There is an old joke in Methodist circles that goes like this:Question: How many Methodists does it take to change a light bulb?Answer:  You can't change that light bulb!  My daddy gave it to the church!And that is why, following the lead of some churches we...

For some time, I have had a question for those of you who stand to my theological left when it comes to the issue of homosexual intimacy and same-sex marriage within the United Methodist Church.I don't ask it to be flip or sarcastic but out of a genuine desire to see...

In the summer of 2012, I learned an about an approach to the devotional life taken by The Navigators, a campus ministry known for their Scripture memorization techniques.It's called His Word The Last Word and involves a very simple concept: in the moments before you...

I spent a couple of days last week at the Western North Carolina Annual Conference meeting in scenic Lake Junaluska, NC.While there, I reconnected with preacher friends, saw congregants from Mt. Carmel UMC in Monroe (where I served from 1990-1999), and helped lead a...

When it comes to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the Apostle's Creed spends a lot of time talking about the Father and the Son and relatively little in speaking about the Holy Spirit.In fact, it's:  I believe in the Holy Spirit.  And that's it.Which...

So it's Wimbledon next week. It will be hard to stay at work when there's grass court tennis going on. Back in the day, grass courts suited my game better than any other surface. Grass courts tennis rewards hard serves and aggressive play, both of which...

In any given day, I'm called on to make a number of decisions.Usually, those decisions are strategic in nature: how best to align the staff, how most effectively to extend our influence, how to maximize the impact of our facilities.Sometimes I find those decisions...

News flash: they don't make many new television shows during the summer.  Instead, it's the season for re-runs.Which brings to mind the realization that some shows just never get old; the re-runs are even better than the episodes were the first time...

Yesterday, while our English services brought VBX 2013 to a raucous conclusion with a special kid-focused Sunday morning celebration, I took the opportunity to preach at our Latino worship gathering.In Spanish.I did this once before, on the third Sunday after our...

. . .  because when Children's Pastor Ryan Gordon gave an invitation for the young ones to give their lives to Jesus last night, 84 responded.Here they are getting some follow up from Vanessa Gordon:And from Sammy Gonzalez:A lot of little living...