A Few Thoughts...

When I think of hope, I think of wishful thoughts and things that are improbable.   I think of kids hoping for that Christmas gift their parents  can't  afford.   I think of hope as something like a sports team accomplishing an upset in one of the bowl games.   T he winning team had hope.   They believed what others did not and hoped in a way that defied logic or reasonable expectation.   But, Christmas hope is different.    The biblical message of hope is hope in One who made promises about what would become.   To hope in the Christmas narrative, is to trust the One who made the promises.   Matthew opens with the hopeful expectation of forty-two generations.   The people of God had awaited God’s promise of a messiah.   The hope of Christmas in Matthew is closer to the modern word trust than the modern word hope.   Matthew’s hope/trust was that the one long awaited would be revealed and that God’s love would be fully ...

For people who are unfamiliar with the Bible, studying Holy Scripture can seem an intimidating experience.   There are so many things about the people, places, and situations described in the Bible that it can seem as though one has to be an expert in biblical studies to be able to grow through Bible study.   This is not so.   Let me encourage you in your study of Holy Scripture.  If you seek to learn about God through the study of scripture, God will meet you in that endeavor.  No matter how brilliant or simple you consider yourself, studying the word of God will vitally shape your daily walk in faith.  The word of God is accessible to you, at any level of reading comprehension, historical understanding, etc..  Because, when we read Holy Scripture, we do not read it alone.  As Christians, when we read the Bible we ask God to allow the Holy Spirit to inspire our reading so that the words from the text become real in our current lives and life situ...

Well… this week was a whirlwind of Christmas parties, but I did maintain my calorie counting on all days except Saturday and Sunday.  Even though I did not track those days, I did make progress toward my goal.  Currently, I weigh 284.5.  I have lost 6 pounds in two weeks.  Lose It now shows 226 days until my goal. Is anyone else besides Laura joining me on this journey?  Thanks!

The last two weeks, I have been  blessed to lead our Senior High Sunday School class.  I can only hope that my own children grow into such a fine group of young people.  I felt truly blessed to get to share the last couple of Sunday mornings with them.  One of the things that surprised me was that they were so eager to open their Bibles and read and engage the text.  I remember myself as being more difficult to teach.  In full disclosure, I am not a particularly gifted teacher, but not the worse - but, I don’t think I was doing anything special, per se….  instead, just reading the text aloud and inviting conversation about where it meets our lives.  This approach seemed to allow these young adults to find meaning and power in the text.  So, here are three reflections and a crazy thought from the experience… First, the questions of these young adults were amazing and unencumbered by the complex qualifications or selfish, self-interest I find i...

According to my Lose it! apps this morning, I have 238 days remaining on my journey from 290 to 220.   Just to update you and remain accountable by staying public, I lost 2.5 pounds this last week.   A healthy amount, albeit not as quick as I’d like.   During my journey this week, I could not help but reflect on all of the hunger in our world, as I tried to limit my own intake.   There is something interesting about disciplining our impulses that opens our hearts toward the needs of others.   I will continue to explore, pray, and reflect on these thoughts as the journey continues.   Thank you for helping me stay accountable.

In my last few years of ministry, I have noticed a trend that many churches are adopting in North America.   Many United Methodist Churches and pastors have chosen to take one or several Sundays of the year and not gather for worship.   Instead, they gather and do a service project or some sort of community event during that time.   Although I also seek a strong connection between worship and service.   I lovingly disagree with this pastoral choice.   Let me explain. Before I begin, the purpose of this post is not to disparage any other pastor or congregation’s prayerful reflection and choice.  I respect and admire greatly many of the pastors that have led congregations in these type of events.  So, I want to be clear that I trust and have faith that God is at work in their ministry in powerful ways.  They don’t need some blogger adding to the list of people trying to tell them what they should do and how they should do it.  So, this post is ...

Lately, I have been wondering about the importance of accountability in daily life.   It was a central concept to many of the Christian movements during various times and a central theme in the Methodist movement.   But, accountability is not often part of church life any more. I think I understand why.  Regrettably, my first thoughts of the word accountability are not positive.  I remember a yelling football coach in my face screaming about accountability.  I hear an older person with a mean spirit and a hard look on their face saying, “Well in my day …insert-item-that-they-are-upset-about-here.., I was accountable.”  To make matters worse, the term personal accountability carries with it a political baggage that it picked up during the late 20th century culture wars.  The word has a history. But, as I reach 290 pounds and feel very overweight.  I can’t help wonder if personal accountability is what is missing in my goal setting.  I have mad...