Thanks for awesome response to our new series, Becoming Love. Last week, we looked at relationships myths. If you missed it, listen here. This week, we are looking at a significant topic: when people let you down. How do you respond when people let you down? Depending on the situation, I have: Pretended it didn’t …
This Sunday, we begin a great new series: Becoming Love. For love is truly who are called to become. Have you ever imagined a life without love? What about a family without love? Or what about a church without love? Love is certainly the central piece in all our relationships. How could we exist without …
When I was a child I began gardening. This was pre-Home Depot days, all we had were small local nurseries and so my Mom, who also loved to garden, took me. I picked out plants to grow and friends of my parents gave me plants for my collection. I displayed everything on an old ladder …
So, I am a planner. In fact, every day when I meditate I notice the thoughts that most often interrupt my solitude are plans I am making. My practice is to bow to them (instead of fighting or resisting them) and say, “planning”. It’s an acknowledgement. During meditation others may struggle with “feelings”, “pain” or …
Small groups where people develop their faith have been the bedrock of Methodism. We began not as churches but as a movement of small groups. Today less than half of our churches have small groups. Why? One reason is that we are too busy in committee meetings. I experienced this recently when I was told that …
Read more “Fall Reflection Pt 1 – Small Groups from Church of the Resurrection Downtown”
My Mother wanted me to be a professional photographer. She thought I had a good eye for photography and she loved how passionate I was about it. I took classes starting when I was 16 and spent long hours in the darkroom trying things out. I like to think that some of what my Mom …
I didn’t grow up in the United Methodist Church (UMC). But when I was in college I fell in love with the UMC and I especially fell in love with what they called Connectionalism. Connectionalism (or Connexionalism) is a funny word. In the UMC we use it to talk about the relationships churches and pastors …
Read more “Six Core Competencies of Pastors 04: Connectionalism”
If I could change one thing about pastors and church folk it would be that they would give each other the best possible interpretation of every action. For example… You forgot to return my email? You were busy, not negligent. You didn’t talk to me at coffee hour? You were dealing with an emergency not …
Read more “Six Core Competencies of Pastors 03: Communication”
I am a high-energy person who thrives on new ideas so the Core Competency of Focus was a challenge for me. But a couple of things happened that got me thinking… Leading house churches gave me a new perspective on what mattered in growing faith. Working in New Ministries showed me many declining churches being …
Read more “The Six Core Competency of Pastors: Focus (Part 02)”