Resources by Ron Rienstra

Let Us Pray to the Lord: A Collection of Prayers from the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Traditions
Edited by Georges Lemopoulos. Geneva: WCC Publications.1996. 97 pp. $8.95. To order from the New York office: 212-70-3193; fax 212-870-2528. www.wcc-coe.org.

We developed and have used or adapted this litany for several Thanksgiving services. The structure is simple—the leader gives thanks for very specific things, and the people affirm their thanks for those items with a more general phrase. We encourage the use of several different leaders on the different sections of the litany.

11/27
Neal just e-mailed his topic for Sunday’s service. Texts are Genesis 1, John 1, and Ecclesiastes 3—“A Time to Be Silent.” Says there’s a rhythm between silence and speaking, a rhythm as old as creation, seen in the Incarnation. In the fullness of time, God finally speaks the Word into the world.
Makes sense to use silence in the service. The trick will be how to make the silence as lively and participatory as the singing.

Prayers and Litanies for the Christian Seasons
Sharlande Sledge. Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc. 1999. 144 pp. $16.00. 1-800-747-3016; www.helwys.com.

Nine Steps to Becoming a Better Lector
Nick Wagner. San Jose, Calif.: Resource Publications, Inc. 2000. 96 pp. Paper $10.95. 1-888-273-7782; www.rpinet.com.

Vol. 2. Canton, Ohio: Communication Resources, 2001. 187 pp. $49.95; includes CD. 1-800-992-2144; order@Com Resources.com.

When I began working at the LOFT, the worship staff at the college agreed on a worthy goal: to embrace with both arms, and to lift up with both hands, the practice of singing the Psalms—a challenging task in a very contemporary setting. These are notes from a number of different Sundays recording the variety of ways we have tried to use the prayer book of God’s people in our worship.
10/14 Post Rehearsal

I remember being envious once, in pre-Web days, of a pastor friend who was showing me the Bible software he had just purchased. He could look up any passage in an instant, search for multiple uses of a particular word, even pull up two different Bible translations side by side on his computer. The tables were turned recently when I told him of two popular websites that offered all those Bible study tools and more—for free.
http://bible.gospelcom.net

Listening to music on the Internet has become commonplace. These days, lots of folks are using Napster to download MP3 files from rock bands like Limp Bizkit. But others are logging on with a more devotional motive: to listen to and learn about psalms and hymns.