Blogs
'The Way We Should Go'
I Was Thinking… My friend and retired CEO of Primerica, John Addison is a big believer in ‘Focusing on Your Strengths’. He writes, “There’s a passage in the Bible that says, “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) But exactly what is that “way they should go”? A lot of parents interpret this passage to mean that you should raise your kids in a strict way, following the path you set for them, being well-behaved, doing ...
“Thankful for Shoulders”
“Thankful for Shoulders” I was Thinking… This time of year reminds me of excitement. Thanksgiving was a time for a journey to my maternal grandmothers in Cedar Grove, Georgia. Oh how she could make dressing and pound cake…I can almost taste it as I write. On the following Friday (now called Black Friday) as a family we would go to South Dekalb Mall for shopping and to see ‘The REAL Santa Claus’ (at least that is how it was advertised and who was I to doubt advertisement). One year upon our ...
And Are We Yet Alive?
And Are We yet Alive? “Leaving Bristol after preaching at five, in the evening I preached at Stroud; where, to my surprise, I found the morning preaching was given up, as also in the neighboring places. If this be the case while I am alive, what must it be when I am gone? Give up this, and Methodism too will degenerate into a mere sect, only distinguished by some opinions and modes of worship.” John Wesley Journal- March 15, 1784 Wesley was distressed when the opportunities to share the ...
Appointments
I Was Thinking… This past week was my first time to be involved in the beginning stages of the appointive process of the United Methodist Church. I must say I have found it insightful. There were moments of great joy. There were moments of great stress. There were moments of pain. There were moments of tension. There were many moments of prayer and a moment of singing the Doxology. There were moments of worship as we, the appointive cabinet, fulfilled the calling as missional strategists...
New Day of Mission
I'm 5 months into my new appointment and learning what it means to be a circuit rider throughout North Georgia and beyond. I now serve the North Georgia conference through the Connectional Ministries office with focus on missions and outreach. I also serve part time with our UMC Global Ministries with emphasis on Mission Celebrations and strategy from a congregational perspective. Both roles allow for a fair amount of travel and plenty of interactions with clergy, laity, and church leadership to...
Setting Goals... & Keeping After Them!
I attended the Worship Design conference last Saturday at Impact UMC with Jason Moore sharing ways we could create powerful, transformative services. In addition to the solid content, and the wonderful opportunity to visit with the clergy and laity leaders from so many churches, I also enjoyed being at Impact again. I'd forgotten that Impact posts their church goals at both exit doors visible as you leave the sanctuary. I was struck again that setting solid challenge goals, which are shared by ...
