This year's Pirtle Series will feature Rev. Dr. Alyce M. McKenzie, associate professor of homiletics at Perkins School of Theology.

“How Not to Get What You Really Want: Lessons in Discipleship from the Gospel of Mark”

Each of the four gospels presents a different portrait of who Jesus is and who we are become as we follow him. The disciples in Mark are sometimes referred to as the duh…ciples. They never really get what Jesus is getting at. They argue over who will get the best seats; they try to keep people in need from reaching Jesus, and they cower in fear rather than respond in faith when a crisis strikes. It all stems from the fact that they want Jesus to support their agendas rather than to get behind his agenda, love of God and neighbor, and participating in the kingdom of God, a realm of justice and mercy that God intends for humankind. In this series we will look at what we really want, what Jesus wants, and how, by participating in the encounters between the disciples and Jesus in Mark , we can gradually come to want what Jesus wants. Only then will we find our true identity and purpose which is, after all, what we really want.

Saturday, 6 p.m., dinner in Pirtle Hall
Series overview: “How Not to Get What You Really Want: Discipleship and Desire in the Gospel of Mark”

Sunday morning, live in the sanctuary, simulcast in Herd Auditorium
Mark 7:24-37
“Crumbs”

Sunday evening, 6 p.m. in the sanctuary
Mark 8:27-38
“Crosses”

Monday, 11:45 a.m., luncheon in PIrtle Hall
Mark 9:30-37
“Crowns”

Make meal reservations by Aug. 11. Child care is available with reservations.

About Dr. McKenzie

Ordained as an elder 1981, Dr. McKenzie is a member of the North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Dr. McKenzie received her BA in the History of Religions from Bryn Mawr College (1977), her Master of Divinity degree from the Divinity School of Duke University (1980), and her Ph.D. in Homiletics from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1994. Dr. McKenzie has served several local congregations, in both associate and solo pastoral roles, in several churches in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania. From 1994-1998 she served as Visiting Lecturer in Homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary and as Consultant in Preaching and Worship to pastors of the Central and Eastern Conferences, UMC.

Her special interests include preaching on biblical wisdom, preaching on the sayings and parables of Jesus, the spiritual life of the preacher, preaching on public, often controversial issues, and the lessons that preachers can learn from creative writers. Her articles have appeared in a wide spectrum of periodicals: Quarterly Review, Word and Witness, Leaven, Interpretation, Journal for Preachers, Insights, The Living Pulpit, Circuit Rider, Proverbium, and Theology Today. Her sermons have appeared in a number of anthologies. Her article “Different Strokes for Different Folks: America’s Quintessential Proverb,” originally published in Theology Today in 1996, was chosen for inclusion in Cognition, Comprehension, and Communication: A Decade of North American Proverb Studies (1990-2000), Phraseologie und Paromiologie, the European Society of Phraseology, edited by Wolfgang Eismann and Peter Grzybek.

Dr. McKenzie enjoys writing books about preaching for pastors. She is the author of Preaching Proverbs: Wisdom for the Pulpit (1996), Preaching Biblical Wisdom in a Self-Help Society (2002) and Hear and Be Wise: Becoming a Teacher and Preacher of Wisdom (2004). Her book, Novel Preaching: Fiction Writing Strategies for Sermons, will be published by Westminster John Knox in 2009.

She also enjoys writing small group Bible studies for youth and adults. Her Matthew volume of the Interpretation Commentary Study Series was published by Westminster John Knox Press in 1998 and is now in its fourth printing. Her most recent book The Parables for Today was published in 2007 by Westminster John Knox. She is currently working on a study of the Bible’s wisdom entitled Save Your Receipt: Exchanging Fear for Faith.

Dr. McKenzie is a frequently featured preacher, Bible study leader and teacher at workshops, conferences, and worship services both in Texas and throughout the country. She and her husband Murry have three grown children, Melissa, Rebecca and Matt. They live in Allen, Texas where they are active in the life of First United Methodist Church of Allen. She sings in the chancel choir and is co-leader of the discipleship team. The McKenzies enjoy traveling, music, and spending time with friends and family. She is an avid fan of mystery novels and a student of yoga.