Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
John Wesley wrote a document (a letter) called A Plain Account of the People Called Methodists, written in 1748. In part of it, Wesley addresses various objections he faced at the time. One of the objections Wesley addresses relates to the classes he had recently developed. Wesley quotes the objector: There were no such meetings … Read more
In the last few weeks, Joleen and I have been hard at work (as I alluded to in recent posts) working on studies in United Methodist history and doctrine (we had completed the polity part awhile back). We finished yesterday and while our heads are still swirling (almost literally, we probably covered a semester’s, or … Read more
One of my favorite books on leadership is Next Generation Leader (by Andy Stanley), which I read several years ago. The book focuses on five key areas: competence, courage, clarity, coaching and character. On character, Stanley writes … Your talent and giftedness as a leader have the potential to take you farther than your character … Read more
As mentioned in the last post, we’re in a pretty intense season right now (and for at least a few more days), which is why our blogging has been light. To help us get through this season, though, Ethan spent a good part of two days (including one night) at Grammy and Pappy’s house. He … Read more
In the old days (the days before Ethan), there were times that we would go non-stop in our work (ministry and/or schoolwork). That might mean things like going from early in the morning till late at night or eating a meal on-the-go. We didn’t do that all the time, of course, only during seasons where … Read more
I grew up in a denomination that was pretty much King James Only (KJO). I don’t think we were as militant about it as some groups, the King James Version (KJV) was simply the preferred/accepted Bible translation. (Of course, many of the modern translations started being published around the time I left the denomination, although … Read more
One morning last week, during my time with God, I was praying for my (and Joleen’s) ministry/leadership, and said … Make us the followers you want us to be so that we can be the leaders you call us to be! I have always believed that leaders must first be followers. Christ-following leaders must first … Read more
Yesterday was our day off and Randy had an appointment in Altoona. We made arrangements to meet Grammy and PapPap over dinner. Grammy and PapPap haven’t been able to come visit much lately as PapPap had a torn ligament (followed by a blood clot). He just started some minor therapy this week. They are ready … Read more
As I wrote earlier, Centre Grove’s Church Council is discussing Bishop Schnase’s book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. Last night, we began discussing “radical hospitality.” We started the discussion by reflecting on and evaluating how well we are currently practicing hospitality. Basically, we concluded that while there are some good signs (i.e., we believe we’re … Read more
I have written about a couple books that we read awhile back in our D.Min. program at Asbury. I want to write about one more: Missional Church: A vision for the sending of the church in North America (Darrell Guder, editor). Ever since I read the book in 2004, I have been using the word … Read more