Several years ago, when I was serving as the pastor for several folks at United Methodist Communications, I was pressed into duty as a pastor on call. It seemed that the umc.org website received many e-mail questions during the day. For the most part, these questions were technical in nature, regarding some point of United … Continue reading Conversation with a Young Methodist–A Beginning →

The pictures coming out of Alabama are unbelievable. Our friends and neighbors south of us woke that morning expecting another round of storms like many we’ve all seen before. By the time they tried to get to sleep in the local shelters that night, they had seen nature’s fury unleashed at record levels. For those … Continue reading Helping in Times of Disaster →

This morning, after dropping Anna off at 5:45 a.m. to catch a bus for a school field trip to Pigeon Forge, I pointed the Corolla north into Kentucky, across the Ohio River into Indiana, through the thriving metropolis of Santa Claus, and over on Highway 62 to the St. Meinrad Archabbey for a week long … Continue reading Random Thoughts from St. Meinrad — Monday →

18 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. 19 It is written in scripture: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent. 20 Where are … Continue reading A Word for Good Friday →

Part of the general buzz I heard during the Leadership Summit on Wednesday was suspicion regarding the metrics that have been chosen and identified by the Call to Action and the Council of Bishops for evaluation. Some of this suspicion is certainly due to fears regarding how the data will be evaluated, and concerns about … Continue reading Metrics That Matter →

Earlier this week the United Methodist Council of Bishops, the Connectional Table, and the Call to Action Team hosted a Leadership Summit, involving UMC leaders from throughout the world . I participated in that event as a scribe for Table 9 of the Tennessee Annual Conference gathering, and have been sharing insights from Table 9 … Continue reading #UMCLead: The View from Table 9–Part 3 →

Earlier this week the United Methodist Council of Bishops, the Connectional Table, and the Call to Action Team hosted a Leadership Summit, involving UMC leaders from throughout the world . I participated in that event as a scribe for Table 9 of the Tennessee Annual Conference gathering, and have been sharing insights from Table 9 … Continue reading #UMCLead: The View from Table 9–Part 3 →

Yesterday leaders from the United Methodist Church throughout the world gathered via Internet webcast for a conversation called the Leadership Summit. This conversation was an opportunity for the Council of Bishops to present their endorsement of the Call to Action report and attempt to gain feedback regarding how UM leaders felt about their conclusions. During … Continue reading UM Leadership Summit: The View from Table 9 – Part 1 →

I don't really have time to flesh this out this morning, but as I was eating breakfast and preparing for my Manthano class this afternoon, I found myself thinking about the act of preparing a rule of life. While there is certainly a tradition of an individual rule, for those who are looking to the … Continue reading Covenant Groups versus Orders →

Several years ago (I confess that it has been so many that I can’t remember when) Kay and I were considering our vacation options for the summer. Frankly we were financially broke. We had taken the girls on a once in a lifetime Disney vacation a year or so before, and were still paying off … Continue reading Why I Am A SOULfeasta… →

Several years ago (I confess that it has been so many that I can’t remember when) Kay and I were considering our vacation options for the summer. Frankly we were financially broke. We had taken the girls on a once in a lifetime Disney vacation a year or so before, and were still paying off … Continue reading Why I Am A SOULfeasta… →

Many years ago, I was blessed to study under the tutelage of Dr. William Lane for part of my undergraduate New Testament studies. Bill Lane was well regarding in evangelical circles, and at the time was known for his commentary on Mark. While I was his student, he was engaged in writing what would become … Continue reading Rob Bell’s Sermon of Love →

This past Friday, in the early hours following the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami, I tweeted an update regarding Miko Crafton's family. Miko is married to Councilman Eric Crafton, and is a Japanese national whose family lives in Sendai, ground zero of the tragedy. On Friday, based on an e-mail I had received, I shared that … Continue reading Prayers for Miko Crafton and family →

I confess that I have a problem. You see, I will be in some meeting of some group that I am working with. In the midst of our planning will arise some mention of the organization's web site. Folks will start talking about the unreal amount of money they are spending for their site (usually … Continue reading Pastor as Web Designer →

He is us, according to Keith H. Mcilwain. Check out his reflection on Matthew 4:1-11 in the first installment of the Lenten Blog Tour.

I haven’t been writing here as much as I should, mainly because I have too many outlets for sharing thoughts. I pretty much have moved all my political blogging to the Just Nashville site and I’ve been doing my devotional writing at Reflections of Common Prayer.  But it’s time to get back up to snuff … Continue reading Too Many Irons in the Fire →

This past Wednesday night I was leading our group through a process of meditation on scripture taken from a book on the topic by Avery Brooke. It's a simple process that involves reading through the scripture three times during a 15 minute period, moving from a broad view of the text toward discerning a single … Continue reading Humiliation and Justice →

This afternoon, after a great church council planning retreat, I made my way to the local AT&T store to move into the world of smartphone ownership. This was an interesting exercise, for I was pretty locked into a contract, am pretty much okay with AT&T in my area, and so was evaluating solely on phone … Continue reading Smartphone Update. or why I got the Iphone →