James Petticrew Archives | World Methodist Evangelism

Wesleyan Accent

Wesleyan Accent is World Methodist Evangelism’s online magazine of practical resources in the area of discipleship, evangelism, leadership and theology. Through articles, book reviews, and interviews, WME features leading and emerging voices of the Wesleyan Methodist world.

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Steinbeck and the Prophet Jeremiah by Robert Carter

Robert Carter October 24, 2016

In this particular letter, Jeremiah becomes the linkage between God’s promises for yet-to-be newness and the embittered exiles who are certain that they are unfairly suffering for the sins of previous generations. A creative proverb was gaining popularity among these disenfranchised refugees—everybody was sharing it on their Facebook wall: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are

The Famine and the Lie by Michelle Bauer

Michelle Bauer October 22, 2016

Pay attention to the moments where you are quick to show faith and the places where fear tends to creep in. For a lot of us, faith and fear come in patterns. When fear shows up it is a sign that God has work to do in that place. Celebrate where you are being faithful but don’t hide or minimize

Gifts We Offer: A South Pacific View by Richard Waugh

Richard Waugh October 20, 2016

What will we be sharing from our Methodist/Wesleyan “waka” (canoe) in whatever region of the world we minister? What treasures and gifts will we share?

Eaters of the Soil: Holiness for Tongan Wesleyans by Maafu Palu

Wesleyan Accent October 19, 2016

Just as in pre-missionary Tonga, the moral sense of the people was identified with the moral sense of the chiefs, now in Christian Tonga, Jesus is the “chief of chiefs” – the ‘eiki ‘o e ngaahi ‘eiki.

The Fallacy of a White Liberation Theology by Kevin Murriel

kevin.murriel October 19, 2016

So strong is this ideology among many white church leaders, those in theological circles, and some in society, that it rings loudly of “White Liberation!” suggesting that acknowledging ones’ privilege has liberated the individual from the bondage of systems that work on their behalf. I am concerned with the white Christian who wants to do something prophetic like telling other

Finding Myself in the Poetry of Mary Oliver by Justin Gentry

Justin Gentry October 17, 2016

I think I am drawn so much to poetry these days because over and above anything else poets are themselves. They speak from a raw, sometimes scandalous place that many of us don’t have access to. As a pastor it can be very hard to be yourself, yet it is essential if you want to have anything of value to

The Noah in Your Circle by Michael Smith

Michael Smith October 13, 2016

Finding and listening to a “Noah” is a reminder that there is a part of our faith that needs to be challenged to understand the profound personal nature of life in the Spirit.

The Locker Room And The Vestry by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner October 12, 2016

One time as I came down from a platform during a church musical rehearsal, I passed several women and whispered, “I’ll be right back, I have got to go to the bathroom!” I rushed away and couldn’t hear the laughter that erupted behind me; the sound guy had not yet muted my lapel mic. My whisper had been heard throughout the sanctuary.

Faithfulness by Bryan Collier

Bryan Collier October 6, 2016

Most of us are familiar with John 15—it is particularly central to my life and to the life of the local church that I pastor, The Orchard UMC. It is from Jesus’ command there, “to go and bear fruit” that we take our name, vision and mission. Most of us are familiar with the flow: Jesus begins with an eight-verse

Where There Is New Room by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner October 5, 2016

Sometimes we need a space where there is new room for the Holy Spirit: space in our lives, in our schedule, in our church building, in our preaching, in our house. For me, luckily enough – except it never seems to do with luck where new room is involved – this has been at the New Room Conference. In an

The Character Of A Wesleyan by Carolyn Moore

Carolyn Moore October 3, 2016

Much is being made these days in my (admittedly very narrow) slice of the world about what it means to be Wesleyan. “Wesleyan” in this case doesn’t refer to a particular denomination but to a broader theological stream birthed through an eighteenth-century movement and largely defined by the commentaries and sermons of John Wesley. Wesley himself once wrote a tract

Keep On Playing Your Harp by Kelcy Steele

Kelcy Steele September 29, 2016

When the Spirit of the Lord is upon your life you can play your harp because you have been anointed to handle hell, haters, and hypocrites.

Francis Asbury: Mission Beyond Conflict by Aaron Perry

Aaron Perry September 28, 2016

Regardless of your politics, but dependent on the plans of God, there will be a November 9, 2016. Do you know the day? It’s the day after the United States of America will choose between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Between now and then, there will be a lot of debate, discussion, and Tweeting. But that day will come and,

When Holy Love Is Like a Laser by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner September 26, 2016

If you or I think of a laser, we probably have a mental image of what we might colloquially call a concentrated beam of light, whether it’s used recreationally like in laser tag or a laser light show, or practically like in an eye surgery or in cutting material. You might even picture the powerful ray from the Death Star in Star

When Calvinism Becomes Dangerous by Carolyn Moore

Carolyn Moore September 21, 2016

I have great respect for many colleagues in ministry who espouse a reformed or Calvinist view of the world. That said, it should be no surprise to those who read and listen to me regularly that I am enthusiastically and unapologetically Arminian. I am far too deeply committed to the notion of God’s pure love exercised in his gift of human free

The Unreached Object by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner September 19, 2016

Protestantism has hit a snag. Catholics have their challenges, but it’s a very different set. The Orthodox church in its various forms has its disputes but remains largely unchanged. North American Protestants have hit hard times, like an ecclesial version of the 2008 economic meltdown. We’ve printed Bible verses on magnets, screen printed t-shirts, run food pantries and epic VBS

A Peace at Odds by Jeff Rudy

Jeff Rudy September 17, 2016

Peace or division? Which is your mission, Jesus? Which is your kingdom about?

When Your Faith Creates Problems by Andy Stoddard

Andy Stoddard September 15, 2016

In 1 John 3: 11-24, we see two truths that are really, really hard to hold together. We will not always be liked. But we must always love. Listen to what we are told today: For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was

Money, Money, Money by James Petticrew

James Petticrew September 14, 2016

The danger of our silence is that if we ignore the subject of money, both the mission of the Kingdom of God and the spirituality of God’s people will ultimately be impoverished.

The Gospel in Jamaica: Where Are the Men? by Kimberly Reisman

Kim Reisman September 14, 2016

If we really believe that in Christ there is no male or female, it should trouble us deeply that so many men are missing from our midst.

Why I Need Jesus: An Advent Reflection by Kevin Murriel

kevin.murriel December 7, 2015

As unpopular as it may seem the reality of Advent is that it doesn’t need to occur in the best of circumstances. In fact, Jesus was born in the midst of terrorism and heinous acts against human life.

The Real Problem with Once Saved, Always Saved by Tom Fuerst

Tom Fuerst December 2, 2015

And the difference between those who knew Christ and those who did not was simply a matter, not of faith or confession or creed, but of fruit and character.

Marriage, Human Sexuality, & the Body: The Meaning of Our Original Nakedness by Timothy Tennent

Timothy Tennent November 30, 2015

The utilitarian vision sees the body of a man or woman as an object which can be assessed like a car. Is it bright, new, shiny and full of power, or not? Is your body thin or fat; does it conform to the shapes we admire or not; is your hair the right texture and color or not; are your

A Cold And Broken Thanksgiving by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner November 25, 2015

And I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch And love is not a victory march It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah -Leonard Cohen, “Hallelujah” Hopefully you’re having a banner year – one for the books. The stars align and everything’s coming up you. Babies smile at you, old people are grateful for you, good people respect you and bad

From Projects To People: Serving With Christ’s Heart by Andy Stoddard

Andy Stoddard November 23, 2015

To get a better picture of Jesus, let’s look at two stories together, Mark 10:32-34 and then verses 35-45: They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to

Advice for Young Preachers by Michael Smith

Michael Smith November 19, 2015

Listening to good preachers should inspire us to sharpen our skills (and not just borrow material).

What Heritage Do You Choose to Pass On? by Carrie Carter

Carrie Carter November 18, 2015

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie

Then Face to Face: Remembering Ellsworth Kalas by Harley Scalf

Harley Scalf November 16, 2015

“There is only one Sunday that matters – this one – and only one sermon to be preached – this one. So fall in love with this sermon.”

The Narrative Of Evil by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner November 14, 2015

Where haute couture fashion houses dominate and the Mona Lisa smiles, where the Notre Dame cathedral towers with long-held cultural memories of a famed hunchback and the Eiffel Tower beckons to retainer-wearing junior high tourists, where Rick and Ilsa looked out as the Nazis rolled in. What is the true narrative of Paris, a very old city with a colorful

IKEA Discovers the Secret to Evangelism by Kim Reisman

Kim Reisman November 12, 2015

But when we share faith with others, we don’t tell them what they should believe. We tell them what we believe – and more importantly, who we trust, which brings us once again to relationship.

Infant Baptism and Beyond: A Systematic Approach (Part IV) by Ken Loyer

Ken Loyer November 11, 2015

I have found that this is a good way to keep before the family and the child the meaning of baptism and to remind the parents of the promise they made to God during the baptism to do all they can to raise their child in the faith.

The Binary Eucharist by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner November 5, 2015

I like my smartphone. I like Facebook (sometimes), Twitter, and email. I like accessing directions while I’m driving somewhere. You may be different, preferring a flip phone, cork bulletin boards and stopping at a gas station for directions. I understand that. Most of us live with one foot in both worlds, enjoying crisp Christmas cards in the mailbox and photos of loved

Caught Not Taught by Kim Reisman

Kim Reisman October 29, 2015

Jesus reminds us that if we keep a seed in our hands and clutch it with a closed fist, it will never grow. We must open our hands and let go of the seed. The problem is that many of us are living with closed hands. When we live like that, nothing can grow either within us or within others.

Free Will in Brazil: Interview with Jerry Walls

Jerry Walls October 26, 2015

I think the deepest appeal of Wesleyan theology is that is heartily affirms a God who is truly good and sincerely loves all persons. God does not determine, God empowers, enables, encourages. And the message that God loves us and wants to empower us to love him back, as well as each other is a message of great hope.

Marriage, Human Sexuality, and the Body: From the Beginning It Was Not So by Timothy Tennent

Timothy Tennent October 22, 2015

For example, we often describe a “sacrament” as an outward sign of an inward and spiritual grace, but then we limit ourselves by thinking of sacraments only in terms of the two which Christ established: baptism and the Eucharist. Wesley, on the other hand, prodded us to think more deeply and expansively about all the means of grace which, for

All Saints’ and Mentoring: A Personal Reflection by Michael Smith

Michael Smith October 21, 2015

You may never know the great power that a simple word of love can have on a person, but I encourage you to share love with others. It will never leave my memory. Though a lot of time has passed through the years, the memory of a mentor’s words at a critical time in my life will never fade.

If You’re Wanting More from Your Devotionals, Try This by Tom Fuerst

Tom Fuerst October 19, 2015

For many of us, when we read the Bible, we read it from the perspective of people who need encouragement, therapy, challenge, hope, or even love. These are all good things that we do, indeed, need. But usually these needs arise from a larger situation that involves someone or something hurting us. For example, we need encouragement because a boss

A More Excellent Way by Jeff Rudy

Jeff Rudy October 17, 2015

The heartbeat of the Church is Christ. We’re only here because of him; because of his love. Christ is the reason we are. Christ is all our reasons.

Soul Seasons by Carrie Carter

Carrie Carter October 15, 2015

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1 In case you didn’t know it, fall has arrived. The earth tilts on its axis and the days shorten, the air grows crisp, leaves change from green to varying hues of red, orange, and yellow, and combines roar through fields of golden-brown corn, stirring

Infant Baptism and Beyond: A Systematic Approach (Part III) by Ken Loyer

Ken Loyer October 14, 2015

“I hope you’ll always remember that God loves you so much—more than I can even say—and has a wonderful plan for your life. We at the Church are here to help you discover the special life that God made you to live.”