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Last August, our elders announced a year of discernment. A central part of this focused on a reflection of how we use our spiritual gifts, especially the gifts of women.  As you know, we were a few short months from completion when the pandemic hit. This fall on our Wednesday night zooms, we'll continue the conversation. This episode will be discussed on Wednesday September 23.

Paul Spivey: Welcome, Exodus 14:19-31, and prayer

Bodhi Dark: Matthew 18:21-35 and prayer

J.P. Conway: Psalm 137 Sermon (begins at 7:35)

Ryan Sullenberger: Communion Meditation (begins at 26:11)

Jonah Perkins: Romans 14:1-12 and prayer

Brad Knapp: Announcements (begins at 30:05)

Welcome to this special episode of Checking in with the Family. Guest Host Sarah Edwards interviews one of our beloved second graders, Penny Hoskins. They discuss the joy of chocolate sauce, the solid charity work done by Barbie and friends, pandemic fashion, and backyard mermaids. Here you go.

Bryan Thornton: Welcome, Exodus 12:1-14, and prayer

Eric Simon: Matthew 18:15-20 and Prayer

J.P. Conway: Lamentations part two (begins at 5:16)

Clark Christian: Communion meditation (begins at 25:25)

Andrew Sternberg: Romans 13:8-14 and Closing Prayer

Chris Church: announcements (begins at 30:20)

Check out the latest episode of “Checking in with the Family.” Today, I chatted with my honorary grandmother and maybe yours as well, Fran Crouch. She’s been an Acklen fixture since 1956. In the episode, she shares how she and Bill have coped with quarantine, her interpretation of taking “the long way home,” the value of blind dates, and the meaning of living up to your vows. Towards the end, she offers some wisdom on how to survive these times. Sit down, relax, and enjoy the conversation.

Bryan Thornton: Welcome/Exodus 3:1-15/prayer

John Delony: Matthew 16:21-28/Prayer

JP Conway: Sermon on Lamentations-part one (begins at 7:30)

Justin Myrick: Table Talk/Meditation (begins at 28:05)

Eric Simon: Romans 12:9-21/Prayer

Chris Church: announcements (begins at 35:32)

Brad Knapp: Welcome/Exodus 1:8-2:10/Prayer

Clay Jones: Matthew 16:13-20/Prayer

JP Conway: Sermon on Psalm 22 (begins at 7:29)

Matt Bauer: Communion Meditation (begins at 28:23)

DJ Church: Romans 12:1-8/Prayer

Spencer Porter: Announcements (begins at 31:02)

Matt Perkins: Welcome/Genesis 45:1-15/Prayer

Charlie Perkins: Psalm 133/Prayer

JP Conway: Sermon on Matthew 27:45-54 (begins at 7:26)

Danny Ray Martin: Communion Meditation (begins at 24:39)

JP Conway: Romans 11:1-2, 29-32/Prayer

Paul Spivey: Announcements (begins at 30:37)

In this season, staying connected with each other has been complicated. To help in a small way, we're continuing a new feature on the Acklen podcast feed-"Checking in with the family." A few times a month, I'll interview an Acklen family member. We'll keep it light and relatively short. Our goal is to smile and maybe even laugh a bit.

Today, I checked in with Bodhi Dark. He shares how many cows he’s milked on his family’s dairy farm, what it was like to sing in an empty LAX airport, and his new enchilada recipe. He reveals the source of some recent inspiration as well as the backstory of where he got his name. And he leaves us with some hope in the God who makes and keeps promises. Enjoy this conversation with Acklen’s favorite New Zealander.

Over the last five months, I’ve had countless conversations, read countless articles, and listened to countless podcasts all on this theme, “How Should Christians Respond to the reality of 2020?”  To the loss of life and pain caused by the COVID-19 virus, to the persistent evil of racism, to the fractured relationships and seeming inability to have constructive, reconciling conversations in our society-how should people of Jesus respond?

Lament. I think our response begins with the biblical category of lament, seen specifically in the Psalms, Job, Lamentations, and Jesus.  Lament is honest hope.

As people of the resurrection, we are not without hope. At the same time, as people of truth, we are honest. How do we do both? Ryan Sullenberger says, “lament is the language which truth makes possible.”  We tell the truth about the devastation of death, disease, abuse, racism, poverty, immorality, and alienation. But we also tell the truth about the Jesus who is making all things new.  The author Marilynne Robinson describes biblical hope as “constantly and intensely vulnerable.”  The author G.K. Chesterton calls biblical hope as “unreasonable as it is indispensable.”

Over the next five weeks, our sermons will focus on the theme of lament. You’ll want to have an open Bible as we study, because we’ll closely read the scriptures to see the movements of lament.  I pray that lament can become more of a practice in our common life together, as well as our individual discipleship.

To lay some groundwork for this conversation, Ryan Sullenberger offers this  meditation on lament flowing out of some of Jemar Tisby’s thoughts in The Color of Compromise, our Wednesday night book study.