Systemic — pertaining to or affecting a whole system Ambivalence — holding two competing values in equal regard If the unexamined life is not worth living, then perhaps the unexamined institution is not worth having. And we try desperately hard not to look too closely at the institution we serve […]
At a recent event, I made the statement that today’s United Methodist Church exists because our predecessor denominations held three critically important functions in common: missional service, evangelism and social justice. In other words, we hold core values of caring for others, inviting all people into a life-changing, life-fulfilling relationship […]
From the Gospel According to Bob 12:21-34 “Then, they went aside to a quiet place, and in the shade of a sycamore tree they rested. Jesus spied a wall covered in vines, heavily weighted down by wild grapes. Taking one, he placed it in his mouth, and an ecstasy came […]
Though I am not overly superstitious, I DO try to pay attention to unusual coincidences. Over the last three days, I have been led, in one way or another, to look up four passages of scripture: Ephesians 6:18-20, I Corinthians 4:1-2, Ephesians 1:7-10, and 1 Timothy 3:16. Each of these […]
As I was reeling in the wake of the news from South Carolina yesterday, this came into my in box. It is a reminder that violence takes many forms, and that the intent behind our acts have consequences. Major acts get media attention, but minor acts impact our lives in […]
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 […]
On a more frequent basis than I am comfortable with, I seem to be missing some pages of the script for simple human interaction. Two things happened today, and it is not yet ten in the morning… I was sitting at my favorite coffee shop in one of two comfortable […]
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 […]
Well, it took me over two hours and frequent stops to do it, but I made my five miles in spite of the deep tissue trauma in my lower back! I also had to walk closer to home, not knowing how well I would hold up, but I fulfilled my […]
I have never done this before, and promise not to do it often, but I will be walking this Saturday — World Malaria Day — to raise funds for Imagine No Malaria. The United Methodist Church made a commitment to work with other groups (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the […]
