Living into Easter I have a confession to make. Over my years of ministry, I was much busier on the Saturday side of Easter than I was on the days following Easter. The week preceding Resurrection Sunday, beginning with Palm Sunday, was full of activities. Each activity had its own meaning and purpose. Everything from […]
What transformation will you experience this Easter? Over the years, as I prepare for Easter Sunday, I wonder why the women, in Mark’s story of the resurrection, did not say anything to anyone. I know the story is that “they were afraid.” But who else can truly tell the story? They are witnesses to the […]
When do you do it? John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, tells the story of the first time he attended worship in a Christian church. He said he didn’t know what to expect, but what he thought was going to happen did not happen. After attending worship for three Sundays, he became […]
Did you hear the story of the little boy who fell out of bed? When his mother asked him what happened, he answered, “I don’t know. I guess I stayed too close to where I got in.” It is easy to do the same with our faith. It is tempting to stay close to where […]
Words are Powerful Are you familiar with the cartoon B.C.? There are two characters I want to point out: A woman who carries a big stick and a snake. In one cartoon, the woman is beating the snake with her stick. One day, as she is walking up one side of a hill, the snake […]
Over the past several weeks, I have been thinking of who you and I need to be in the midst of the stress and anxiety of our United Methodist Church. I’ve been thinking: Who or what makes us who we need to be for the congregations and communities we serve? What makes any one of […]
Recently, while reading and reflecting upon the lectionary scriptures for the week, I read the very first scripture I remember using in a devotion. I was in junior high school. I had opening devotions for our Sunday School class. I remember reading these words from Psalm 1:1-3: Blessed is the man who walks not in […]
Evangelism is inviting other people into a relationship with Jesus by telling your stories of Jesus. Your stories become the spiritual interactions that assist them in experiencing God’s love, that allows them to journey with Jesus, and to make his story their story. My mother was a storyteller. For much of my life, she was […]
Frederick Beuchner writes, “According to Jesus, by far the most important thing about prayer is to keep at it.” In October, I shared Bishop Palmer’s invitation to pray daily for the Special Session of General Conference to be held February 23-26 in St. Louis. (You can review Bishop Palmer’s invitation in this post.) Today, I am writing […]
As a preacher of the good news of Jesus Christ, what does it mean to start the year with new resolve, new hope, and new vision? If I may be so bold to offer some advice at the beginning of this year. Preach like you know they almost didn’t come. That is what Bill Muehl said […]