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.

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.

Invisible Growth: Because Evil Doesn’t Win by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner April 29, 2015

Do you remember standing tall and straight against a door jamb etched with pencil markings as a child? Was there a spot in the family home marking years of growth? Perhaps you had a growth chart, able to be folded away and moved as you relocated. If measuring height was part of your childhood, you’ll know that feeling in your

Rewriting The Story by MJ Kirby

MJ Kirby April 27, 2015

So, why do we make this annual trek to mark Jeremy’s birth, death, Christmas, Easter and other special occasions? I guess somehow in the ritual of the rhythm of returning to the grave we find comfort as we remember. We seek closure. We find consistency. We seek to make sense out of a situation that otherwise makes little to no

Easter: Bonus Material by Claire Matheny

Claire Matheny April 25, 2015

But here at the site of the empty tomb is our leap beyond lip service. When we take up the mantle from Mary and open our mouth to the truth. There is something bursting below the surface. A little seed of germination. This is Easter…we are the outliers who believe that despite all the impossibility of being raised from death

Staring Into Loss: The Tomb by Michael Smith

Michael Smith April 23, 2015

Now that light has dawned, one cannot simply stand and look at a symbol of defeat and the past. New life has broken in and we are not allowed to just look; we are invited and commissioned to go and tell.

Why Animals Need Heaven: God’s Love And The Problem Of Animal Suffering by Matt Douglass

Matt Douglass April 22, 2015

It seems, then, that God would not want anything bad to happen in the world, and he certainly has the power to stop them from happening. Yet bad things—unimaginably horrific things—happen every day. Over many centuries, philosophers and theologians have attempted to solve this problem by explaining why God would choose to create a world like ours, where humans

Don’t Be Afraid by Andy Stoddard

Andy Stoddard April 20, 2015

Today is April 16. Every year I write something in memory of my Mama Sarah and in honor of my mom, Maxine Stoddard. On this day 37 years ago, my Mama Sarah was murdered by my biological father; at that point, many lives were forever changed. She was murdered on my mom’s birthday (April 16) and buried on mine (April 18). You can read

Ministering Angels In A Dark World by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam April 18, 2015

The promise is not that we would be safe but that we would be faithful. The angel of God does not always spare us from tragedy or troubles, but enables us to look at tragedy troubles through different eyes.

In Awe Of The Resurrection by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner April 16, 2015

I find myself walking in the semi-dark, friends clustered around me. Our hands are full, carrying materials to preserve a corpse. It was a long Sabbath. We were supposed to rest, so we did. But there’s no rest from thoughts of despair and grief. They follow you into every room you enter. Like we had followed Him. We saw the

A Call To Holy Compassion by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam April 15, 2015

We must be honest about our failures and sins. None of us lives up to the standards our faith demands. But this doesn’t mean we cease wrestling with and proclaiming the Word.

Ambassadors In A World Of Islands by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner April 13, 2015

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and

Chosen by Carrie Carter

Carrie Carter April 9, 2015

I confess that I don’t know that much about adoption. I used to tell my little brother that he was adopted—from the animal shelter. I have reaped the consequences of this in my own sons, as the generational dysfunction marches on. I remember lying in bed as an angsty teen, wondering what it would feel like to be chosen, wanted,

The Power Of A Resurrection Day “Selfie” by Kevin Murriel

kevin.murriel April 8, 2015

What makes us think we can make such an audacious request? The resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Believing in a miracle, a rationally unexplainable occurrence, takes exactly what Tillich describes–a faith that transcends our comprehension without excluding our consciousness. In other words, we should know what we are asking for but not expect the miracle to come in ways we can

A Pipeline Of Grace: Pros And Cons by Tammie Grimm

Tammie Grimm April 6, 2015

A proposed pipeline in my community has caused me to consider the nature of Christian faith and our lives as disciples. I’m not talking about the political, economic or environmental ramifications of pipelines, but the pros and cons of using the analogy of the Christian way of life, our discipleship, as a pipeline. On one hand, the idea of having

The Heart Has Eyes by Mark Trotter

Mark Trotter April 4, 2015

The mystery that surrounds us belongs to different modes of perception. That is why he said, “The heart has reasons the mind knows not of.” It is the heart that is able to see into that mystery. And it is why Paul said to the Ephesians, “I pray that God will enlighten the eyes of your heart, so you may

A Maundy Thursday Covenant by Cole Bodkin

Cole Bodkin April 2, 2015

In his latest book, The Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant: A (Not So) New Model of the Atonement, Michael Gorman argues that the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ atonement was to “create a transformed people, a (new) people living out a (new) covenant relationship with God together. Moreover, this people will not simply believe in

A More Meaningful Holy Week by Kevin Watson

Kevin Watson April 1, 2015

He described the Christian calendar as being like a spiral staircase: you come to the same point in the circle each year, but you have ascended higher up the stairs each year than you were the year before, or at least that is the purpose of the Christian calendar.

Humility. Unity. Worship. by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner March 30, 2015

There I was, punching couch cushions, trying to keep my sudden, violent shouts muted so I wouldn’t wake up the kids. If you watched the University of Kentucky vs. Notre Dame college basketball game Saturday night, you know what I’m talking about: a nail-biter, an epic battle. “This is why we love sports,” a headline blazed the following morning. In

An image of holy communion featuring a silver cup of wine or juice and an artisanal loaf of bread dusted with flour and sitting on a white piece of cloth in subdued light and shadow.

Holy Communion: Celebrating Christ’s Presence With Us by Ken Loyer

Ken Loyer March 25, 2015

It has been said that the dinner table—that place where we eat, talk, and share life together with others—is an extension of the Eucharist.

Lenten Justice by Claire Matheny

Claire Matheny March 21, 2015

The text for this sermon is Mark 2:13-22 Many of us have suffered a punch-the-clock kind of job. This is the kind of job that you see as a stepping stone, and you hope there may be a day when you do not have to live through its drudgery. Perhaps even now you currently yearn for the other side of

Wesley’s 5:2 Fast by Jack Jackson

Jack Jackson March 19, 2015

For Wesley, the purpose of fasting was not to lose weight or to be more physically healthy. Wesley believed fasting was crucial for the spiritual health of Jesus’ disciples.

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