Asking the Right Questions (6 of them)
As a pastor, I often get asked the question: “So how do I know what God wants me to do?” And the answer I give is pretty much the standard issue one: pray + read your Bible + listen to the wisdom of the people God gave you + use your own common sense. But … Read more
What the Church can learn from Star Trek
I admit it…I’m a nerd. I’ve loved Star Trek since before the “cool” reboot of this summer. It’s in my blood: my father was hooked as a star-gazing teenager. I thoroughly enjoyed the summer movie, though, and I began thinking about what made it an excellent movie, and what promises it made for revitalizing the … Read more
Why "Expatriate Minister?"
It seems like an odd handle or moniker to choose for my blog, now 4ish years after I started…and it’s trickled out to other places on the web, notably Twitter. Yet I still think it’s worthwhile to consider myself an emigre clergyperson. Here’s why. As I graduated from Candler School of Theology (Emory U., Atlanta) … Read more
Music for Pentecost
So one of the fun things I’m working on is having a decent playlist for all the liturgical seasons. Since Pentecost Sunday was yesterday, I’ve been digging through my music to find something that might relate to the Holy Spirit…and not having a lot of luck. Here’s what I’ve got so far: Oyaheya (Ricky Byars)Spirit … Read more
How Shall We Pray?
It isn’t as if we have a choice. Prayer is like breathing, or communicating with our fellow human beings. We do it, whether we want to or not. I doubt it will even cease after we take our last breath. The question, then, is “How shall we pray?” What will our prayers be like? For … Read more
40 Days of Prayer
I’ve been involved with conversations about what it means to be a young person called to ministry in the United Methodist Church for quite a while now…it’s become something of a career in and of itself! But I got hooked into the conversation that’s going on across our globe about a year ago at the … Read more
A Good Day
They don’t come as often as I would like, but I want to celebrate when they do: it was a good day today! I’m not saying it was perfect (or that I was!), but it was one of those days where you feel like you are doing the right thing. I was a pastor, priest, … Read more
Post-Ike Thoughts
Well here we are again after the storm. I thought I might offer a few thoughts on the presence of God in these difficult circumstances. First, I think God is present in the way that people prepared. Those who evacuated, the hospitals and nursing homes who arranged transport for those under their care, the emergency … Read more
