I am happy to announce that my memoir The Sun Still Shines has been published. You can follow the link to order the book. It is also available in electronic format from Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Why I Wrote This Book and What I Hope It Will Do I wrote this book for the sake of clergy and church leaders who are fellow sufferers with me in addiction. There is hope to recover. But it will challenge everything you... Read more
The danger of disaffiliation is not smaller churches, budgets, and a smaller denomination. The danger is a littleness of souls that is more difficult to overcome. Problems that would not exist except for the actions of another person leads a person from immediate injury to resentment. Nurtured resentments lead to littleness of the soul in those who do not overcome them. I would even argue that resentments do not require injury merely the perception of injury to exist. Feeding Souls... Read more
Aristotle claimed the best form of government is a monarchy while the worst is tyranny. While many believe he was following his teacher Plato, I think they miss the point. The American Revolution proved one group of people’s monarch is another’s tyrant. Recently, someone asked me what I thought John Wesley would say about the splintering among United Methodists and the polarization in our society. “He would probably say,” I began, “it is what we deserve for rebelling against a... Read more
Only 50% of Americans say a definite yes when asked about the existence of God. Since about 7% claim God does not exist that means there are a lot of people questioning the existence of a creator/supreme being deity. One friend asked me if the problem is in defining the meaning of God. He challenged me to define the word God and give three examples. I refrained from answering by the trinity. It was not what he was saying. I... Read more
Young clergy know certain days are going to be important in their work. Ascension Day (or Sunday) is not one of them. It goes without saying Christmas and Easter are important. Ash Wednesday and Pentecost may be important to some lay members. But All Saints’ Day and Ascension usually are not unless one serves a rather “high church” congregation. The older I get though I realize more these days are important to me. One reason All Saints’ Day is important... Read more
Is it correct to call clergy the designated readers of the church? “My therapist tells me I have PTSD from the church.” A former youth director spoke openly with me many years ago. “These people don’t read the Bible,” he said. He was being very open with me a pastor in The United Methodist Church about his experience. I never had any experience with his congregation, but I thought I understood his point. I am not sure his temperament was... Read more
Theology is speculative without some sense of practice. Liberation theology is the most practical of theological families. Yet, the practices most often employed are political and social in nature. I am a liberationist. I am also a pastor. How do the two aspects work together. Dutiful pastors are generalists and busy with many tasks. Some pastors believe their work is primarily the Sunday sermon. A good reason to think this way is due to the fact that is when we... Read more
A friend died from a heartbreaking addiction. I mean that literally. When I first heard about his death, I was told his heart was the issue. He had so many years of sobriety that I did not think beyond that. Of course, I knew other people who abused alcohol who died with a booze related heart attack. But no, not this person. Him relapse? Unthinkable. This person who worked hard to help others including me get sober? No way. And... Read more
It is a slogan we hear, “where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” It is never true. There are a lot of topics and issues where the Bible is says nothing. But that never keeps people from speaking about them. Too often I hear the argument made, “Jesus never said anything about abortion or homosexuality.” It is apparent that argument never settles anything. The Bible is silent about abortion. Yet, people try to make the Bible speak on the... Read more
One can either be lonely or alone. Loneliness is a terrible feeling. We feel unloved, abandoned, and avoided. The world looks dismal. Being alone though can feel restful or refreshing. I try to be alone when I write to avoid distraction. When I am lonely, I wish for every possible distraction. The prophet Elijah thought he was alone when he was really lonely. He realized how he felt when life took an abrupt turn on him. Boasting Elijah 2 Kings... Read more
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