FORT SMITH, Ark. - When the Rev. Fidelis Obdike opened his eyes after a prayer, the setting wasn't the same. Gone were his laptop computer and the man with whom he was praying. Police arrested Carl Hagy, 41, on Wednesday on a theft charge after he allegedly pawned the computer. Man takes laptop from praying … Continue reading Man takes laptop from praying preacher
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Have you discovered Jott yet?
I don’t remember when I first heard about Jott, but after playing with it for a while I forgot about it. However, in the past few days I have found myself depending on it more and more, and am seeing this as a great asset for my ministry. I confess that as I’ve gotten older … Continue reading Have you discovered Jott yet?
The Great Secret of Forgiveness
Many people think that forgiveness is about the person or people who have done a great wrong. Can THEY be forgiven? But the great secret of forgiveness is that it is about the person or people who have been wronged. Forgiveness is the path to freedom from being dominated by the harm that has been … Continue reading The Great Secret of Forgiveness
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda – New York Times
We simply cannot go on being as dumb as we wanna be. If you hate the war in Iraq, then you want a gasoline tax so you can argue that we can pull out of there without remaining dependent on an even more unstable region. If you want to see us negotiate with Iran, not … Continue reading Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda – New York Times
Can you help?
Rich Holton just let me know that he has copies of my posts in his Google Reader account going back to October 18. If you have any copies of posts that I have made on this site, please feel free to send me the text so that I can re-post them.
A Note For Veteran’s Day
I sent the following e-mail to my folks yesterday, and share it for your edification. Dear friends, As we were leaving yesterday, someone asked me why we didn't make any note of Veteran's Day in worship. Of course, I hit myself in the head over forgetting to recognize our veterans, for their service to our … Continue reading A Note For Veteran’s Day
An Update…
Okay, here is the deal for all who are interested… The original onlywonder.com was completely wiped out by my ISP, and it looks like it won’t be coming back. The MethoBlog is completely gone, and I will have to rebuild it from scratch. I have moved my blog site (Only Wonder Understands) to be hosted … Continue reading An Update…
Crap
Uh . . . yes things are weird. Why? Because my ISP decided that I didn't exist anymore and proceeded to delete my accounts. Oh, the only non-corrupt backup they have goes back to July. So, here I am, rebuilding a bunch of stuff but also knowing that much of what I have written is … Continue reading Crap
A Reunion of Friends
Thursday was an interesting day. For a week, I had been leaning forward in anticipation of Thursday for on Thursday Kay, Grace, and I would be attending the Koinonia Family Reunion (which I wrote about last week). Beyond being able to see hear and see some of the musician that formed me, I knew it … Continue reading A Reunion of Friends
A Most Excellent Homeboy
One of my podcast addictions is the show Word For Word, produced and distributed by American Public Radio. This program takes the best speeches and presentations made around the country and rebroadcasts them. Word For Word is how I have been able to recently listen to Sam Harris, Ted Sorenson, and many, many others. Today … Continue reading A Most Excellent Homeboy
Restoring Methodism: What is our scriptural and theological base?
This is a continuation of a series began this past summer reviewing the book “Restoring Methodism: 10 Decisions for United Methodist Churches in America” by James B. Scott and Molly Davis Scott. I knew that I would have problems with “Decision 8” in Restoring Methodism when I realized that the scriptures passages used by the … Continue reading Restoring Methodism: What is our scriptural and theological base?
I Hate Cars
I am becoming more and more convinced that the modern automobile is a tool of the devil. Of course, we all know that the mobility offered by the gas guzzling monsters of metal has led to the disintegration of the concepts of neighborhood and family. In many places, the morning commute is a celebration of individualism, … Continue reading I Hate Cars
Responding to the “Golden Compass”
In the past couple of days, I received several e-mails that go something like this: Warning to the parents, grandparents, kids and grandkids! The Golden Compass, a movie coming out 7 December 2007 is a children’s movie based on a series of books with anti-religious themes written by Phillip Pullman, a Proud athiest. The … Continue reading Responding to the “Golden Compass”
Remembering the ’70’s Again
Back before there was Jay the fat preacher (the force behind the empire that is Only Wonder Understands) and even before there was Jay the Methodist technogeek of General Conference fame, there was Jay the fat geeky sound guy. That goes a long way back . . . to the late 1970’s (yes I AM … Continue reading Remembering the ’70’s Again
The Whole Armor of God — A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10ff
I woke up yesterday morning, and quickly found my heart heavy. It was just like any other Saturday morning. The girls were watching Saturday morning cartoons. Kay was in the kitchen, scrambling some eggs for the kids, and I stumbled out, hair askew, body creaking, and made my way over to the computer to check … Continue reading The Whole Armor of God — A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10ff
A Prayer for the Violence In Nashville
Metro police are searching for two men who killed a manager and a teenage employee during an armed robbery Friday night at Bellacino’s Pizza & Grinders on White Bridge Road. Restaurant manager Chris Caris, 33, of Hermitage and employee Joshua Cole, 18, of Nashville died from gunshot wounds, said Don Aaron, Metro police spokesman. 2 … Continue reading A Prayer for the Violence In Nashville
Win a Flip Vide0
Tim Bednar is a friend of mine who has been working on project to move church management from a dedicated software option to something web based. The site is name Plaid, and they are scheduled to release a demo version this month and the beta toward the end of the year. I just got an … Continue reading Win a Flip Vide0
Conversation of the Week — Facebook or MySpace
I’m going to hold off on writing about the value and risks of using the existing social network spaces. However, I think it likely that anyone who reads this blog probably uses one of the two major social networks — Facebook and MySpace. Leave a comment and tell us which one you prefer. Technorati Tags: Facebook, … Continue reading Conversation of the Week — Facebook or MySpace
This is not a paid endorsement…
…although if Microsoft wanted to sponsor this site, I would be willing to talk. One of the banes of my existence has been trying to keep organized. I have used all sorts of technological solutions to try and keep up my calendar, including several Palm compatible devices, Franklin Planners, etc. Likewise, I have experienced a … Continue reading This is not a paid endorsement…
Jim Holsinger and the Trust Clause
A seven-year legal battle between the United Methodist Kentucky Annual (regional) Conference and an affiliated foundation has ended in favor of the conference. The outcome also upholds the United Methodist “trust clause” pertaining to local church property. News - Across the Church - UMC.org. This was the first I had heard about the legal battle … Continue reading Jim Holsinger and the Trust Clause
Only Wonder Understands 