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This morning, during my morning walk and prayer time, I remembered the language/imagery I’ve heard used for things like reading, personal growth, and even spiritual disciplines, “sharpening the ax.” When chopping down a tree with an ax, a sharp ax is better than a dull one! So, if you’re chopping down a tree with an … Read more
Everyone invests in something. We invest our time, energy, and money in things in which we expect a good return (be it financial, emotional, or spiritual). Christ-followers invest their lives — their time, energy, and money — in God. But sometimes we wonder if our investment is really worth it. One day, Peter, one of … Read more
Each week, United Methodists in more than 950 churches in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania pray for 10 randomly selected churches (listed on the conference website). The whole process should take about a year and a half. Centre Grove is on the list for the coming week, starting tomorrow, July 26, 2009, going through Saturday, August … Read more
Yesterday, I reached Level 4 (of 5) in the HealthMiles walking incentives program, less than six months after signing up. That leaves me plenty of time (six months) to reach the final level (Level 5). At my current pace, it should take up to four months. I reached Level 4 on day 7 of the … Read more
I recently read a piece written by the President-elect of Asbury Theological Seminary in which Dr. Timothy C. Tennent reflected on the cultural changes that are impacting seminary education. Tennent writes (emphasis and paragraph breaks added for readability) … Jerusalem and Athens are symbolic of one of the key shifts in theological education today. Like … Read more
Beginning at midnight tonight, 2,830 people from across The United Methodist Church will begin a 4-week challenge. The challenge is open to members of the denominational health insurance plan, HealthFlex, who are participating in the HealthMiles rewards incentive program. As we’ve blogged before (see Racking Up HealthMiles), we are participating in the HealthMiles program, which … Read more
Ethan has always enjoyed music and he’s always seemed to have rhythm. When we first brought him home from Korea, he would often bounce (in rhythm) to music, the sound of the washing machine, and even to Mommy filing her nails. Recently, Ethan started using pens or serving spoons, or other things like the round … Read more
Years ago, we named this blog “Willis Wired” simply to indicate our online presence. But recently, I’ve been thinking about all the wires that seem to be required in our real lives. Up till now, we’ve tossed our various wires, cables, adapters, and power cords in a bag, but we’re getting to the point where … Read more
It’s always been interesting to listen to Ethan’s chatter when he’s “alone.” We hear him chattering when he wakes up in the morning. Sometimes he rehearses his newest words. He went through a phase where he was counting things, so we’d hear him count. Of course, he often says, “Mommy” and “Daddy,” and sometimes the … Read more
A couple months ago, we wrote about becoming Provisional Elders in The United Methodist Church, which took place at Annual Conference last month. Over the course of the next two years, leading up to ordination as Full Elders, we’ll have some work to do. One part of the process is to work with a Covenant … Read more