By W. David O. Taylor In February 1995, I confessed my sins publicly in front of five hundred fellow students at the University of Texas in Austin. This took place at a concert of prayer sponsored by a parachurch campus ministry. Standing on the auditorium stage of a large classroom, I confessed the sins of […]
Ravi Zacharias (1946-2020)
July 8, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By Matthew Fearon- When Ravi Zacharias was a cricket-loving boy on the streets of India, his mother called him in to meet the local sari-seller-turned-palm reader. “Looking at your future, Ravi Baba, you will not travel far or very much in your life,” he declared. “That’s what the lines on your hand tell me. There […]
The Role of Conferences in the New Methodism
July 8, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By Thomas Lambrecht – “Conferencing” is at the heart of Methodist history and tradition. In 1744, only a few years after starting the Methodist movement, John Wesley called together the small group of preachers who formed the core of the movement for a “conference” meeting. They gathered to discern “how we should proceed to save […]
COVID-19’s Destructive Path
July 8, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By Sam Hodges – The Rev. Dunford Cole was too ill with the coronavirus to help with May 31 worship services at the two churches he leads in south Alabama. But he preached anyway via Facebook from his hospital bed the next day. Fighting for a full breath, choking back tears at times, the 45-year-old […]
The Breath of life
July 8, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By Max Wilkins – The worldwide protests in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis took place during the week that God’s people celebrate Pentecost – the birthday of the Church, the birthday of the mission of Jesus, and the Lord’s sending of Holy Spirit, the Breath of Life. In massive events all […]
A Message from Mama
July 8, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By B.J. Funk – I have such sweet memories of my mother, who has been vacationing with Jesus in heaven for 18 years. Imagine my surprise when I recently found an issue of Good News from 1984 among her valuables. Even more precious is her handwritten note on the front: “Read Maxie Dunnam’s article, page […]
Letting Go of Worry
May 18, 2020 By 3 Comments
By Rob Renfroe – We are living in a time of great turbulence and anxiety. The coronavirus pandemic has stirred panic. As Christians, part of our lifelong discipleship is seeking to allow faith to overcome our fears. “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you […]
General Conference 2020 Postponed
May 18, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By Heather Hahn – With the coronavirus disrupting lives worldwide, General Conference organizers determined they have no choice but to postpone The United Methodist Church’s top legislative assembly. The Minneapolis Convention Center – scheduled to host the 2020 General Conference – cancelled gatherings of 50 or more people through May 10. The shutdown covers the […]
Tenor’s Prayer
May 18, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By Steve Beard – Perhaps no singular image better captured Easter under the treacherous cruelty of the coronavirus than Andrea Bocelli performing a solitary sacred concert in the spectacularly cavernous Duomo di Milano, the cathedral in Milan, Italy. By the time the sun had risen on Easter morning, more than 108,000 deaths had […]
The Church in a Storm
May 18, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By Omar Al-Rikabi- “A terrible screaming began among the English,” John Wesley wrote in his journal, “But the Germans calmly sang on.” Sailing aboard The Simmons from England to the American Colonies in 1736, Wesley found his ship overtaken by storm after storm. Ironically, the ship sailed in October in an attempt to dodge hurricane […]
