I have been part of the Lewis Community Leadership Fellows this past year and this week we are gathering for another seminar… This time on public health. I feel utterly blessed to be in this community of colleagues at this point in my ministry. To deeply reflect with other pastors is always good. However, it…
Sitting REALLY close #NaBloPoMo
Yesterday morning in worship, I had the opportunity to sit in the pews at the first church I served. While I had a part to play, I also got to sit back and worship with the people. A toddler was next to me and at one point, he leaned in really close, and propped up…
Praying for Peace in Honor of our Veterans
This is my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for lands afar and mine; this is my home, the country where my heart is; here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine: but other hearts in other lands are beating with hopes and dreams as true and high as…
Reproducing in the Church #NaBloPoMo
I was sitting at a conference with some friends and the speaker kept lifting up the decline in membership of the United Methodist Church. One of the reasons cited was United Methodists were having less children than we used to. And the four of us all stole a glance at one another. The speaker was…
Near the Beginning… (NaBloPoMo)
This morning, let’s go back… to nearly the beginning of the story… and do some genealogy. Pastor Todd and I are going to start us off this morning with Matthew chapter 1, verses 1-6… from the Voice translation: 1 This is the family history, the genealogy, of Jesus the Anointed, the coming King. You will see…
The Wheat and the Tares on the Micro-Level (NaBloPoMo)
In September, Bishop Ken Carter visited the Iowa Annual Conference and helped us to have a holy and grace filled conversation about leadership, change, mission, and the elephant in the room: human sexuality and the lives of LGBT persons. One of the pieces I really appreciated is that he was careful to note that the macro…
The Blue Couch #NaBloPoMo
In my sophomore year of college, Brandon asked me to take a road trip with him. We drove to Madison, where his sister was living, to rescue a big blue couch before it went in the dumpster. She called because she thought it was an awesome couch and couldn’t believe her office building was just…
An Examen for Ministry #NaBloPoMo
Too often, we simply don’t stop to ask questions, to examine our lives. We do things without thinking about the consequences or implications. We do it because we always have. We do it because everyone else is. We do it because it seems like the best option in the moment. And we do it in ministry,…