I’m attending the School of Congregational Development this week in Evanston, Illinois, and in just the first few hours I am struck by a radical disconnect in our church. There is such energy and passion here. There is a deep vision for transformation of individual lives, congregations, communities and the […]
What I said: “No matter how well we are doing, we can always do better. There is virtually nothing we do that cannot be improved.” What people heard: “No matter what we do, it’s never good enough.” “Our best efforts are doomed to fail.” “We’re obviously doing it wrong.” “We’re […]
In strategic planning work with both conferences and congregations it is common practice to focus first on “who we are, why we’re here, and what we need to do” before moving on to “how.” Getting to “how” to do things is the bane of successful planning — too often we […]
A couple weeks ago I posted a blog called Cranky Christians, so this, I guess could be considered a companion piece. Whereas cranky Christians are those who gripe and moan about every little thing, throwing tantrums to get their own way, and acting out in a wide variety of unpleasant […]
There is a great deal of discussion these days about what makes United Methodists “Methodist.” What I find more challenging is what makes us “United” Methodists. The fractures to our connection are deeply painful to me. There is no real freedom to disagree in love. People talk about one another […]
I read with some amusement the article in USA Today about “de-baptism” yesterday, and it raised for me the same question such stories always do: “What are atheists so afraid of?” In the past year, disgruntled and former believers have gathered in Ohio, Texas, Florida, and Georgia have gathered before […]
I caught the tale end of the discussion of a number of “Christian leaders” (that I couldn’t identify) on a television talk show on the topic of “holy hatred.” I learned that: hatred is a critical aspect of love it is not wrong for Christians to hate — in fact, to […]
Some people shouldn’t be allowed to own and display bumper stickers. Going home from the office, a little Honda swerved around me, causing me to slam on my breaks and almost hit another car in a turn lane. The driver popped his arm out the window and gave me a […]
In the scientific worlds of physics and astronomy an enormous effort is underway to discover a unifying force or principle that underlies all of creation. Scientists are pursuing nothing short of a theory of everything, or T.O.E. Since Einstein transformed our understanding of the known world, the universe, and […]
Just how stupid are we? This question leaps to mind almost every day, and it assaults my sensibilities. People in these United States love comfort, security, the familiar and known, and the vast majority of us simply want to live each day without fear. Why, then, do we do such […]
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