Living in the Expansive Kingdom of God

The other night, after spending an rare hour at the gym followed by another hour at the supermarket, I was standing in my kitchen putting away the last of the groceries when I heard a quiet “woof” at my feet. I looked down and there were two enormous brown eyes staring up at me longingly … Continue reading Living in the Expansive Kingdom of God →

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 I am in the middle of reviewing a book from Paraclete Press titled "Praying In Color," by Sybil MacBeth. Ms. Macbeth offers a way to visually connect with one's prayers and/or lectio, offering the possibility of praying with the right side of the brain. It really isn't about creating good art, but … Continue reading Praying in Color →

Reflection for May 12

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at … Continue reading Reflection for May 12 →

Well worth watching…

Tony has put together a great video. I look forward to more in the series.

The countdown begins…

This is a week of countdowns for the people called Methodists. For most it is the countdown to General Conference, the gathering of United Methodists from around the globe to rewrite our book of church guidance and law that we call the Book of Discipline. All over the world people are packing and getting on … Continue reading The countdown begins… →

The Paradox of Changing Cultures

In the previous two posts I presented a dichotomy between leadership styles, attempting to recognize both the good and bad in each form of leadership. There are certainly times when a top-down, authoritarian approach is justified, especially with simple decisions that seem to be paralyzing the organization. There are times with a "ground-up" approach is … Continue reading The Paradox of Changing Cultures →

Talking about The Sacred Way

This is a short advertisement and invitation for all readers of this blog to join the Sunday School class I teach at http://www.sacredway.wordpress.com for conversation on Tony Jones' book "The Sacred Way." This is an excellent book on spirituality and faith practices, and I would love as many as are able to join us in … Continue reading Talking about The Sacred Way →

peregrinatio

Were God to be found overseas, I too would take ship and go. But since God is near to all that call upon him, there is no constraint upon us to seek him overseas. For from every land there is a way to the kingdom of Heaven. --Samthann of Clonbroney

What does it mean to be Methomergent?

I was surprised to see a shout-out in the latest edition of the Emergent-C newsletter, which focused on denominational expressions of the emerging conversation. I've been a part of this emergent conversation thingie (the thing we find ourselves in) since 2002 or so, and I count myself as one who has been influenced by the … Continue reading What does it mean to be Methomergent? →

Was Thomas Jefferson a “Christian”?

At least one historian thinks not: In fact, it was because he [Jefferson] thought Christianity had been so thoroughly corrupted that he created his own Bible, slicing out the miracles and thereby "rescuing" Jesus and separating the "diamonds" from the "dunghill" that was the rest of the Bible. Imagine the attack ads that could be made … Continue reading Was Thomas Jefferson a “Christian”? →

Moving beyond repentance…

Yesterday I had the privilege of traveling down to the Pleasant Green Baptist Church on Jefferson Street to hear Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove share reflections from his new book, "Free to Be Bound: Church Beyond The Color Line" (Navpress). Pleasant Green is a historically black congregation located in the heart of what has been traditionally the center … Continue reading Moving beyond repentance… →

Only Wonder Understands

It's been right at five years since I started writing this blog, and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge in that time. When I began I was relatively new to ministry, serving as an associate pastor in a large church in the suburbs. Since then I have made the journey to being … Continue reading Only Wonder Understands →

Heading on a Pilgrimage…

I can't write for long, but I'm in Atlanta at the Emory Conference Center for a pre-gathering for the pilgrimage I am making to Israel this April. I am gathering with 19 other pastoral types from a variety of denominations to think, pray, and prepare ourselves for this trip to our version of Mecca. Be … Continue reading Heading on a Pilgrimage… →

By Water And The Spirit — The Spirit

This is sermon 4 of a 4 part series on baptism During the past four weeks, we have been talking about baptism. We have looked that our call by God found in the midst of the waters, a call which proclaims us as beloved by God and sends us forth to share that love throughout … Continue reading By Water And The Spirit — The Spirit →

By Water & The Spirit: The Initiation

Editor's Note: This is the third in a series on baptism in the United Methodist tradition. “If you want to be in the club, here’s what you have to do…” Have you ever heard these words? Surely, at some time in your life, you have stood in front someone and been asked to do something … Continue reading By Water & The Spirit: The Initiation →

By Water & the Spirit: The Call

Editor's Note: This is the second sermon in a series on baptism in the United Methodist tradition. Have you gotten the call yet? It’s a question that we ask often, in many different contexts. Teenage girls and boys inquire of each other about whether so and so has called them yet, asking them out on … Continue reading By Water & the Spirit: The Call →

By Water & The Spirit: Remembering Our Baptism

Editor's Note: This is the first in a four part sermon series on baptism in the United Methodist tradition. One of my favorite pleasures in the world is to rent a canoe or an inflatable kayak and head down a river. For me, there is nothing more enjoyable than being on the water, and letting … Continue reading By Water & The Spirit: Remembering Our Baptism →

Thanks Dianne

Some of the e-mails opine that the church is racist and so is Obama. A few claim he is a covert worshiper of Islam and that his middle name is Mohammed.It's the latest salvo in the e-mail wars - anonymous missives launched into cyberspace seeking to frighten voters away from candidates in the guise of … Continue reading Thanks Dianne →

Category: Faith