Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
What do you do when you first get up in the morning? Stretch? What do you do when you get up from sitting a long time? Stretch? Stretching. We talk about stretching our body. We talk about stretching our mind. I wonder if we ever need to stretch our spirit. “Stretching our mind” refers to … Read more
On Sunday, I challenged our church family to protect the church. I read several statements from The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Warren begins, “It is your job to protect the unity of your church.” He notes … Unity is the soul of fellowship. Destroy it, and you rip the heart out of Christ’s … Read more
At the 2015 Annual Conference of the Susquehanna Conference, I had the honor of being part of a team presentation on Equipping Vital Congregations. The presentation was facilitated by Janet Durrwachter (First UMC, Williamsport). Other team members included Jaime Carpenter (Christ UMC, Selinsgrove) and Rev. Rich Morris (Hicks Memorial UMC, Duncansville). Jaime talked about “Passionate … 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
On Sunday, April 19, 2015, Centre Grove United Methodist Church celebrated 200 years. It was a significant moment! Leonard Sweet devotes a chapter in his book, Learn to Dance the Soul Salsa, to challenging readers to “Make a Moment.” He writes … There is one day in your life that will be your best day. … Read more
Centre Grove United Methodist Church is celebrating its 200th anniversary on Sunday, April 19, 2015. I was honored to write the following prayer for the booklet we published. A Prayer for Centre Grove O God, thank you for loving the world so much that you gave your only Son, so that everyone who believes in … Read more
For more nine months, April 19, 2015 has been marked on our calendars to celebrate 200 years. Now, it’s finally here! I love history, and church history and Methodist history, in particular, so preparing for this anniversary has been a joy. It has also been a challenge to learn more about events that are not … 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
Yesterday, I read through Jeremiah 7, and I thought about people who think they’re “safe” because they go to church, or something like that, but really don’t walk with God or obey God. The prophet Jeremiah says on God’s behalf, “Don’t trust in lies: ‘This is the Lord’s temple! The Lord’s temple! The Lord’s temple!’” … Read more