Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
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Light shone down from heaven in a seminary classroom one afternoon. It’s stuck with me all these years. The theology prof provided this moment of clarity when he said that there are basically only two theological orientations. We all fall, in varying degrees, into one of them. He called one “redemptionist.” This is the group …
Hebrews 12:1-3 The writer of Hebrews imagines the Christian life to be a race. He warns that runners should be wary of “the sin that easily distracts” (NRSV, footnote). It’s like you’re running that race and then, just when you see the finish line ahead, you start glancing around. Who’s gaining on me? What’s my …
Friends: I’m starting a “Monday Meditation.” If you’re subscribing to my blog, you’ll receive it in your inbox early Monday morning. It is a brief, practical reflection on a scripture that I hope will start your week on a positive note. My blog posts, dealing with current issues, will still come out about every 2-3 …
The Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church recently completed its three-day meeting in Springfield. We elected delegates, lay and clergy, who will represent us at the 2020 General Conference, the policy making body of our denomination. The people we elected (with surprising quickness) all endorse full inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community into the …
I’m writing this on Memorial Day, 2019. Soon I’ll be offering an invocation at a community service where we commemorate the sacrifices of those who’ve died for our country. This has caused me to reflect on the relationships I’ve had with veterans and their families through the years. I remember the World War Two veterans. …
Summers in rural Missouri held one fun diversion: lookout towers. These are now relics of a past, pre-satellite, era. It was when rangers would sit 150 feet up, scanning for forest fires. It was also when country kids would stair-step those 150 feet to get a bird’s view of the Ozark Mountains. For me, though, …
With the Judicial Council’s recent decision that central elements of the Traditional Plan are constitutional, the trajectory of United Methodism has been set for the immediate future. There will be no Book of Discipline-approved ordination of homosexuals, nor will there be same-sex marriages performed without harsh penalties. The resulting uproar in the aftermath of the …
Early in Mark’s Gospel (3:1-6, CEB), Jesus loses his temper. Since Mark writes in a compact and impatient manner, it’s easy to overlook this story. When you linger a bit with it, though, you discover it’s a watershed point in Jesus’ ministry. It changes his trajectory. It may for us as well. The Incident The …
I went on blood pressure medication shortly after the 2019 General Conference concluded. The two events are not unrelated. As I’ve grown older, I’ve noticed those systolic/diastolic numbers creeping up in annual physicals. However, by the time the GC ended, my numbers had eclipsed the threshold. What happened in the St. Louis gathering shocked people …
One of the best nature/science documentaries I’ve seen is National Geographic’s “One Strange Rock.” Narrated by actor Will Smith, it reflects on the marvels of our planet as seen through the eyes of astronauts. If you see all ten episodes, you will never view life on this amazing, mysterious rock of ours as you had …