We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous One of the interesting things about the 12 steps is the recognition that recognizing our powerlessness and insanity and believing that God has the power to transform us doesn’t […]
We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. –12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous– I left us with a question in the last post: do we REALLY believe in a God who has the power to transform the church? To quote Bishop Vashti McKenzie, “…if so, why don’t we […]
We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. –12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous– So far, the 12 steps have asked us to admit that we are powerless to effect change and manage our churches and denominations. But the 12 step model goes even further, suggesting that our problems […]
One of the things that we church people have done these days is to revere the culture of competence. We have taken the call to be a community of broken individuals working toward wholeness and transformed it into a product to the sold to the highest bidder; a commodity to appeal to the masses. This […]
We admitted we were powerless…that our lives had become unmanageable. –12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous I don’t know about you, but as the pastor of a traditional, historic, aging, church that has been in numeric decline for some years now, it’s time for me to come to terms with the powerlessness I feel in regards […]
About a year and a half ago, a new member to our church community came with a request. He shared that he and his wife were recovering alcoholics, and that they were dedicated adherents to the AA 12 Step Movement, attending meetings almost every night. He noted that there were no meetings in our immediate […]
Prayed at the May 27, 2013 Old Hickory Memoial Day Observance God of us all, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, we gather this morning as a community, friends, neighbors, citizens together of your world and our nation. We gather to remember in a special way those who have sacrificed their lives in war. We lift up […]
Over the past couple of days I’ve read a couple of articles by friends regarding the decision of the active (currently serving) United Methodist bishops to have a closed meeting (which they call a forum). Generally the responses have been negative toward the bishop’s decision, suggesting that the lack of transparency further erodes trust in […]
A song in progress…. I am haunted by the waters flowing from the start of time. The streaming fountain of forgiveness and the claim of love sublime. So I step into the waters and immerse myself in you, and you send to me your Spirit filling me with love and truth Chorus: Make your way […]
I awoke this morning to discover that Pope Benedict XVI has announced his intention to resign, effective February 28. As a United Methodist and non-Roman Catholic, I don’t have a dog in this hunt and as such probably have little authority for commenting on the resignation of a pope, but as I was reading the […]
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Going Deep
In this morning’s rant on the media, in an attempt to suggest that more folks are are interested in substantive news than might be thought by the media, I shared an anecdote about teaching I received in seminary which suggested that deep study of scripture and tradition wouldn’t fly in the local church, and my […]
I’ve been spending this week taking care of my sickly mom and her sister who underwent surgery at the beginning of the week. Generally it’s a low demand task – getting a few meals together, making sure that they get their meds on time, and keeping the dishes washed. However, what it does open my […]
I’ve been spending this week taking care of my sickly mom and her sister who underwent surgery at the beginning of the week. Generally it’s a low demand task – getting a few meals together, making sure that they get their meds on time, and keeping the dishes washed. However, what it does open my […]
As I’ve been reading Phyllis Tickle’s new book Emergence Christianity: What It Is, Where It Is Going, and Why It Matters in preparation for the conference of the same name in Memphis which begins tomorrow, I’ve been reflecting on the past 10+ years of involvement on the periphery of the emerging church movement (if that […]
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Emergent 10 Years After
In February of 2003 I and a couple of friends jumped on a plane headed west and ended up in San Diego for the first ever Emergent Convention. Back in the day (so to speak) the Emergent Village folks – Brian, Tony, Doug, Chris, Holly, Mark, Rudy, Tim, and others – were in a relationship […]
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Well good luck to ya…
Today we learned that Cokesbury (I guess in their desire to meet the adaptive challenge that Neal Alexander talks about on a regular basis) will be closing down all their brick and mortar stores choosing instead to place their future in on-line sales. I confess that I received the news with a bit of a […]
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Well good luck to ya…
Today we learned that Cokesbury (I guess in their desire to meet the adaptive challenge that Neal Alexander talks about on a regular basis) will be closing down all their brick and mortar stores choosing instead to place their future in on-line sales. I confess that I received the news with a bit of a […]
A week or so ago I was asked by a colleague in ministry who is in a new appointment to come talk to his finance committee. He was new in ministry and his church had just reconstituted a functioning finance committee and languishing for several years. They were looking for training on what they […]
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Requiem Revisited
It’s been almost a year since I wrote this in memory of Jack Jagoditsch, my Young Life leader in high school and a mentor in faith. In honor of his birthday today, you might want to check it out. Requiem for a Mentor
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It’s All About Relationships
Several years ago I was visiting a friend of mine’s church when I noticed signs posted on almost every surface in the church proclaiming that congregation’s “theme” for the year. “Christ Church – It’s all about relationships!” the signs said. I confess that my initial response to this theme was less than positive at the […]
only wonder understands 