I’m sitting on the patio here at Pilgerhaus watching the wild parrots fly by, listening to the wind blow off the Sea of Galilee, and trying to tune out the theological argument at the next table. The winds are strong this afternoon, which feels great but I could imagine are a bit fearful when you […]
I don’t want to hog the lobby computer but I did want to make a quick post saying hi from Tagbha, Israel. I think I have just figured out how to blog via the Palm so hopefully I can write more later, but until then I will simply say that we’re having a great time […]
I don’t leave until tomorrow, so I have been checking out the GC web sites to see what is happening. One smart thing they have done this year is to schedule orientations for delegates all day and waiting to start the opening worship until tonight. In past years the conference opening worship was usually in […]
Tony has put together a great video. I look forward to more in the series.
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 […]
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 […]
In my last post I noted a particular style of leadership that places the responsibility of cultural changes in an organization in the hands of a charismatic leader endowed with a strong vision. This “top down” approach to leadership has been part of the history of the church since the beginning, and can be a […]
One of the continuing conversations in the church is the need for radical change. It is in fact an age old conversation, going back to the Apostle Paul’s way out call for the church to accept Gentiles. The reformers that led to the streams of faith that I inhabit likewise were agents of change, calling […]
My last posted listed a website where we are holding court on Tony Jones’ “The Sacred Way.” Unfortunately the url was missing a few characters and folks have been visiting someone else. The real url is http://thesacredway.wordpress.com. Sorry for the confusion.
…we made 12,000 biscuits!
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 […]
This coming Monday, a group of persons will be gathering at the Arlington United Methodist Church in a first attempt to address the concerns raised in the recent actions of the TN Conference Council on Connectional Ministries to discontinue the staff positions for youth and children’s ministries (see the bottom of this article for a […]
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
“Honestly officer, da devil made me do it!” Rhett Close, Riverside Police Officer, “He started to become a little bit emotionally stressed at that point. State he didn’t know how he got there or why he was even ther.” While the pastor may not remember how he got to the club, at least one dancer […]
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 […]
Yesterday morning was a strange start to the day. It began with my wife in tears regarding a situation with my daughter which was pretty yucky (although, in the end everything turned out grand). Not ten minutes later I received a call informing my that my father had been rushed to the hospital in his […]
I have spent a bit of time recently talking with many folks about the staff restructuring at the Tennessee Conference Council on Connectional Ministries office, focused in the discontinuation of the positions focused in ministry with youth and children. As has been suggested here earlier, the process for this change seems flawed in many ways, […]
Courtesy of my cousin Ray.
As you know from an earlier post, I found Barack Obama’s speech yesterday to be a helpful addition to the continuing conversation on race in America. Senator Obama named realities that are rarely named by politicians, noting that we have come far but still have a long way to go. Personally, I think it reads […]
Think what you will, but this is a worthwhile video for all folks to watch.
only wonder understands