Month: January 2016
Kimberly Reisman ~ The “E” Word, or, We Don’t Talk About That in Polite Company
January 28, 2016
Repeatedly, across denominations, both within and outside the church, I have encountered hesitation, frustration, misunderstanding, denial, negativity, and even outright hostility in response to the entire topic of evangelism. Few people, it seems – at least in Western context, are comfortable talking about evangelism, much less engaging in it.
Order of the Flame: 20th Anniversary Celebration
January 27, 2016
World Methodist Evangelism is excited to host its 20th Order of the Flame invitational evangelism conference this spring, March 14-17…
Carolyn Moore ~ Finish What You Started (or, the most powerful three-letter word in the Bible)
Here’s the secret, leaders. This is what separates the crazy from the courageous.
Otis McMillan ~ Testing, Trusting, Timing
January 25, 2016
Many struggle endeavoring to conquer areas of weakness. Resolutions are made but change, if it comes, is only short lived. Their efforts are dependent on their own strength and will. Time in God’s Word is lacking. If you desire stability in the ways of the Lord the process must begin. Give time daily to read his Word, study to show yourself approved, and then meditate day and night upon what you have studied. Your strength and stability will follow.
Maxie Dunnam ~ Black Voices Matter: Do We Value African Leadership?
January 23, 2016
If the unity of a “communion” is dependent upon order and covenant in relation to Scripture and doctrine, as the World Anglican Communion is insisting, how much more is the unity of The United Methodist Church, as one denomination?
Andrew C. Thompson ~ Our Sort-Of Free Will: How Relationship with God Happens
January 21, 2016
The significance of this dynamic view of God’s grace, as present and active at every stage of the moral life, cannot be overestimated. Whether we are responding in love to our neighbor or whether we are responding in love to God, it is the power of God’s grace that enables the thought, word, or action itself.
Michael Smith ~ Afternoons, Coffee Spoons, and T.S. Eliot
January 20, 2016
Beyond any book review or helpful ministry-related text I could recommend as a “must-read,” I would encourage you to pull a book off the shelf that has nothing to do with church, leadership, preaching, management, or finance. Let grace, beauty, and truth be revealed to you from the words of those who wish to tell a story, paint a picture with words, and sing a song without music.
Elizabeth Glass Turner ~ Testify: Many Voices, One Song
January 18, 2016
“Because I’m from a rural and conservative hometown in south central Pennsylvania, it was rare to learn about black men and women who were whitewashed from our textbooks outside of home or church. So my first lessons about the Civil Rights Movement and the men and women who led it like Martin Luther King, Clarence Mitchell, Thurgood Marshall, Daisy Bates, Rosa Parks, Joseph DeLaine and so many others were from my Grandmother and Mother. They demanded that I emulate these men and women and commit my life for justice as well. ” – Rev. James C. Simmons
Claire Matheny ~ A Pastoral Prayer: Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr
January 17, 2016
And so we pray today for our some day ending, for the will to keep on working, descending and ascending…