I saw this great video just recently. It speaks volumes to how we often put up barriers and make judgements about people before we ever get to know them. As followers of Christ, how do we begin to break down barriers and truly get to know people for who they are. Perhaps a ball pit is not a bad idea.
Mary and her two children were new to the church. They arrived on Sunday morning with a bit of anxiety as they surveyed the lay of the land to determine if they should head left or right. She glanced across the entry area to catch a glimpse of a sign that would give them some direction. Her ‘almost anxious’ spirit was quickly…
In the United Methodist Church, one of the topics you will hear a lot about is grace. John Wesley made God’s grace a touchstone for his preaching. All of the small groups, the societies and classes, that he arranged or participated in involved sharing God’s grace with each other and those who were in need. In the larger scope, God’s grace includes…
“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from you country and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’” (Genesis 12:1-3) When I graduated from college, I never dreamed that I would be working in a church doing children and youth ministry. In the summer of 2003, Jason got a job in Wyoming, and so we went. I…
Confirmation Class is now upon us! Over the past two years, we have been making a transition from Confirmation for 8th graders to 6th graders. This year marks the year that the transition is now complete. We are excited to offer Confirmation to our 6th graders as a way of introducing them to the youth group and helping them as they move…
I offer my deepest thanks for the opportunity to share this past year with you. Last month, on July 1st, Sue and I celebrated the beginning of year number two as a part of the pastoral leadership team here at the Parker United Methodist Church. It has really been a wonderful year. The first year is always a time of great learning…
Over the past month I have been able to experience youth doing amazing things. As some of you may have heard, this year’s mission trips were an amazing success. Our High School youth were able to work towards making homes warmer, safer, and dryer in Tennessee. And our Middle School youth were able to impact the lives of children and families in…
Where did the summer go? Just a few weeks ago, weren’t we just starting to plan our summer vacations, swim lessons and other activities to keep our kids busy? Now, there are only a few precious weeks left before school takes over and we are thrust back into reality. Many of us will start looking at the school year and arranging our…
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. – Matthew 5:9 A few months ago, after the election, I offered up a sermon in which I talked about how each of our political parties seemed to spend the majority of their time and effort demonizing their opponents. They seemed to make heroes out of their people and villains…
Dear Friends: I offer my deepest thanks for the opportunity to share this past year with you. Last month, on July 1st, Sue and I celebrated the beginning of year number two as a part of the pastoral leadership team here at the Parker United Methodist Church. It has really been a wonderful year. The first year is always a time of…
As I write this I am sitting at the bottom of a lake. Seriously. Well it used to be a lake. I am currently on the Sr High Mission Trip with 30 fantastic youth and 13 courageous adults. The house my team is working on is 100 years old and actually used to be a general store. Before that, where the house…
“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” – Gordon Gee, President, Ohio State University Although Gordon Gee has recently found himself in some trouble for things he has said, this statement from a few years back, rings true – not just for his university but for us in the church as well. In fact, we are in…
Several of you have been gracious enough to accept our invitation to come to our home for some important ‘futuring’ conversations. Sue and I have been blessed to host you and to hear your vision for the mission and ministry of our congregation. God has provides some really good days with even more grace available as we step into the future together.…
I love sports! I played volleyball all throughout my college career, and have fond memories of being a part of those teams. And I absolutely love watching sports. It is exciting to see a group of people come together and, even though sometimes they face extremely tough situations, they come out stronger and many times with success. In fact, the most successful…
Do you remember when you could go to the airport to say goodbye to a friend as they walked down the ramp to the plane? Or when you could enter a court house without walking through a metal detector? Or you could take your children to school without any hesitation or thought about their safety? Or…the list could go on and on.…