155. If One Member Suffers.
Update: For more information on how you can help the relief efforts in Haiti, visit umc.org/haiti and www.umcorhaiti.org. On Tuesday evening, I was giving a presentation to a gathering of clergy from...
View ArticleAmelia Thrift Stores mission keeps growing
We received an update from Mike Davis, pastor of two churches that have engaged in Risk-Taking Mission in Amelia County, Va.Last year weposted a story that originally appeared in the Virginia United...
View Article156. Creating Openings for God
Can it be Lent already As a pastor, I was keenly aware of the movement of the church yearmdash;Advent, Lent, Pentecost, etc. Our church planned for special emphases, sermon series, retreats,...
View Article157. Training Inwardly
Irsquo;ve never considered myself much of an athlete, but I try to keep fit. Irsquo;ve been a long-time runner, walker, and marathoner, and still log more than 1000 miles each year. Two years ago I...
View Article158. Sunday Mornings
I recently offered condolences to a friend following her fatherrsquo;s death. Her father had served as a pastor for many years. With gratitude to God she said, ldquo;My father loved Sunday mornings. He...
View ArticleFree download: "5" button designs from First UMC Richardson
When First United Methodist Church of Richardson, Texas, launched their Five Practices initiative, they had ushers, greeters and staff wear a variety of buttons to highlight the practices--...
View Article159. Paying Caesar and Giving to God
quot;Enter the figure from line 23 on line 28, unless it is larger than line 22, and then divide by whichever is the smallest number from lines 17a or 17b, and place the resulting figure on line...
View Article160. Life
ldquo;I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.rdquo; (John 10:10) Irsquo;ve often considered this one of Jesusrsquo; most important teachings, and Irsquo;ve spent years trying to...
View Article161. Reflections on Easter Services
Palm Sunday I enjoyed the privilege of preaching to a full house at Shiloh UMC. It was a beautiful day, bright and sunny, and the warm receptivity and great singing deepened my anticipation of Holy...
View Article162. Whatcha Reading
As a Bishop, I often feel that nearly every element of my life is mapped out. Sometimes my calendar fills with appointments, engagements, presentations, and travel for months and years in advance. Even...
View Article163. The Stack of Blogs
Irsquo;ve taken an unintentional sabbatical from the blog writing, and I apologize for that. My new book, Five Practices of Fruitful Living, has just been released and is now available from Cokesbury...
View Article164. Conferring Together
John Wesleyrsquo;s Journal describes the first Conference of Methodists this way: ldquo;In June, 1744, I desired my brother and a few other clergymen to meet me in London, to consider how we should...
View Article165. Transforming Existing Congregations
Early last year I was asked to write a chapter for a book, The Future of the United Methodist Churchmdash;Seven Vision Pathways, to emphasize the importance of Transforming Existing Congregations. I...
View Article166. Five Practices of Fruitful Living
Irsquo;m pleased to announce that Abingdon Press has released my newest book, Five Practices of Fruitful Living. It is available now from Cokesbury at a wonderfully reduced price as well as from Amazon...
View Article167. Reflecting on Gods Call
Our theme for the Missouri Annual Conference a couple weeks ago was Growing Deeper: Deepening the Spiritual Life for Leadership in the Church. Because the call to ministry represents a spiritual...
View Article168. It Takes What It Takes
I recently listened to a podcast interview with a Catholic priest whose ministry focuses on young people involved in urban gangs. Many of the tools he uses derive from the recovery movement, including...
View Article169. Growing Deeper
Methodism began as a way of life rather than as a denominational system. John Wesleyrsquo;s passion was leading people to follow Jesus, and his genius was developing patterns and support systems to...
View Article170. Fishing
Irsquo;m writing this during a two-week study leave along the South Texas coast. This is where Irsquo;ve come the last few years for brief periods to work on my books. Each day I spend several hours...
View Article171. Changing Lives or Changing Affiliations
Recently I heard Gil Rendle say, ldquo;I was not trained to change peoplersquo;s lives, but to change their membership affiliations.rdquo; With these words, Gil, who serves as a church leadership...
View ArticleVideo - Five Practices of Fruitful Living
Here is a trailer for the newly-released Five Practices of Fruitful Living. Enjoy! You can order a copy of the book here.
View ArticleIce Cream Social draws people in
For twelve years now we have been offering a free Ice Cream Social to the near community. For the first ten years we held it at a street near the church--hauled everything there, located electricity,...
View Article172. The Essentials
I remember asking a group of clergy a question adapted from a Stephen Covey book from years ago:ldquo;What is the one activity that you know if you did superbly well and consistently would have the...
View ArticleRandom acts of kindness exist up in the air
Recently, I took a trip to Atlanta, Georgia for the celebration of a 50th Birth Day Party of a friends daughter. The family paid for my plane ticket. My friend told me a few weeks earlier that her...
View Article173. Come and See
Whatrsquo;s the primary portal by which people enter into the life of a congregation, and thereby take their first steps toward life in Christ I heard a consultant describe how the answer to this...
View Article174. Sweepers
Remember the sport of curling from the Winter Olympics Curling is the game from northern climates in which players slide polished granite stones with handles across a sheet of ice toward a target area....
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