Some random thoughts on life, faith, and Charlotte, North Carolina . . . If Ann Patchett wrote it, I'm going to read it.I work on two messages per week . . . researching and writing one that I will preach in four to six weeks and then internalizing one that I...

Does progressive theology at the denominational level result in diverse ethnicities at the congregational level?Or: if we would just be more progressive in our theology -- Jesus as one of many rather than the One and Only; heaven and hell as creations of...

Last week, I had the chance to hear Tim Keel speak to a group of United Methodist pastors from Western North Carolina.Tim is the founding pastor and primary teacher of Jacob's Well Church in Kansas City.  That congregation is located in KC's version of what we...

No, it's not a sermon on Margaret Thatcher.It's not even a sermon on Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher.But it is a sermon on a lady leader whose story has everything to do with iron.And I think it might be one of the more unsettling sermons we've had...

At the conclusion of Sunday's worship gathering, we gave people an chance to pick up a His Word The Last Word card as a sign of a "surrendered brain."What is HWLW?It's a legacy of the ministry of Dawson Trotman who founded The Navigators student ministry in...

A couple of weeks ago, I went down to Austin, Texas to visit my mom in advance of Mother's Day.  While there, I also spent time with two older sisters and two older brothers.As you may know, Austin is the music hub of the southwest.  Home to musicians and...

In a May 17 column posted on the United Methodist Reporter site, Bishop Minerva Carcano of the Desert Southwest Conference offered her assessment of the recently completed 2012 General Conference. As many of you know by now, that Conference retained our...

Scripture records that when the children of Israel cried out for a king to lead them, the Lord tried to get them to change their minds.But the people would have none of it. The nations surrounding them had kings, and so should they.So God gave them what they wanted –...

You might look at the title to this post and think, "What?!  The verses ARE the Scripture!"No.  They're not.The division of the bible into chapters and verses is a much later development.  You can read some of that story here.  The original...

For the last couple of weeks, I had been telling the staff to clear their calendars for Tuesday, May 15 at 1:30 p.m. for a Surprise Extravaganza.I was most disappointed when one of our team members did not re-schedule the cruise he is taking with his wife this...