I just read another article defending opening a worship service with a secular song.* The usual culprits were there: reaching the lost by using something they are familiar with; being sensitive to the culture; the element of surprise; yadda, yadda, yadda. Please, don’t get me wrong, I love music. My tastes are quite eclectic. Whether … Continue reading
Author Archives: dprichmond
Reflections on Africa
Sitting in my office this morning is the first time I’ve had a chance to quietly reflect since I returned from North Africa last week. It was a hectic trip, and since I’ve returned my life hasn’t really slowed down any. But as I skimmed over the blogs that I wrote while overseas I realize … Continue reading
Oversized and Overseas – Days 5 & 6
My last two days in Africa were a blur. On Sunday we traveled to another shopping district in Tunis, Sidi Bou Said. This part of town is famous for it’s decorative doors and scenic overlooks onto the Mediterranean Sea. We shopped, haggled and ate, and then we went home to start packing souvenirs and to … Continue reading
Oversized and Overseas – Day 4
In America, you can’t judge the country by one city, and Tunisia is no different. Tunis is a large, noisy metropolis that constantly assaults your senses with sights, sounds and smells. On one corner you may find a marketplace similar to grocery stores in America, yet on the next corner you will find a pile … Continue reading
Oversized and Overseas – Day 3
CARTHAGE! Today I got to get my nerd on by going to a history lover’s paradise: the ruins at Carthage. When we say ‘North Africa’ today we think of mostly Islamic nations and Arab culture, but this was not always the case. North Africa has a strong Christian heritage. Names like Augustine and Tertullian echo … Continue reading
Oversized and Overseas – Day Two
After surviving 14 hours of travel and catching up on some much needed sleep it was time to experience the sights and sounds of North Africa. What better way to do this than to go to the medina, the shopping district, where vendors haggle, harangue, and hoax customers and tourists in loud, open-air fashion? As … Continue reading
Oversized and Overseas
Whew! I made it to Africa! Traveling overseas has long been on my bucket list of adventures, and now I can cross that off and move on to more important things on the list (like deep-sea fishing). Over the next few days I will try to keep an account of each day of my journey. … Continue reading
Ministry Confessions
As a minister I often adjure my congregation to be open and honest with each other, even in areas they struggle. After all, how can we help one another if we don’t know what battles we are fighting. I realize that some ‘openness’ needs to be confined to a small group or even to a … Continue reading
The Busy Life
We are a society who suffers from ADD. We often have so many things going on at once, we have trouble focusing on any one task at a time. For instance, in my little world I have all of the following going on right now: Planning a trip to Africa in less than a month. … Continue reading
Having an Ephesus Moment
I like to be right. There, I admitted it. I think most of us think it sounds arrogant or somehow ‘unchristian’ to say such a thing but the fact is, most of us like being right. We like knowing the facts are on our side. We like knowing that what we believe is true. In … Continue reading
The Pondering Preacher 