I had the most enjoyable privilege of participating in a panel discussion on the gospel and the university campus, sponsored by The Living Church Institute. It gave me the opportunity to interact with a group of practitioners who had very
A Better Narrative: Religion Contributes Much Good to the World
The Big Narrative in American (and Western) society is that religious faith is: 1. dangerous (notice in the most recent Boston Bombing tragedy how stories about the bombers revolve tightly and consistently around “radical Islam”). 2. irrelevant (This is a
Tumulti Adventum (or Advent Frustration)
Advent may be one of the most difficult of church seasons to observe. Every year we feel various pressures to skip it and go straight to Christmas. People love singing Christmas carols, but the Advent hymns? Not so much. It
Saying “Yes” to the Appointment Process
(This blog is an updated post from 3 years ago [2/27/2010], as I reflected then about the significance of the time of year for United Methodist clergy going through appointment changes. Appointment time in United Methodism is always a little
In a Sea of Gray Hair
These days I am near-obsessed by two constants: (1) in church gatherings, young people make up the tiniest sliver of the whole group. I get invited a fair amount to preach here and there and the experience is always the