A Mission for the Methodists

Happy New Year! 2019 is underway! I love fresh starts, new calendars, and looking ahead to good things to come. I started this year by reading a book by Dr. William B. Lawrence, who serves as professor of American Church History at Perkins School of Theology and is a research fellow at Duke Divinity School. … Continue reading A Mission for the Methodists →

Favorite Hymns for Mission

It is November, and many of my friends on Facebook are posting gratitudes. Each day they post words of gratitude for family, friends, joyful events, fond memories. This all is done in a spirit of Thanksgiving, expanding the attitude of giving thanks for more than just a holiday weekend. One of the people who I … Continue reading Favorite Hymns for Mission →

Reading with Missional Lenses

As I write this, the remnants of hurricane Michael are right over the area where I live. The trees are swaying in the wind and the rain comes in bands. I’m familiar with this kind of weather because I grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast. I just never expected it would be part of … Continue reading Reading with Missional Lenses →

Come and See

Earlier this week I was in a meeting, studying the demographics around two churches in neighboring towns. Someone stopped by to pick up information from the person I was meeting with, and while we were all talking the person who stopped by invited me to join him on his next trip to the town where … Continue reading Come and See →

What is Mission?

Last month I attended the Wild Goose Festival and had the opportunity to hear a presentation by the hosts of the Failed Missionary podcast and the author of The Very Worst Missionary. The conversation revealed a lot of pain and questions around the practice of mission, in particular, evangelical short-term mission and mission placements of … Continue reading What is Mission? →

Joined By Grace

I found an old box a few days ago. It had some old paperwork that I no longer need, but I thought it would be a good idea to sort through and make sure nothing of value was tucked in between pages. I found two CD envelopes, stuffed with five CDs, each one marked with … Continue reading Joined By Grace →

Post-Mission Trip Retreat

Fading into Fall Recently I’ve seen several people posting photos of their mission trips this summer. Their teams worked in the heat of June and July, and now they are home and preparing for back-to-school. The stores are fully stocked with pencils, paper, markers and folders. Saturday the stores in my area were packed with … Continue reading Post-Mission Trip Retreat →

Food for the Soul, Fed for the Work of the Church

Life happens. Sometimes it happens with routines. School schedules, regular work days, afterschool activities and such. Sometimes it happens too fast, when all the normal routines are crowded with business trips, conferences, additional meetings and activities. Other times it happens with focus on a single important event – a dear friend in crisis, a family … Continue reading Food for the Soul, Fed for the Work of the Church →

The Church’s Response to Suicide

Last week’s news of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain taking their own lives was shocking. In the news reports for each one, either friends or family members said “we had no idea”. Persons closest to them did know something, but they didn’t know how urgent and present the threat of losing their loved one was. … Continue reading The Church’s Response to Suicide →

Formed in Community Over Brunch

How do you gather with your friends? Last night I attended a monthly dinner as part of a group that is considering living together in Intentional Community. We’ve been gathering weekly for prayer and have added a meal on the first week as part of our formation. During the table discussion, we were reflecting on … Continue reading Formed in Community Over Brunch →