Quantcast
Channel: Uncategorized – The Thoughtful Pastor
Browsing latest articles
Browse All 68 View Live

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 Article


Gleanings 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 Article


Let 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 Article

GC 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 Article

Sunday 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 Article


GC2019: 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 Article

Monday 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 Article

It’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 Article


The 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...

View Article
Browsing latest articles
Browse All 68 View Live