By Thomas Lambrecht – Resolution is finally in sight after two contentious years of strife between Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the California-Nevada Annual Conference (CNAC) and the leadership of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco, a progressive church with a well-established reputation for being the largest United Methodist church in the Western Jurisdiction […]
Popes, Politicians & Perkins
January 11, 2021 By Leave a Comment
By Courtney Lott In 1972, Time magazine implemented what is now known as “Person of the Year.” Far from an automatic honor, this distinction merely designates someone as a representation of the year that has just passed. From popes to politicians, the list of those who have graced the cover includes powerful, and often power-hungry, […]
Jack Hayford: Pastor to Pastors
January 11, 2021 By Leave a Comment
By Steve Beard Over the last 40 years, one of the most popular modern day hymns is “Majesty, Worship His Majesty” written by Jack Hayford. Congregations from all denominations around the globe have sung it with reverence and gusto. Included in The United Methodist Hymnal, the song was written in 1977 while Hayford and […]
All Things New
January 11, 2021 By Leave a Comment
By Max S. Wilkins – “And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, ‘Today – at the latest, tomorrow – we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.’ You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re […]
Cotton Candy Christianity
January 11, 2021 By Leave a Comment
By B.J. Funk – Have you ever been to the Church of Cotton Candy Christianity? Hopefully, there’s not one in your town, though they sometime show up in the best of neighborhoods. Cotton Candy Christianity is a belief that holds no substance and a whole lot of sugary fluff. It dresses up in beautiful pastel […]
Choose Kindness
November 9, 2020 By 8 Comments
By Rob Renfroe – It’s not news that our country was divided before the election. It’s not news that our country will continue to be divided after the election. And, hopefully, it is not news to you that this nation desperately needs the people of God to model a different, better way forward. The world […]
Doing Something New is hard in the Best of Times
November 9, 2020 By 7 Comments
By Walter Fenton – Most United Methodists are now familiar with the “Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation,” a detailed plan calling for an amicable division of the church. It garnered the support of bishops in Africa, Eurasia, the Philippines, and the U.S., including that of Bishop Cynthia Harvey, President of the Council of […]
Brokenness, Burgers, and Redemption
November 9, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By Steve Beard – At the height of the government mandated lockdown earlier this year, Kraft Heinz factories were operating around the clock in order to meet the demand for macaroni and cheese. According to the New York Times, retailers at the same time saw a 50 percent increase in demand for Slim Jim beef […]
God is in Control, Even When You’re Not
November 9, 2020 By Leave a Comment
By Nik Wallenda – When I was growing up, my family had a small wire strung across our backyard. It’s the one I first walked when I was two. It’s the one that my mother and father patiently instructed me on, teaching me the mechanics and movements of the Wallenda family. I remember falling off […]
