A week ago today I shared the news that my seminary was closing. When I wrote that blog post the news had been official for less than 24 hours. I was stunned. I relied heavily on the official statement provided by the University. In short, Hardin-Simmons University (est. 1891) determined that it was necessary to close Logsdon Seminary was based on its recent financial performance relative to other schools and programs in the University. Since writing that post, I've learned that the Read More …
Discipleship
May Love Overcome and Justice Roll Down (#1849)
I was introduced to the music of Daniel Deitrich a few days ago. In the two weeks since his song "Hymn for the 81%" first debuted on YouTube, it has been viewed more than 140,000 times. An Invitation Long-time faith columnist for Kansas City Star, Bill Tammeus issued what I've found to be the most compelling invitation for all to listen to the song and to do so with an understanding of the heart of the songwriter: I hope you'll give it a listen, remembering that he's not telling Read More …
Epiphany: Shining God’s Universal Love (#1846)
Today is January 6: the twelfth day of Christmas and Epiphany (or the first day of the season of Epiphany - depending on your tradition). I invite you to read the Epiphany story in Matthew 2:1-12, and to consider the following The insecurity of the King (if you keep reading in Matthew 2 you'll encounter the slaughter of the innocents)The geographical origin of the the Magi (likely modern Iran)The importance of light (in the form of a star) So What? Those reading this post today Read More …
A Sunday School First (#1837)
I attended Sunday school class as a child and teenager then after graduating from college transitioned to teaching Sunday school and/or overseeing Sunday school and other discipleship opportunities for people of all ages. Not only have I spent quite a bit of time in Sunday school classrooms, I also wrote my doctoral dissertation on the topic. For the last 12 weeks, I had the pleasure of teaching a Sunday school class as a volunteer for the first time in my life. My students were also trying Read More …
Reflecting on Ministry in the 2010s (#1835)
The 2010s will soon be over. During the last 24 hours I found myself in a couple of conversations that included the fun fact that the 2010s will be ending soon. This evening I read through some of the many remarks in a Twitter thread focusing on what individuals accomplished during this decade. With heightened awareness that the 2010s will soon be behind us, I started reflecting on my ministry experiences during this time period. I realized that during the last decade I Served (and Read More …
Welcome Isn’t Enough (#1830)
Yesterday I attended Connecting the Dots: Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Training. The event was co-sponsored by More Light Presbyterians and Just Texas and hosted by Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ in Dallas. The Rev. Alex Patchin McNeill, Executive Director of More Light Presbyterians, served as the primary trainer. My biggest takeaway from the day was a reminder that simply saying "all are welcome" on websites, worship bulletins, and other materials is not enough. Read More …
Expanding My Horizons (#1829)
During the fall semester, I'm teaching an adult Sunday School class at First Presbyterian Church (Fort Worth, TX) on Future Faith. Each week we are exploring one of the ten challenges Wesley Granberg-Michaelson identified in his new book: Future Faith: Ten Challenges Reshaping Christianity in the 21st Century. Last Sunday our topic was "Embracing the Color of the Future." This message was challenging for us to consider. The Read More …
My “What Next?” (#1827)
Tomorrow I start a a new role as the Associate Executive Director at the Mansfield Mission Center. In this new role, I'll be focusing on three Ps: People: designing and implementing a new human resources strategy (we currently have an amazing team of 30+ staff and 500+ volunteers and expect many more people to join us as we live into our bold vision for a brighter future for all people in our community)Programs: refining and implementing a new integrated program model to better serve Read More …
Future Faith – Coming Soon (#1820)
I'm excited to announce that I'll be teaching a class titled "Future Faith" at First Presbyterian Church (Fort Worth, Texas) starting Sunday, September 15. The class will meet for 11 consecutive Sundays at 10:00 a.m. All are welcome. The class is inspired by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson's book Future Faith: Ten Challenges Reshaping Christianity in the 21st Century - a book I Read More …
Back to the Basics: Jesus’ Priorities (#1818)
This is the time of year when students of all ages are heading back to school. At the Mansfield Mission Center we will kick off the new school year with a staff study on The Jesus Priorities. Over the next ten weeks we will consider eight essential habits that Jesus prioritized expecting that Jesus' priorities will increasingly become our priorities. Origin The eight priorities shown in the image above are the top priorities of Jesus based on Christopher Maricle's book: Read More …