Prayer is for the pray-er. Prayer opens up the pray-er to God the same way talking opens up the griever to healing. And being opened up for God to change us is the first step to bringing God’s will to a hurting world. I understand the growing cynicism to constant prayer vigils following mass shootings. They have become a part of the routine that President Obama … Continue reading Why Pray for Orlando
So my pastoral ministry career in the West Virginia Annual Conference is officially closed. The Clergy Executive session approved my transfer to the Pacific Northwest Conference. I heard about it through a note on my Facebook page by the pastor who invited me into this life when I was 17. A few months later, as a sad, friendless teenager I skipped school to find out … Continue reading A Genuine Good-Bye to the West Virginia Annual Conference: Thank You for these and many other great memories
What I love about church in the None Zone: No cultural Christianity: They’re is no civic version of the religion telling you what Christianity is (ie. Patriotism, gender roles, etc.) Deliberate choice to be in church: We’ve all heard the None’s reasonings and have decided to pursue Jesus anyhow. This makes for a stronger church member. None’s keep us honest and transparent: Some of the None’s reasonings are … Continue reading The Body of Christ in the None Zone
I support the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the United Methodist Church. I got to this place through the progression of both my understanding and my faith. My understanding of LGBT inclusion has come from several realizations both ideological and personal. My Ideological Inroads to LGBT Inclusion Scripture is not the ultimate authority I love the Bible, so much so that I take it at its word. And the … Continue reading Personal and Ideological Inroads to full LGBT Inclusion in the United Methodist Church now that General Conference 2016 is here
Note: This was written before the Black Lives Matter protest at General Conference. I will update as soon as I feed and bathe the kids and put them to bed. [Done. See below.] Original Post: I wish I had submitted a petition to General Conference calling for the United Methodist Church to initiate conversation to unite with our African Methodist sisters: the AME, AME … Continue reading UMC + AME + AME Zion + CME + Union AME = Worthy use of time at GC2020
About a year ago, a family circumstance forced me to reconsider my profession as an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. The family circumstance called for a greater income that I could ever hope to make in the church. I informed my DS and bishop of the circumstance and began to look for work. There were lots of intriguing options and I submitted about a dozen resumes and … Continue reading Dude, I love the United Methodist Church, but I can also live well without it: A thought or two on Schism.
In a week of holy grieving, let’s remember that not all grieving gets resolved through immediate, physical resurrection. The very nature of death is that the deceased doesn’t come back. Missing Mommy by Rebecca Cobb is a book for children who have lost a parent. It is difficult to read not only for the subject matter but for the stunningly gracious manner in which it is … Continue reading Missing Mommy: A Book Review
I recently completed David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. The subtitle is “Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants”. It’s left me with some cool new thoughts about the church. This is the first Gladwell book I’ve read and his reputation for storytelling is well-earned. David and Goliath is divided into 3 parts, with the Introduction helping us understand the David and Goliath story … Continue reading Book Review: “David and Goliath”
Holiness, in OT terms, is being “set apart”. God set apart the Sabbath from the other days. The commandment is to keep the Sabbath “holy” by setting it apart from the other days. God makes things holy by division. Israel was set apart to be a light to all nations; Levites were set aside to maintain Israel’s holy covenant with God; special meals were set aside to … Continue reading What is the holy life today?
This week, as a pastor, I… shared the sermon time with a lady from Clark County Food Bank, helped teenagers look for God in times of uncertainty, turned in application for Leadership Clark County, moved family time to make room for an interview, helped a dude get clothes, read David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell, talked about it with colleagues, sorted frozen meats for the food bank, revisited … Continue reading This Week in Ministry
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