Dear Thoughtful Pastor: Does God Play Favorites?
For those who preach and believe in predestination, the “God always has a plan” tribe, then yes, God does play favorites. Some get it good. Some don’t. Quit complaining. It’s all part of God’s design....
View ArticleGleanings From Today’s Newspaper: Cricket , Cauliflower and a Cowardly Pope
One of the pleasures of being retired is the gift of time to read the morning newspaper. I get the real ones: done with newsprint that sometimes makes my hands dirty and which must be recycled and with...
View ArticleLet Us Pray: Day One At General Conference: Brokenness And Surrender
Brokenness and surrender. These are the themes of the morning. Very triggering for those who have suffered much at the hands of an autocratic church which has offered few open doors and limited welcome...
View ArticleGC 2019, Day Of Prayer, Prayer Stations And Movement
The delegates have now been given the opportunity to move from prayer station to prayer station to continue in this exercise of world prayer. At first, few seemed to be taking advantage of the...
View ArticleSunday GC2019 Opening Worship: A Passionate Call For Unity
The words of Bishop Carter and his passionate call for unity ring in my mind. May they do so in the minds of these 864 people, whose hard work now awaits them. But I’m worried. Sunday morning: Worship...
View ArticleGC2019: The Craziness Of The Organizational Day
The real craziness of the organizational day is just about to start. I’m going to sign off here and start a fresh post. Forgive me for the typos and run-on sentences. All written quickly. Hope we all...
View ArticleMonday Afternoon At GC2019: The UMC Has Just Died
The delegates have spoken and the UMC has just died: gays are irredeemably bad, evil and unacceptable. I can barely write about this. The delegates have been debating the inclusive One Church Plan, one...
View ArticleIt’s Official: We Are The United Methodist Church That Hates Gays
So, let’s pick up our crosses and do exactly that. Let’s be the church reborn. What we won’t be known as: “The United Methodist Church that hates gays.” The WCA, Good News and the African Methodists...
View ArticleThe Answer To: “Does The UMC Have A Future?”
I grieve that the answer to “Does the UMC have a future” is “NO.” I grieve so deeply that I’ve been unable to write. I’ve spent endless hours in my garden, knowing yet again that there are two things...
View Article“Will Your Church Survive?” Coronavirus Diary, March 18, 2020
Will your church survive? Not in the form it is in now. Some budgets cannot recover, mainly if we stay in recession mode for a while. Unpaid mortgages could easily lead to many buildings going back to...
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