I am the lead pastor at People's United Methodist Church in the Wisconsin Conference of The United Methodist Church, husband of my beautiful wife, Barbara, dad to my fantastic son, Josh and his wife Caroline, step-dad to my phenomenal son, Greg, his wife Hannah and our fabulous/glorious/perfect granddaughter Evie, author of seventeed books on spirituality, stewardship, congregational development, research, and spiritual gifts discovery, and an advocate for a more loving, inclusive church for the 21st century and beyond.
I wonder which Jesus we are hoping for this year? Your initial reaction may be, “hold on, there’s just one Jesus!” to which I would reply “you haven’t been paying attention.” Even in scripture we have no fewer than four accounts (canonical) as well as dozens (non-canonical) that offer us […]
In every town, in every time, there are those rare individuals who become part of the “local color.” If they are wealthy, they are labeled eccentric. If they are poor, they are simply “crazy.” Outsiders see these people and marvel. Townies hardly notice them – they become part of the […]
For some, this post will make perfect sense. To many others, it will border on sacrilege. No offense is meant, but I offer a personal analogy for the spirit of anticipation that should be connected to Advent, but is often missing. We are left with a sweet, clean, happy story […]
Apparently I am a Christmas nerd. I stopped for coffee at my favorite spot (Beans ‘n Cream in Sun Prairie) and some of the regulars were engaged in a spirited discussion about the Christmas holiday season. Eavesdropping without looking obvious, I found it fascinating that almost no one (there were […]
Advent rolls round once more, and the Christmas season (which marketers think started sometime around Halloween) takes center stage. Carols and decorations, candy and cookies, presents and get togethers all take on the festive holiday cheer. And, if we’re lucky, glimpses of Jesus might still emerge from time to time. […]
It has been interesting entering the conversation about the future of our denomination and our interest, inclination and ability to stay at the table to work things out. While I feel strongly that we are better together than apart, I acknowledge that others feel strongly that enough is enough, it […]
One of the things I love about the church is that you never know what kind of impact you’re going to make on the lives of those around you. At a very simple level, the church offers an opportunity to do good and, at the very least, do no harm. […]
I always feel that I am serving some purpose when I blog and it turns out that I tick off everyone. By “weighing in” on all the talk of splitting the church (officially) I have “taken sides.” However, which side is a bit confusing and hard to determine. Consider these […]
While this is a response to a comment left on my “Weighing In” post, I want to reflect more broadly and not make this a purely personal explanation. That said, I need to go point by point here. This comment illustrates so much of what I find indefensible in the […]
For the past month I have been working on a couple other projects and have been listening to other conversations. However, dozens of people have been emailing about my “position” on the current schism debate. I thought I would take this opportunity to weigh in. Let me be clear upfront: […]
