Browse Blog Post
7/6/2010
169. Growing Deeper
Methodism began as a way of life rather than as a denominational system. John Wesley’s passion was leading people to follow Jesus, and his genius was developing patterns and support systems to help people walk with Christ. Wesley believed we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our own spiritual
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6/14/2010
167. Reflecting on God’s 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 milestone of extraordinary significance for pastors and provides one of the most unifying and motivating
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5/27/2010
164. Conferring Together
John Wesley’s Journal describes the first Conference of Methodists this way:
“In June, 1744, I desired my brother and a few other clergymen to meet me in London, to consider how we should proceed to save our own souls and those that heard us. After some time, I invited lay preachers tha
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1/19/2010
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 the Missouri Conference when a pastor reported a major earthquake in Haiti and asked for our prayer
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11/12/2009
146. Haiku
Some months ago I was present for a worship service during which the pastor opened with a lengthy list of announcements. The time given this task seemed disproportionately generous and distracting from the tone of the service. Later, as the pastor spoke to the children, he seemed to get lost in his
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10/19/2009
144. Work Without Boundaries
I noticed a beautifully designed sign at the entrance to a store in the mall that said, “Work Without Boundaries!” The shop sold electronics—smart phones, personal planners, pagers, wireless devices, and an array of gadgets, communications tools, and new inventions that help custom
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9/15/2009
139. Called Accidentally
I’ve come to love all the bells and whistles on my iPhone. I download tons of weekly podcasts which I listen to as I drive and walk. I receive up-to-date news and weather reports. And I have an entire field guide of birds downloaded onto my phone that comes complete with photos, descriptions,
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9/3/2009
138. What’s in a Word?
Since high school I’ve had an active curiosity about words, idioms, writing, and language, and how our perception of reality is limited or enlarged by the words available to us.
Recently I heard a linguistic philosopher speak on these topics, offering several interesting stories. For instance
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7/20/2009
135. Cinco Prácticas—The Spanish Edition
I’m delighted to announce the release this week by Abingdon Press of the new Spanish edition of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, entitled Cinco Prácticas de Congregaciones Fructíferas.
The road toward the Spanish translation began two years ago with requests from pastor
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7/6/2009
133. Logjams
I regularly run along a bike trail that has a number of small bridges stretched across creeks and small streams. These former railway structures were built with thick steel girders that rise high above the creek beds. I often pause in the middle of a bridge to look down for fish, snakes, or turtles,
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6/2/2009
129. First Appointments and Safe Landings
During the last couple of weeks, our family has celebrated various milestones, such as the graduation of our youngest son from high school on the same night as my mother’s 64th high school class reunion. This week also marks the 25th anniversary of my first appointment after graduating from se
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5/18/2009
128. The Five Practices and the Four Areas of Focus
A colleague asked me how the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations relate to the Four Areas of Focus that United Methodist leaders have agreed upon to guide our denomination during the years to come. Thousands of congregations and many dozens of districts and conferences have emphasized the
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4/20/2009
124. As the Way Opens
One of our District Superintendents led a devotional with the Cabinet by recalling a period in his life when he enjoyed a significant engagement with Quakers, the Society of Friends. He shared questions that Friends reflect upon as part of their covenant with each other and with God. The q
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4/13/2009
123. Translation
The other day I found myself in the unexpected situation of serving as a translator in a coffee shop. The woman ahead of me in line spoke with a thick British accent, and since she was carrying her passport with her wallet, I assume she was a visitor with us. She asked a question at the counter
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2/10/2009
114. In the Midst of Winter
Last week, a huge ice storm hit the southern half of our state with devastating effect. For the last couple days I’ve been reading emails from pastors and relief workers about households without electricity, the closing of schools and churches, the irreplaceable loss of ancient trees, the
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2/4/2009
112. Somewhere Out There
Somewhere out there is a five-year-old boy who doesn’t know that right now plans are being made by a passionate group of Christian leaders from a church he’s never heard of to offer a neighborhood Vacation Bible School that will change the direction of his life. The songs he will sing wi
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1/26/2009
110. Missouri’s Largest Congregation
Yesterday I preached to the largest congregating of United Methodists in Missouri, a gathering of more than 2,100 persons at a single worship service. Any idea where I was? Manchester UMC? La Croix? St. James? Lee’s Summit?
Actually, I participated in the culminat
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1/12/2009
106. Connections
I’ve heard about the Congress on Evangelism for years, but last week was the first time I ever attended. I was invited to speak on the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, and later on Risk-Taking Mission and Service. In fact, the Five Practices provided the umbrella theme for the e
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