Someone stopped me in the hallway today and asked me, “Do you think God wants you to be a bishop?” The question took me by surprise. I have been endorsed by the delegation of my conference (Wisconsin) as a candidate for the Episcopacy. It is both humbling and an honor […]
Television, especially the commercials, makes me sick this time of year. And not just now, but from Halloween on, when marketers nationwide begin the barrage of unrelenting crass consumeristic addiction-baiting, all in the name of Christmas. The cultural values of image, power, prestige, greed, consumption, acquisition, ownership, luxury, glamor, gluttony […]
I have been deeply interested in the plight of Syrian refugees and the impact we are seeing on the whole immigration discussion/debate at all levels of our U.S. culture. For the most part, the general responses have been grounded in fear, suspicion, anxiety and a knee-jerk parochialism. People are worried, […]
Just saw Tomorrowland — the new George Clooney film (not great, but good fun, nonetheless). It triggered in me an odd reaction. I think our Council of Bishops and all the nay-saying, “gotta turn this ship around”, “death tsunami” consultants need to go see this movie and view it as […]
Perhaps the most egregious error many people make is to assume that the way they think is normative. When we operate from the assumption that other people see and make sense of the world the same way we do, we open ourselves to a world of hurt. Each of us […]
I love hearing good news about the church I love, and the best news I have received in years is the return of Vance P. Ross to the leadership of Discipleship Ministries (formerly the GBOD, formerly General Board of Discipleship). Vance is one of the brightest, deepest, truly compassionate, and […]
If God is unity and totality, and all things come from God and all things are under the command and control of God (God the ground of ALL being), then how many sides does God have? An infinite number or one? And if infinite — including all sides with no […]
As Epiphany closes the Christmastide once more, a few incidents stand out in my mind as symbolic of the current state of the church and our faith in the present day: At a hotel where I stayed this week, a manager was giving instruction to her maintenance crew — at […]
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 […]
United Methodeviations 