joescheets

What would you change in your church’s weekly schedule if this hope were enacted?

“We hope that every congregation will see itself as a mission station to serve others, and not as a religious club where the members expect to be pampered.” — Bishop Mike Conner

“We hope that every congregation will see itself as a mission station to serve others, and not as a religious club where the members expect to be pampered.” — Bishop Mike Conner

Imagine taking that call seriously.

What’s one change you’d make this Ash Wednesday and moving through Lent together?

With gratitude to colleague and online friend Elle Dowd, quoting Rose Prendeville —

“What radicalized you?”

“The Stations of the Cross

during Lent

when I was 9.”

“We hope that every congregation will see itself as a mission station to serve others, and not as a religious club where the members expect to be pampered.” — Bishop Mike Conner

Switch the speaker from being a United Methodist Bishop to a couple of people you know who are currently un-churched and might be church-shopping (or is that church-hopping?)…

“We hope that every congregation will see itself as a mission station to serve others, and not as a religious club where the members expect to be pampered.”

— Does the difference take on a bit more poignancy?

As in, also an eternal one?

“We hope that every congregation will see itself as a mission station to serve others, and not as a religious club where the members expect to be pampered.” — Bishop Mike Conner

With gratitude to Dean McIntyre, colleague, online friend, and who threw me a life preserver in a difficult time long ago —-

Doug Lawrence wrote in his blog, “In many churches the leadership has essentially bailed on anyone over 40. They decided long ago that they would try to capture younger audiences even if it meant abandoning other generations. This is not a criticism of that reality, but, ‘Bless Their Hearts,’ it was stupid!

Without age diversity, musical diversity, and (please) racial diversity, our churches insulate themselves in a cocoon of sameness.”

Leads me to ask:

1) Is it so in your church?

2) Is it, as Lawrence says, “stupid?”

3) Should we adopt this principle, and if so, how?

4) If not, what SHOULD we do in worship?

— As always, I look forward to your reply.

“You’re never too old to start a new adventure.”
—Man on the Inside, S1 E8

Wanna know more?
Check out Psalm 92:14.

And I hope to see you back here tomorrow.

God, grant me the patience
to work with the unjust systems
I cannot change today,
the courage to strategically
enact progress
when I know I can,
and the wisdom to know that,
despite structural oppression,
I still can make a difference. Amen

—Friar Nicolas Maria

“If everything is precious,” writes Joshua Fields Milburn, “nothing is.”

Ouch.

Truth about excessive consumerism spoken there.

And here: “Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

Christ Jesus says that in Luke 12:15.