I’m overwhelmed with gratitude in response to the incredible turnout and generous support the community provided the Mansfield Mission Center this week. Three Years of Expansion I've been blessed to contribute to the incredible growth of the Mission over the last few years 2017 - I joined the staff as Director of Social Enterprise 2018 - I helped open our second location - the best thrift store in the area (don't take my word for it, our store was recently Read More …
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A Year of Change (#1767)
Last week I was asked to summarize my experience of 2018 with a single world. After a slight pause, I replied "change." 2018 has been a year filled with personal and professional change. Here's my Top 10 List: Living. For the first time in my life, I'm living an urban lifestyle (in the 15th largest city in the United States). Moving. My wife and I moved from a two story suburban home with a golf course view to a four story downtown dwelling with a city view. Read More …
My Life as an Adjunct Professor (#1752)
Education has long been a central part of what I do and who I am. A few weeks ago I shared the news that I was starting my twentieth professional position since graduating from college. Adjunct Life, Part 21 Today, I completed my responsibilities for teaching an undergraduate survey of world religions summer semester course. Submitting grades was my final responsibility to complete twenty-one consecutive semesters as an adjunct professor. Over that time, I've Read More …
New Year, New Home (#1718)
Happy New Year! To start 2018 my wife and I purchased a home in downtown Fort Worth and started the process of relocating. This is the ninth place we have called home during the first nineteen years of our life together, and the eighth we have owned. Our first four homes were in Texas, and appear below on the first row and the first image on the second row. Our next three homes were in Florida, and are depicted in the remaining images on the second row and the Read More …
My Many First Days (#1703)
First days are often memorable. Usually they are scheduled well in advance. Often they go according to plan. This was the case for me yesterday (September 17), which was my first day to preach in a congregation affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) since 2010. First days can, however, be a bit more complicated and colorful as the last two months of my life illustrate: August 7 was officially my first day of work at the Wesley Mission Center, but my participation in a Read More …
Starting My Last Semester as a Student (#1700)
Exactly a year ago I wrote a blog post titled "My Transition from Professor to Student" to tell the world I was returning to the classroom as a student in order to earn another degree. Tomorrow I start the fourth and what I plan to be my final semester as a MBA student at Texas Woman's University. Original Plan When I started this program I was working for a for profit company for the first (and, so far, the only) time in my life. The MBA was an easy choice for professional Read More …
I’m Back: My Return to Ministry (#1694)
Today, I am pleased to announce my return to ministry. In just a few weeks I will begin serving as Director of Social Enterprise at the Wesley Mission Center (WMC) in Mansfield, Texas. In sharing the news with those closest to me, I am answering the same important questions over and over again. What exactly will you be doing? When did you become a Methodist? What about your love of education? Director of Social Enterprise Social enterprise is a term that has Read More …
3 Powerful Words for Ministry with Youth (#1687)
Have you ever asked a teenager a question and received a yes or no answer? Have you ever asked a string of open ended questions and received a few words or a short sentence in response to each? Have you ever felt like at a certain age the ability for youth to speak openly and freely comes to an abrupt halt? A Different Question Brad M. Griffin, Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, wrote an in-depth article about a relatively simple yet incredibly powerful approach to extending, Read More …
My Transition from Professor to Student (#1642)
While I have always believed in and committed myself to the task of lifelong learning, I have also wrongly concluded - more than once - that my formal educational journey was complete. Wrong The first time I decided I had finished my formal education was in 1998 when I earned my undergraduate degree. I was already in the workforce, and had been advancing without a degree. With the addition of a bachelor's degree I felt confident I had all I needed. Just 18 months later, I was Read More …
Be the Church (#1631)
Not being the church should not be an option. All who follow the Way of Jesus are called to be authentic in their following by being themselves, being proud, and being the church. It is always time to co-create with God; make real God's realm on earth; and advocate for justice for all of God's people. So What? Being the church is never an individual adventure; it is always a shared journey. It requires a genuine concern for all humans and a commitment to embody love for God in Read More …