Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the...

"Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people."  This passage in Luke ushers in the Advent story in the Gospels.  An angel appears and tells a group of shepherds that something wonderful and joyous is going to happen.  Can you i...

       Unfortunately, this week's tragic evil in Charlottesville is not surprising, nor has the outpouring of anger, grief and despair that has followed.  I have seen pockets of hope, as this time around, in this moment, more people from both sides of the political and...

Our Methods ==> Our Mission

"Methodist", the word that defines our denomination, could have become one of a number of names in our early history.  Charles Wesley and his brother John (the founder of our denomination) met regularly and passionately with a group that even...

         There are times when a phrase gets co-opted by political groups and the use of that phrase becomes a partisan issue any time it is uttered.    I can't think of a situation more true than when people use the phrase "social justice".  How have we...

Two years ago, as I stepped forward into local pastoral ministry for the first time, I wrote an article about the role of a pastor and the role of the laity in churches working together.  At the time, I was making the transition from being a lay person to becoming a pa...

 Every church I've ever been a part of wishes for the exact same thing.  They want to grow.  I'm fairly certain that no matter who you ask, whether from a congregation of 15 or 15,000; on a list of top desires, church growth is a high priority.  We have a sense of evan...