01T08:53:00.000-05:002007-10-01T09:34:57.925-05:00

Isn't this the question of postmodernism?We can make up our own "truths" and "facts". The Bush administration proved that point in selling out the American people, the Iraqi people, and the world. The first rule of advertising (or spinning politics for that matter) is that perception is reality. What I perceive to be true is what I hold to be true. Is there any wonder, then, that the shift

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-52086502086544779992007-09-25T16:44:00.000-05:002007-09-25T18:03:40.811-05:00

Today I am wrapped up in kairos time -- for me, a surreal experience of things I've been wresting with all of a sudden coming together all at once and becoming clear. I now understand existentially what it means to yell out "eureka!". It's like an orgasm of insight.Breakthrough #1How is it that I consider myself to be a postmodern theologian and yet can't name a single postmodern theologian I

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-82229106360487727452007-09-05T09:38:00.000-05:002007-09-25T17:29:47.292-05:00

I found this cool website about Christian apologetics in a postmodern culture. It's called bethinking.org and you can check it out by clicking here.Postmodern people like myself have a lot of questions. Even for those of us who have grown up in the church, we still have a no holds barred attitude toward questioning our faith. And that's the thing. We're questioning our faith. Or more

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-17737480081297009662007-08-16T19:23:00.000-05:002007-08-16T19:44:48.650-05:00

At St. Stephen the Martyr, we dared to be different. And boy was it worth it. We started almost a year ago exploring ways to do a congregational mission trip, a cross-generational experience for following Jesus together and sharing our faith.We sputtered along for a while in our research places that could accomodate the youngest and oldest alike, until we talked to Imago Dei Village, an ELCA

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-88578376315840733842007-08-04T12:06:00.000-05:002007-08-04T12:27:38.505-05:00

OK, so it's been a while since I've written. Not that there hasn't been much going on to write about, but rather just the opposite. God's been busy in southeast Wisconsin, and I've been trying my best to keep up with the action. The few down times I find myself wanting to blog, I'm deterred by the 90 degree temperature in my study.But no more excuses. I'm bursting at the seams in eager

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-37199382206095454722007-07-07T11:37:00.000-05:002007-07-07T16:22:54.256-05:00

Last Thursday, my wife and I enjoyed a date together by going to the world's larget music festival, Summerfest, which is held annually in Milwaukee. We went to see specifically one of my favorite bands, Rusted Root, from my home city of Pittsburgh. They're a fusion band of bluegrass-rock, African rhythms, and more. There's no other show in the world like them.As weird as this may sound, Rusted

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-56101363934649290112007-06-14T16:26:00.000-05:002007-06-15T11:25:42.511-05:00

I had surgery today to repair a hernia. This surgery was my first ever. I gotta tell you, it was a walk in the park. The anesthesiologist said, "I'm going to put such and such drug in your I.V., and you'll fall a . . ." Then immediately the nurse gently called my name, "Kevan." That's when I woke up and she told me it was over.I don't know this for sure, but I think that's what death will be

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-2242745646356144382007-06-11T13:14:00.001-05:002007-09-25T17:30:05.331-05:00

During the weeks between Mother's Day and Father's Day, St. Stephen the Martyr is promoting our first "Faithful Families" campaign. Every family of the church is encouraged to schedule one hour sometime this summer, to invite one of our adult mentors from family ministries into their homes to creat a family covenant.These visits have two goals. First, families will talk about hopes and

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-59595013895315776552007-05-31T10:34:00.000-05:002007-09-25T17:30:29.490-05:00

With an understanding of God's identity as the kingdom of God, there are at least three important distinctions to note why the doctrine of the trinity matters compared to other monotheisms.1. GOD IS LOVEThe Johannine witness in scripture reveals to us that God is love. But even if one doesn't accept the authority of scripture, most spiritual people who believe God is present in the world have a

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-9379262920785033602007-05-30T15:59:00.000-05:002007-05-30T16:59:43.529-05:00

My late mentor, Dr. Walter Bouman, told me that he used to dread preaching on Holy Trinity Sunday until he realized that the Trinity is simply the story of God. When we say "Father, Son, Holy Spirit" we are calling out the personal name of the God revealed in Israel's messiah, Jesus.Theologians familiar with the work of Robert W. Jenson will resonate with that notion. Fans of biblical scholar

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-64766392813170591172007-05-23T08:43:00.000-05:002007-05-28T16:12:47.415-05:00

Here's a follow-up to my last toungue-in-cheek post. Yes, the Mountain Dew Amp had something to do with my energy boost, but that's not what made the worship experience so amazing. For a couple of days last week, I sensed I was plugged-in to Holy Spirit empowering me for Jesus' reign.Earlier that day (Thursday) I had an awesome session of discipleship coaching with a woman from another

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-75658755562540898302007-05-17T21:21:00.000-05:002007-05-23T10:43:03.898-05:00

Now that my semester is officially over (I'm still working on finishing an incomplete though), I want to get back to blogging. But after just finishing a marathon sprint of writing papers, my brain still isn't functioning at full speed. So to give my noggin a rest, I'm putting the vocational theology series on ice for a bit. I know, you all are so sad, right?Instead, I thought I'd share with

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-4664409597604614632007-05-07T14:38:00.000-05:002007-05-07T14:50:09.162-05:00

Check out the updated website for the postmodern young adult* ministry in Milwaukee:www.thirst4.blogspot.comIf you live in southeast Wisconsin, make sure to check it out and invite friends to join you!* We consider you to be a "young adult" if you want to grow in your relationship with Jesus, but in a typical Lutheran congregation you find few (if any) other people in your walk of life with whom

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-51263230545714459072007-04-20T08:02:00.000-05:002007-04-20T08:05:50.462-05:00

If you've been wondering where I've been and why I haven't posted in a while, please do not worry. I'm fine, just extremely busy. I'm leaving this morning to spend four hours isolated in a cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin to start chipping away at the mountain of work before me. In the next 2 weeks, I have to write 80 pages. So, don't expect the next post in the Theology of Vocation

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-71874147651137231622007-03-31T10:49:00.000-05:002007-03-31T10:49:17.512-05:00

Since most of us have a lot on our plates during Holy Week, I won't bog you down with the next part in the series of Theology of Vocation. Instead, as a devotional follow up to the last post on the messiah, enjoy this 3 minute video reflection for your Holy Week: "Kyrie Eleison"You can find it at GodTube.com.Have a blessed Holy Week. Lord have mercy.Shalom!Kevan

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-66083959493590808232007-03-26T12:22:00.000-05:002007-03-26T12:52:48.400-05:00

+ Messiah: The Human with God's VocationAs Lent passes into Holy Week, we follow Jesus to his cross. But who is this Jesus, and why should we follow him? The claim is that he's the messiah, but what does it mean for this Jesus to be the messiah?To answer these questions, let's break it down to it's simplest form according to the path we've been following in this 7 part series. Obviously, the

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-75950400119100784932007-03-20T20:35:00.000-05:002007-03-26T12:54:21.725-05:00

+ Covenant: God Calls Creation into Right RelationshipTo have a vocation is to be in covenant, an exchange of promises of two parties to be in relationship with one another such that each is fully defined and identified only in the covenant with the other. [Ed. Note: It is important to add that covenants are made between two parties to benefit a third party.] For example, if you know me as Kevan

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-26699581226588471372007-03-15T08:59:00.000-05:002007-03-15T10:15:40.602-05:00

+ Creation: God Calls Creation into BeingWe exist, everything that is exists, because God gives a vocation. Creation is called to praise God. All of creation is holy, sharing in the presence of God.+ Humanity: The Creature With the Priestly VocationJust like all creatures, humans are created to praise God. Yet within this larger vocation, the human animal has the unique vocation of being the

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-82089061509801611912007-03-13T10:14:00.000-05:002007-03-14T08:12:49.183-05:00

As I continue to do theology in congregational ministry and to bring congregational ministry into theology, my mind is focusing on the word 'vocation'. In this one simple word, the mission of the church and the theses of the academy meet. As I discern my own vocation, I've realized that vocation itself is the proper epistemological category for doing theology. In plain English, practicing our

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-70902736665307596262007-03-07T16:01:00.000-06:002007-05-23T10:50:54.634-05:00

In part one of this series, I discussed the topic of salvation. The good news the church shares with the world is that the kingdom of God is here and now, and Jesus offers you the gift of Holy Spirit so that you can participate in it. This articulation of the good news is earth shattering to many of my fellow Lutherans. Rather than limiting our view of salvation through the Law-Gospel lens, we

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-74799786189505812992007-02-26T09:04:00.000-06:002007-05-23T10:50:54.635-05:00

Do you know what the good news is, that which the church is called to proclaim? You're probably quite confident that you do. But allow yourself to reconsider long held beliefs. Why, you may ask, is this exercise worth my time and brain power? I say to you, simply because how you think of the church's message of salvation will determine how you live every moment of your life.With this in mind,

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-91197109717424702272007-02-14T07:27:00.000-06:002007-02-14T08:37:07.566-06:00

I think I may have forgiven myself for my responsibility in the car accident involving youth from our church. It's hard to tell for sure, because there wasn't one magical moment when all of a sudden I felt the burden of my guilt float off of my shoulders. But there have been many moments when I've noticed the weight of the load decrease. And I can say now that I'm in a place in the forgiving

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-88379787305504042932007-02-07T21:38:00.000-06:002007-02-07T22:17:27.796-06:00

Last Saturday night, I was in a car accident. Everyone involved will heal from their injuries. We all can see God's hand protecting us in this tragic experience. But I'm still keeping my eyes open for what God continues to do in our midst after the accident. Indeed, we all feel Holy Spirit's gifts of healing and comfort. Yet as these gifts unfold, I'm thirsting for forgiveness.You see, I made a

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-30890969950985292212007-02-02T08:19:00.000-06:002007-02-04T19:35:30.908-06:00

I've been a part of starting a new ministry called "thirst". It's a young adult ministry that gathers twice a month at an area cafe. We do an hour of social time, then an hour of faith networking with a postmodern sensibility: art, conversation corners, blogging, prayer-libs, meditation room, etc. We come with no agendas, just the question, "what are you thirsting for in ______ (insert theme here

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-6947025152430478522007-01-31T08:19:00.000-06:002007-01-31T09:41:20.052-06:00

Tim, the servant leader at SSM who works with me in family ministries, has been receiving training through Youth and Family Certification School. He is developing a long range plan to help us strengthen our efforts to make youth ministry into family ministry, to make the home church too for passing on the faith. Here's what we are hearing God calling us to do:~ Restructure our monthly

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-66878425583511110872007-01-26T21:25:00.000-06:002007-01-27T10:23:40.238-06:00

Late Gen-Xers and early Millennials have at least one thing in common: we love "The Goonies"! Whether you were old enough as a Gen-Xer to see it in the theater like me, or you saw it on VHS with other Millennials, we all hold a special place in our heart for Chunk, the lovable roly-poly kid who couldn't shut his mouth even when his life depended on it. Scared out of his wits when captured by the

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-19161570192126908412007-01-23T22:13:00.000-06:002007-01-23T23:47:34.621-06:00

I share with you some reflections upon one of my recent interesting reads:(1)When we look at the relationship between Jesus and his disciples, we see clear parallels to a typical relationship between a rabbi and his students. Jesus calls young men to follow in his way. (Indeed, women also followed him, but the Bible only depicts the call narratives of the 12.) He teaches people about the kingdom

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-24488842685597198402007-01-19T14:42:00.000-06:002007-03-31T10:44:54.555-05:00

OK, so this isn't actually a post in its own right, but I'm writing to share a few updates. You may have noticed a few changes on this website. First, even though this semester is going to be crazy busy, I have a lot on my mind and God is up to lots of amazing stuff in ministry, so I plan to publish new posts more frequently than my previous routine of publishing only on Wednesdays. For your

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-71289910982202783802007-01-12T13:02:00.000-06:002007-01-13T14:46:20.502-06:00

Last weekend, I attended a youth workers retreat with two of our adult leaders at Imago Dei Village in northern Wisconsin. The keynote speaker was the Rev. Dr. Dick Hardel, the Executive Director of the Youth and Family Institute. Dick was engaging, entertaining, and encouraging. But most of all, I heard great affirmation from his expertise for what we are doing at SSM to implement

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-76060109749016065672007-01-05T13:01:00.000-06:002007-01-05T13:31:05.327-06:00

Pray for his kingdom to come always and everywhere.Many Christians don't pray other than during worship. Some may have a routine of saying a table grace or bedtime prayer. But it's not uncommon for me to hear Christians tell me they don't know how to pray.As with each mark of discipleship, prayer is a gift we are given by God that needs nurturing and practice. When asked to teach people to pray

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1166630445119528022006-12-20T08:38:00.000-06:002007-05-23T10:50:54.635-05:00

Invite others to recognize Jesus already transforming their lives.This is what evangelism is supposed to be. Telling people the good news that Jesus is risen; God has revealed to us the Messiah, who is the Lord.Sounds simple. Yet for our institutionalized churches lost in the denial of Christendom addiction, evangelism atrophies into outreach, i.e. telling people about our church. Mostly, we're

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1166108498965830222006-12-14T07:56:00.000-06:002007-01-05T01:44:14.439-06:00

Sorry for the delay in posting this next article in the 'living W.O.R.S.H.I.P.' series. After finishing my papers for this semester, I'm able to return to blogging once again. This time, I'll explain the marks of 'serve' and 'help'.Serve your neighbors to participate in Jesus' mission.Help your fellow disciples grow in their gifts.I'm combining these two marks into one post, because a common

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1164142970044103002006-11-21T14:11:00.000-06:002007-01-05T01:44:33.627-06:00

I've received much feed back about people's interest in my recent posting about coaching discipleship as "living W.O.R.S.H.I.P.", so I've promised to write separate posts on each of the marks of discipleship in the acronym. This week's post is on the third mark, "read".Read scripture to discover your role in God's salvation story.My daughter exhibits much self-motivation to read books. This is

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1163626536535554192006-11-15T14:53:00.000-06:002007-01-05T01:44:53.763-06:00

I've received much feed back about people's interest in my recent posting about coaching discipleship as "living W.O.R.S.H.I.P.", so I've promised to write separate posts on each of the marks of discipleship in the acronym. This week's post is on the mark of order.Order all of your resources to do so (i.e. to worship the living Lord always and everywhere).If we take Jesus' empty tomb with the

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1163009612257605122006-11-08T11:03:00.000-06:002007-01-05T01:45:13.723-06:00

I've received much feed back about people's interest in my recent posting about coaching discipleship as "living W.O.R.S.H.I.P.", so I've promised to write seperate posts on each of the marks of discipleship in the acronym. This week's post is on the mark of worship. Worship the living Lord always and everywhere.That's the first mark of discipleship for those who follow Jesus. He is our living

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1162437843589671902006-11-01T20:24:00.000-06:002007-01-05T01:46:33.403-06:00

I'm preparing a workshop I am to lead this Saturday at our synod's training event for adult volunteers and paid staff working with youth in our congregations. When asked by our synod coordinator (whom we lovingly call our "sy-co") to lead a workshop about what is working well at St. Stephen the Martyr, I gladly agreed and said the name of my workshop will be "Death of Youth Groups: Raising

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1161806670822664862006-10-25T14:12:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:47:08.224-06:00

As I write, the song "Youth" by Matisyahu is pumping through my headphones from My Videos link on Yahoo Music.http://music.yahoo.com/ar-16201287---MatisyahuAs one born on the threshold between GenX and the Millenials, Matisyahu (Hebrew for Matthew) was a young man wandering aimlessly through life, who found God by turning to Hasidic Judaism and now sings hip-hop reggae -- yes, reggae. Go

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1160631954648267602006-10-11T23:24:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:47:30.971-06:00

If you haven't already read the previous post entitle "living WORSHIP", please read it below before reading what follows here.Ask a high school student at St. Stephen the Martyr Lutheran Church what the word "disciple" means and she will quickly respond "a follower". (We spent all last year repeating that same lesson in various ways.) To be a follower of Jesus means to participate in his mission

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1159973422869063512006-10-04T09:11:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:48:43.083-06:00

Through my work with the MDIVnetwork, I produced a document I like to call "Living W.O.R.S.H.I.P." To live worship is the call of every disciple. We are to discern what God is doing and get involved in it. Our salvation is God's glorious presence among us. So to follow Jesus 24/7/365 means that we dedicate our whole lives to worshipping God.This is the idea behind "Living WORSHIP". It's quite

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1158288236309829702006-09-14T21:22:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:49:56.659-06:00

As many of you know my father-in-law, Kaz Szczepanik, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on September 3. He was 63. This man devoted himself to his family. He hated goodbyes, always shedding tears when he sent his children off to college, a new home, or even a short weekend trip. We shed our tears, and still are shedding them, in saying our goodbye to dad.His was our fourth funeral in 12 months.

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1156137222481269712006-08-20T23:54:00.001-05:002007-01-05T01:50:23.797-06:00

OK, so this is just about turning into Maya's blog instead of mine. But I can't resist sharing another of her bedtime prayers. It speaks to the practice of communing kids when they are baptized. We encounter our risen Lord and grow into this experience -- not learn about him until we're qualified to meet him.Every night I ask her what she would like to pray about. Her answers used to be

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1153797721399975322006-07-24T22:03:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:50:42.020-06:00

I took Maya to Miller Park to watch the Brewers play the Pittsburgh Pirates on our special Daddy-Daughter Day. We sat four rows from the rightfield fence, staring at the black and gold '36' on the back of Craig Wilson's jersey every time the Pirates took the field. As expected, two younger "men" enjoying their Miller Time harrassed Wilson mercilessly, frequently calling his sexuality into

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1152409444596990622006-07-08T20:35:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:51:08.487-06:00

Prayer is powerful. It changes people. It's not just about talking to God, but also about listening to God speak to us.O.K., so where am I going with this? This isn't anyting that we haven't heard a million times in Sunday School and children's sermons. But tonight I heard God speak to me through the voice of my three year old daughter, Maya. This was her prayer at bed time (for which she had me

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1151715183241214992006-07-01T00:01:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:51:44.338-06:00

In part of my work in contributing to the design of new leadership trainig for the ELCA, one of my colleagues from the transformingchurch.com network -- Ron Lee -- posed a question to direct our visioning: "we can't speak of transforming leaders until we answer the question, "transformed to be and do what"?"Here's my response:To "transform" leaders, I think, can be thought of by the two parts of

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1150731880982874322006-06-19T10:35:00.001-05:002007-01-05T01:52:11.659-06:00

I took the liberty of pampering myself on Father's Day. Last night I spent $100 on books from Amazon. My interest in constructing a doctrine of trinity based on categories of Second Temple Judaism has led me to the works of Christian and Jewish scholars of that time period, including messianic Jews (a.k.a. Hebraic Christians, or Jews who claim Jesus is the messiah while remaining Jews). I found

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1150260838837681942006-06-13T22:50:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:52:31.919-06:00

My apologies for not posting this prior to Holy Trinity Sunday. Perhaps it could have been helpful in preparing a sermon, in my dreams at least. What follows below is an abstract of the 30 page paper I wrote for my doctrine of trinity course. I constructed a doctrine of God based on N.T. Wright's assessment of Jesus' own messianic discernment within the symbolic categories of Second Temple

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1149739291242206392006-06-07T22:51:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:56:00.536-06:00

The July issue of The Lutheran is now available on-line. In it you will find my article about dissent within the church. My task was to summarize my STM thesis in 800 words. In the end, I'm not certain that I did that successfully for the targetted audience. The article feels simultaneously incomplete and yet too full, to me at least. The basic gist of it (and my STM thesis, which you can

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1148311435892767962006-05-22T10:18:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:56:17.521-06:00

My STM thesis proposes that faithful dissent within the church is expressed as a means of reconciliation. (See the link in the lefthand sidebar to order your copy.) Many readers ask how dissent as reconciliation would look like in practice. Below is an email I posted on our synod's listserve after a week of exchanges arguing about the pros and cons of a constitutional amendment to ban marriage

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1146746375989083102006-05-04T07:31:00.001-05:002007-01-05T01:55:42.075-06:00

The intro to my latest paper:In recent years the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has witnessed the emergence of several organized parties dissenting against issues ranging from ecumenism to sexuality. Yet despite the common occurrence of dissent there is little, if any, scholarly discussion happening about the theological grounding for, and appropriate methods of, dissent within the

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1145930293508376572006-04-24T19:58:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:53:53.002-06:00

The Three Holy Days were a strange affair in Milwaukee. On Good Friday we watched two breaking live news stories simultaneously. The first was the discovery of the bodies of the two boys missing for a month. Ironically, the sad finding of their bloated bodies from an accidental drowning in a park lagoon offered some relief, as most of us had assumed wrong doing that made us all feel unsafe.The

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1144083099242997272006-04-03T11:30:00.000-05:002007-01-05T01:59:37.857-06:00

paul mussachio: so do i get a copy of your sermon this weekend, or what?kevan penvose: no copy to give, i.e. no manuscriptpaul mussachio: wow, from the heart then?stillerz7: usually, unless i need to be particularly careful w/ my language on a sensitive issuepaul mussachio: well, that's impressive, i don't think i've seen you deliver something wihtout a manuscirptstillerz7: it went well,

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1143530131965325842006-03-27T23:56:00.000-06:002007-01-05T01:59:55.890-06:00

That's either the score to a boring football game or the text for a sermon.Jeremiah 31:31-34 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. . . . I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1142000175378608392006-03-10T08:05:00.000-06:002007-01-05T02:00:50.350-06:00

The following book review is submitted to Trinity Seminary Review for publication. Performing the Faith: Bonhoeffer and the Practice of Nonviolence. by Stanley Hauerwas. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press (www.brazospress.com), 2004. 252 pp. ISBN # 1-58743-076-2 $21.99 (Paperback).Is Christian pacifism a realistic option in our age marked by the war on terror? Stanley Hauerwas argues that Dietrich

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1138760031364478132006-02-24T00:01:00.000-06:002007-01-05T02:01:17.243-06:00

...Thy Will Be DoneThe following is a devotional I just finished writing for the Greater Milwaukee Synod's Daily Lenten Devotions that you can find on their blog throughout Lent:John 14:14-17"If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1138079011959749542006-02-01T00:01:00.000-06:002007-01-05T02:01:29.211-06:00

What is theology?St. Anselm's dictum serves as one popular definition of theology's task: "faith seeking understanding". Many theologians who write or teach extensively define theology as such. Others offer their own definition in various adaptations. But I am left unsatisfied with every definition of theology that I've ever known. They all have missed the mark. So here is my own stab at defining

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1137822653169395952006-01-23T21:37:00.000-06:002007-01-05T02:03:02.087-06:00

I've never cared much for the study of ethics, particularly the brand called "Christian ethics". The problem for me is that every time I've studied the subject, it has been presented to me as a discipline in and of itself apart from theology. For example, for my Moral Theology class I am reading again Robin Lovin's book Christian Ethics: An Essential Guide. He begins by talking about the "good

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1137000764420426352006-01-12T00:41:00.000-06:002007-02-02T08:19:39.911-06:00

At a Crossways retreat last weekend I heard Dr. Nathan Frambach's presentation on the emerging church phenomenon. The question with which he wrestles is: is this phenomenon simply a new form of worship in the postmodern era or is it an emerging ecclesiology? In the end Dr. Frambach sides with the latter. For him, emerging church is a way of understanding the church distinct from its immediate

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1136375233254892132005-12-30T23:48:00.000-06:002007-01-05T02:04:21.894-06:00

I recently read Union With Christ: The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther (edited by Carl Braaten and Robert Jenson; Eerdmans Publishing, 1998.) If I understand correctly what Tuomo Mannermaa and his colleagues are saying, then Lutherans have been misunderstanding Luther for nearly 500 years. In a nutshell, these Finnish scholars are saying that Luther defines the term "faith" as the indwelling

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1132547646196622872005-11-20T22:21:00.000-06:002007-01-05T02:05:02.824-06:00

Team member Pastor Nathan Swenson-Reinhold recently wrote the following didactic letter to his congregation as part of his leadership in their transition to celebrating the eucharist weekly. It represents an example of leading the church by training people with a sanctified vision, which is the subject of the previous post. "Pastor Big Nate-Nate" (as those of us in the Ministry Driven in Vision

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1131836642248543822005-11-12T21:01:00.000-06:002007-01-05T02:06:36.090-06:00

Judging by readers' comments, much of what I've written to this point resonates with them -- "community of radical discipleship", "to steward God's image with reckless abandon", "a community who lives in the hope that frees them to love and to fear"-- even though they'd like to know what that would actually look like in congregations. In addition, I also had a wonderful personal exchange with my

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1130734537188405572005-11-02T23:42:00.000-06:002007-01-05T02:07:41.001-06:00

My patristics professor, Dr. Michel Barnes, proposes a thesis about the development of the biblical canon. Contrary to popular theory, Barnes claims that the canon did not come about simply in response to forces outside accepted orthodoxy such as Marcionism and gnosticism. Rather, a greater force in the effort to develop a canon was the church's internal process of positively defining it's

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1130985590822403552005-11-02T20:39:00.000-06:002006-02-25T18:44:08.850-06:00

Trinity let this guy graduate, and Marquette accepted him?! (Now that I have your attention, please make sure to add your location and shoutout by clicking on the map button in the lefthand sidebaror by clicking here. Thanks.)

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1130125844520126622005-10-23T22:43:00.000-05:002007-02-02T08:17:29.100-06:00

I came across a blog (myadventuresinpain.blogspot.com) that I think expresses a sentiment quite indicative of our present ministry context. The words in red are from that blog, and my response that I posted in that blog's comments follow in blue. Many regular readers will recognize my comments, either hearing something similar from me or from the late theologian, Dr. Walter R. Bouman. Enjoy, and

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1128634685619301472005-10-07T00:32:00.000-05:002007-01-05T02:09:32.900-06:00

There's something about Mary . . .How are Christians to understand the mother of the Messiah? On the one hand, there is the Roman Catholic view complete with a doctrine of immaculate conception and pushing the boundaries of 2000 years of the church's articulation of how God's salvation works. On the other hand, there is a Protestant backlash that wants to ignore her completely except to cast a

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1127611550507979982005-09-26T23:52:00.000-05:002007-01-05T02:09:47.458-06:00

I've discovered the answer to the age old question, "Are leaders born or made?" They're born ... but not biologically. Rather, leaders are born by the formation of their community.This is not the same as saying leaders are made. Yes, we can learn certain leadership skills, but to make leaders implies that I could take any person, teach him the magic skills, and presto . . . we have a leader. Take

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1127484093612423682005-09-23T09:00:00.000-05:002006-01-04T13:03:51.326-06:00

My friend and colleague, Bill Wenger (who just joined the team -- welcome!), likes to joke about the slippery slope into the depths of heresy that people find themselves on if they follow my theological lead. I don't know if that's completely accurate, but I do admit that I find a straight and narrow orthodoxy rather boring. In fact, we'd have to pretend that such a thing actually exists, which

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17018719.post-1127422649601471822005-09-22T15:55:00.000-05:002006-01-04T13:03:41.963-06:00

Since my idol Paul Mussachio started a blog, I figured I need one too. In the days to come I will post my thoughts on theology and ministry. But for now, I must go pick up my wife and daughter.

Kevan D Penvosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00244568380992341607noreply@blogger.com1