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8/31/2010
173. Come and See
What’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 question has changed over the years. From the 1910’s to 1950’s, Sunday School was
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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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2/15/2010
156. Creating Openings for God
Can it be Lent already? As a pastor, I was keenly aware of the movement of the church year—Advent, Lent, Pentecost, etc. Our church planned for special emphases, sermon series, retreats, church-wide studies and readings.
As a bishop, I sometimes find myself surprised to realize that a key spi
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11/4/2009
145. I Didn’t Recognize It at the Time
As a birder, I keep “a life list,” a chronological listing of all the species I’ve seen and identified since I first began birding with intentionality. Since starting the list in 2004, I have seen 457 different species of North American birds.
The first 100 birds I added to the li
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10/6/2009
142. Recharge
I’ve learned to identify the power-hungry among us. I don’t mean the ambitious political self-seekers or self-serving control freaks. I’m talking about those people who meander through coffee shops, restaurants, hotel lobbies, and airport waiting areas looking under tables and behi
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9/29/2009
141. The Combination
When I arrived at the church to which I had been newly appointed, I found a stack of papers, notes and suggestions left for me by the previous pastor. He included the numbers to the combination for the old-fashioned heavy steel safe that protected the church records, checks, and petty cash. I carefu
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6/30/2009
132. Summer Reading
A few friends recently asked about my summer reading plans, and so I decided to write a blog entry that covers my lists for “recently read,” “currently reading,” “stacked and waiting to be read,” and “hope to read sometime.” I’m an avid, but ecle
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5/11/2009
127. What’s Your Letter Say?
A colleague from another conference told me about a District Superintendent who has focused his teaching and leading on the Five Practices as he has conducted charge conferences, district training events, and pastoral evaluations. To sharpen the self-reflection of congregational leaders, the Superin
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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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12/1/2008
97. Staying Awake: The Practice of Spiritual Attentiveness
This past Sunday, I enjoyed the rare experience of attending worship with my family. Usually on Sundays, I’m on the road somewhere in Missouri, preaching or teaching. Some Sundays find me at hotel conference centers, speaking to large groups; and others find me at airports or on the
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11/17/2008
96. Recklessness of Faith
While attending a training event for bishops a few weeks ago, I heard someone quote William Sloane Coffin saying, “I love the recklessness of faith. First, you leap. Then you grow wings.”
At first hearing, this evokes a smile. Upon deeper reflection, I’m touched by
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10/2/2008
90. "How Can I Help?" means, "How Can I Fit In?"
Last week I was a presenter at the Leadership Nexus event in Shreveport, along with Rev. Tyrone Gordon of St. Luke’s Community UMC, David Wetzler from Natural Church Development, Bob Whitesel, Brian Bauknight, Jessica Moffatt-Saey, and several others. At these kinds of learnin
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6/26/2008
68. Focus on the Five
This week I’ve finished reviewing the final proofs of all the new resources supporting the Five Practices that will be available through Cokesbury on August 1. This has been prepared in response to the overwhelming requests that Cokesbury (and I) have received for more helpful resources
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1/22/2008
33. Five Practices as a Lenten Book Study
Several pastors and laypersons have recently told me about their plans to focus on the Five Practices as a Lenten series or study. Some have asked if there are any special resources for this. In short, I’m not aware of anything focused on the Five Practices that is particularly written or
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11/16/2007
16. Ten Provocative Questions
Dr. Lovett Weems of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership (and a member of our Missouri Conference!) presented some observations about the State of the Church to the Council of Bishops, and again to the meeting of Extended Cabinets at Lake Junaluska last week. He entitled his talk, “Ten Provo
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11/15/2007
15. Practices, Acts, and Doings
While surfing the web, I came across some reflections about the Five Practices on a blog called “Come to the Waters” by a United Methodist layman, John Meunier. I don’t know John, but I found his thoughts helpful. He describes how the emphasis on practices “puts the focus on things to do, not t
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