Shaking Hands (While We Still Can) #UMC

Sometimes you just need to shake hands and go your separate ways while you can still shake hands…

A Pastoral Statement

Pastoral Statement: I have been loving God, loving people and watching God work mightily at Christ Church for twenty-two years. That some may want those years of work suddenly defined by a “tweet” on the recent St. Louis General Conference is absurd. If you would like to know where I stand, I invite you to

Why People Leave a Church

In the early days of my ministry, not many people left our church.  I was in a rural area, there wasn’t much competition and people were loyal to the institutions of their community.  They would no more leave our church than they would send their children to another high school, stop doing business at our

United Methodist Mania (And what we can do about it)

Were I to assign one word to American culture circa 2018, it would be manic.  Manic derives from a Greek word meaning “inclined to madness.”  The adjective refers to “characterizing, denoting or afflicted by mania.”  The noun is a person afflicted with mania and synonyms include “anxious, hysterical, worried, demonic, unhinged, unbalanced and feverish.”  I

Supporting Leaders (And Leading Supporters)

Can’t sleep tonight.  It happens.  Not very much but it happens. Praying for Christian leaders. My heart is heavy. Leadership circa 2020 is SO difficult. Pandemic. Churches closed. Cultural upheaval. Election cycle. Throw the devil (yes, I believe in such stuff) into the mix and the task can seem overwhelming. I know some great leaders

United Methodists Still Have Time (but the clock is ticking)

I am a United Methodist and proud of it!  This church has given me a context in which to live out my calling as an Ordained Elder and I am most grateful.  Our historical roots are excellent.  Our General Rules are golden.  I have been graced to stay in one place and see my local

Choosing Peace

Choosing Peace That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great

Musings on MLK Day 2020

  Musings on MLK Day 2020 “And now abide these three; faith, hope and love.  And the greatest of these is love.”  -I Corinthians 13 When my daughter Lydia was in high school we didn’t really talk much.  We spent time together but we didn’t really talk.  In fact, I used to joke that the

Why Unity Won’t be Reached Through Compromise

Why Unity Won’t be Reached Through Compromise Let’s begin our journey with a theological term: Christology.  Christology is what we believe to be true about Jesus’ nature and purpose and where we believe reliable testimony to that purpose and nature resides.  I must confess that I don’t have all the answers but I do know