Recently, we have wrestled in various states surrounding Iowa, and now in our own state with the rights of workers. I watched the situation unfolding in Wisconsin over the last month and was appalled at how it has all turned out. The United Methodist Church has had a long history of supporting labor reforms and…
Wheat & Tares
the church in the world: mission, justice, good news
Bible and Newspaper #1
Coming home from a recent conference in Washington, D.C., I’m trying to be more courageous. But I’m also faced with the reality that being a pastor, and ministering to a diverse group of folks… I can’t always link and share and say everything that I want to… So, here is what I am going to…
the disarming power of a story
Social Justice. General Board of Church and Society. Social Principles. In some circles… those are swear words. To take a stand, to say that the Bible speaks to our world today, to speak truth to power is DANGEROUS. But it is also what we are called to do. I found out about the GBCS Young…
a few bytes of inspiration
I took copious notes at the recent GBCS forum I attended in Washington, D.C. And then I came home and had hoped to decipher and debrief, but ran smack into four funerals and piles of mail and pastoral visitation needs, and a husband who missed me, and family gatherings… you get the picture. But remember,…
my afternoon as a “telemarketer”
As our church is working on discerning their vision and mission, we have felt led to get some input from the community. We want to know what others think about the needs in our midst, what they feel about the church’s role in our community, and what they might like to offer to help meet…
conflict is a reality
I have now been a part of my church community for three whole years. It is amazing how fast time has gone by and how much we have accomplished with one another. As I reflect upon my time in ministry, I feel very blessed. We have been a family. We have worked together. We worship…
the limitations of congregations
The following is something that Taylor Burton-Edwards presented at our School For Ministry here in Iowa this spring, and I was reminded of it again through a series of posts about how we nurture disciples and can we do it in the church. What really strikes me is that we use the same words to describe a…
Prayers for Glenn Beck
An email came across my desk today from Sojourners, encouraging us to email Glenn Beck and to support him with prayers: Glenn Beck has received a lot of attention for his inflammatory rhetoric lately. Recently, he shared a personal story about his daughter who has cerebral palsy, which gets to the heart of his fears…