Turn in Your Pre-Conference Journal to page… Is there a statistic anywhere of LGBTQ+ clergy who have fled the UMC for other denominations or other fields of service? I suspect not. I further suspect that there is no accounting for the LGBTQ+ laity we have lost to other denominations as a result of the ongoing consternation over including LGBTQ+ people in the denomination. I ask … Continue reading Immeasurable Loss
An Evangelist is someone who brings a message of good news. This is the opposite of that. Gun violence and mass shootings like the one in Las Vegas are not going away. We can’t even call them the new norm anymore. They’re just the norm. And the norm is increasing gun violence. President Obama famously noted that we have a routine for mass shootings and their … Continue reading Gun Violence Will Not Go Away
On September 1st, I began my 3rd year in ministry with you here at Orchards. It has been an honor to have been with you for 2 good years. I just want to briefly mention my love for you and this congregation. You may not realize it, but 2.5 years ago I was looking for work outside of the church. I am glad that circumstances … Continue reading Now Loading: Year Three at Orchards
In a few weeks, 50-60 kids will descend upon our humble church facility for Project Transformation. And I am so excited for them to meet you. I am excited for the kids to be nurtured and loved all summer long. I am excited for the college interns who will run Project Transformation to grow in their service and dedication to the “least of these” (who … Continue reading Project Transformation…a pathway to the church
Everything I’ve ever learned about loving my LGBTQ neighbors as myself, I learned through the United Methodist CHurch. Everything I’ve learned about fully including, welcoming and valuing LGBTQ people in the church and society at large, I learned through the UMC. This weekend, while the church was spinning from the Judicial Council’s decision regarding Bishop Karen Oliveto, I was with the United Methodist Women training … Continue reading On Bishop Oliveto
TEXT John 3:1-17 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can … Continue reading Bible Leads: John 3:1-17 (Nicodemus)
I have been working through moral foundations for living in the US under President Donald Trump. I sketched out these ideas at the end of last year and they seemed so theoretical. Like it’s part of a mind trick to say that Love and Truth are moral foundations. To me, these seem so basic. Maybe it’s necessary to go back to the basics. When sketching … Continue reading Moral Foundations for Living in Trump’s America (Part 3 of 3)
On January 6, the second-most important day in the Christian calendar was celebrated. Did you have an Epiphany celebration on Friday? Epiphany rightfully belongs in the upper tier of Christian holy days. It is as important as Christmas day. And western Christianity has lost something in forgetting the Epiphany. Epiphany predates Christmas. It commemorates the ways Jesus is ‘revealed’ or manifested among us…meaning when we … Continue reading A Sermon on Epiphany
At 5:30am our beloved kitty Daisy let out an odd growl/yelp. I initially thought she had caught a rodent or something, though that is completely against her character. When I found her in the closet she was toppled over against the wall. I eased her into a more comfortable position and with a few gasps, she died. She was 10 years old. She was a lovely … Continue reading Daisy
This past Sunday, as part of a service to help people process the election, I asked people to share ‘what they were hoping for when they voted’. I aked them to share these hopes by writing them down. I asked people to NOT tell me who they voted for. I encouraged their anonymity. Here is what they said: Policy to remember the less fortunate. Kind … Continue reading Why People Voted
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