Dr. Lawson Stone is an Old Testament Professor I admire and am happy to claim as a college friend IRL. He graciously gives permission to share this with you — Celebrating the reformation, a mere 500 years ago? Go back 2556 years to Oct. 31, 539BC. Cyrus the Great captures Babylon and decrees the return…

“Be preservatives yourselves,” Jesus says in Mark 9:50. So…what are we supposed to preserve? “Preserve the peace,” Jesus also says in Mark 9:50. Hmmmm. Pretty succinct there, Jesus. Questions for us: are we even preserving the right stuff, and are we doing any of the things that make for peace?            …

Patty and I were in the garage, surrounded by mountains of cardboard. The moving van had left the day before. Wanting to make a dent somewhere, anywhere, in the boxes surrounding us, I reached for the closest one. Not the brightest thing I’ve ever done. It was too big and too heavy for one person…

With gratitude to Jeremiah Cox, here’s a video that I’ll ruin if I say any more —   [Memo to Pastors: ff to like 2 mins in, and for the rest of the ride you have an image to use re: Crown of Righteousness and so much more]

Watseka, IL has a United Methodist Church it was my honor to serve several years ago. This is just one example of what they’ve recently done —-  The Missions Committee is hosting a “Skills To Get The Job” workshop on Sunday, [date], from 2 – 4:30 in our church’s fellowship hall. Ashley Cxxxxx, Kim Oxxxxx,…

Jesus told a simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. Been there, done that, haven’t you? Yup. Oh wait…the point here’s not that we’re the ones being misunderstood, but that he was. And, yeah, I’ve been there and done that, too…I’ve misunderstood what Christ said…maybe you have, too. So he tried again. Aha!…

The University of Michigan played football at Penn State in White Out conditions last Saturday evening. (If you’re clueless: https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/10/21/16491124/penn-state-white-out-history) During that game the University of Michigan ran a commercial that included a line I wish we could say about the Church: We said we were leaders, so we led. Yes, we’re supposed to be followers. Of…

Katie Stump Holt is someone Patty and I have known since she was a youth and a leader in a wide variety of ministry settings. We both greatly respect admire her, and not just because she’s a student at Washington University Occupational Therapy Program, where Patty’s taught Physical Therapy. Here’s one example of why we’re…

Rev. Harvey Gaither is my pastor at Belleville (IL) Union United Methodist Church. You’d like him; I sure do. First sermon I ever heard him preach included a great spin on a familiar phrase. We’ve all known someone to say they love someone a lot, as in “I love her to death.” Harvey invited us…

“Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Jesus says that in John 11:27. Then, BOOM. He continues. Jesus asks, “Do you believe this?” And so…do you?