Designing Worship: Sensing the Gaps-Coursera Lessons for the Church

What’s a Mediocre Preacher to Do? I am taking an online course called “Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society“. It is being shared by the University of Pennsylvania through Coursera: an online education clearinghouse. I am taking this course to help me better design worship. I am not that good of a preacher-I tend to be boring. If the Mountaineers play late, I know that … Continue reading Designing Worship: Sensing the Gaps-Coursera Lessons for the Church

cegr76October 31, 2012Leave a comment

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Getting in the Game

Coach’s Bad Habit I played soccer growing up. It was a big part of who I was, the first thing that I was really good at. I was tall and fast and that made for some success on the field. One year, our team was really pretty good. We were competitive in every game and even knocked off the top team during the regular season. … Continue reading Getting in the Game

cegr76October 31, 2012Leave a comment

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Episcopal Questions

I am at the Northeast Jurisdictional Conference (#nej12) serving on the Hospitality Team. Tuesday’s schedule was dedicated to the interviewing of Episcopal candidates. There were 8 interview teams and 19 candidates (candidates profiles can be found here [.pdf] in Tuesday’s Daily Christian Advocate). Each candidate interviewed before each interview team. In the evening, I got to sit in on one of the interview teams as … Continue reading Episcopal Questions

cegr76July 18, 20121 Comment

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Book Review: “Holy Conversations”-Introduction

Vital Learning is Critical to Vital Church Leadership…or so they say. At Greenview, we have been undergoing a revitalization process. I followed a pastor that had been here ten years, so the congregation was ripe for something new. We began in January by reading Vital Signs by Dan Dick. It is a superb book that really got us thinking about who we are as a church. … Continue reading Book Review: “Holy Conversations”-Introduction

cegr76June 26, 2012Leave a comment

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Egalitarianism and the Christian Minister

Last week, I was Ordained an Elder in Full Connection in the West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Egalitarianism led me to this moment in my life and is an extension of my theology and faith. Women as equals in ministry is second nature to me. In high school, my home church received a clergy couple as pastors. This was southern West … Continue reading Egalitarianism and the Christian Minister

cegr76June 13, 20121 Comment

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Reflections on “The Process”, as I near Ordination as an Elder in Full Connection, Part 2

ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT “Candidates approved by the charge conference and seeking to become certified for licensed or ordained ministry shall: … b) complete and release required psychological reports, criminal background and credit checks.” (The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2008, paragraph 311.2.b) The ordination process has served me well, over the long haul. There are issues with the process, no doubt. … Continue reading Reflections on “The Process”, as I near Ordination as an Elder in Full Connection, Part 2

cegr76May 22, 20121 Comment

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Reflections on “The Process”, as I near Ordination as an Elder in Full Connection, Part 1

STANDING AS AN LP All sort of hopes and dreams are wrapped up in Ordination: one’s hopes for the Church, the feeling of affirmation, the nerve-wracking pressure of representing God to the world, etc. One of the hopes for me was to be Ordained with my wife. It was the assuring feeling that I’m not doing this BIG thing alone, that I would have a … Continue reading Reflections on “The Process”, as I near Ordination as an Elder in Full Connection, Part 1

cegr76March 30, 20121 Comment

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Something Happened on the Way to General Conference

General Conference 2012 is approaching. Petitions are submitted; delegates are elected; travel arrangements are being made; reimbursement accounts being tapped, as we speak. One might get the illusion that it’s a big deal. I was part of the illusion. Three times in the past twelve years, I applied to be a Page or a Marshall at General Conference. Never expecting to be elected as a … Continue reading Something Happened on the Way to General Conference

cegr76January 19, 20121 Comment

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How the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero would benefit from the Presence of Clergy

You may have heard that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has organized the 10th Anniversary 9/11 Ceremony at Ground Zero in a manner that excludes prayer and the presence of clergy. Perhaps, given that 9/11/11 is a Sunday all clergy are busy leading their congregations. But that would only be Christian clergy. Are there no apt clergy from other faiths available? Clearly something is … Continue reading How the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero would benefit from the Presence of Clergy

cegr76August 27, 20113 Comments

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And That’s When I Became an Evangelist

I’ve never been successfully evangelized. I’ve never successfully evangelized anyone else. I’m a recovering cynic, but a solid skeptic. I believe in people rather easily, but I doubt ideas, theories, conspiracies, etc. I believe in God. I help others believe in God and live out that belief. I try to practice compassion and hospitality, as that seems like a large part of who Jesus is. … Continue reading And That’s When I Became an Evangelist

cegr76August 18, 20111 Comment