Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
Last summer (2017), I participated in a community prayer for Brody, a 6 year-old from Centre Grove. I decided to draft a prayer completely from the Psalms. I trust this prayer be will helpful for all who experience trials! Psalm 27.7-97 Lord, listen to my voice when I cry out—have mercy on me and answer … Read more
I have a prayer idiosyncrasy, which I’ve written about before, where I pray laps around the church sanctuary. I often use the acronym, P.R.A.Y., to guide my prayer at the church. P.R.A.Y. stands for Praise, Repent, Ask, and Yield. Several months ago, I felt led to ramp up my praying. So, I prayed more laps. … Read more
The 2016 General Conference of the United Methodist Church takes place May 10-20, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. General Conference, which takes place every four years, is the top policy-making body in the UMC and is the only church entity that has authority to speak for the entire denomination. General Conference meets every four years to … Read more
I’ve said before, Leaders are Pot-Stirrers. I’ve also listed 3 Ways Leaders Stir the Pot. First-century church leaders were clearly pot-stirrers. In Acts 16-17, there’s a story that describes how Paul and Silas were pot-stirrers. “These people are causing an uproar in our city” (Acts 16.20, CEB) … “These people who have been disturbing the … Read more
When I pray some or all of our Core Prayers at Centre Grove, I often add the challenge to stay humble, stay hungry, and stay in tune with God! I’ve written about the need to stay humble and stay hungry before. We must stay humble, knowing that we can do nothing apart from God. We … Read more
Some churches have a Core Purpose. Some have Core Values. Perhaps churches should also have Core Prayers! After writing my post on (personal) Core Prayers awhile back, it struck me that Centre Grove UMC has (community) Core Prayers. I included them in that post, but here they are again … God, give us hearts like … Read more
We sang many songs in worship at Centre Grove on Sunday. Some words from “Victor’s Crown” really resonated with me … Every high thing must come down. Every stronghold shall be broken! We don’t want anything to prevent us from experiencing and accomplishing all that God desires! There are spiritual forces at work. Paul writes … Read more
Are there certain things you find yourself praying over and over, such as when you pray for yourself, your family, and your ministry? I do. I have a list of some things I pray regularly. These have become some of my core prayers. I’m sure there is no perfect list of core prayers, and I’m … Read more
A few years ago, I wrote a post on The Balancing Act by Bishop Robert Schnase. Recently, I’ve been thinking about something Bishop Schnase wrote. Bishop Schanse relayed a conversation he had with a woman, who thought churches should do a better job of caring for pastors. Bishop Schnase writes … She said that she … Read more
On July 1, 2009, the beginning of our second year in Clearfield, I wrote a prayer in my journal for our ministries. Though the prayer has been revised over the years, it has stuck with me ever since (in fact, I posted an earlier version of it in 2011). A few months ago, the Clearfield … Read more