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What makes us tick: men, women and leadership

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ — Ephesians 5:21 Men and women are designed for a relational posture that points away from self and toward both God and

You’re not crazy (or, what it feels like to be a pastor)

You don’t want to be me. According to a series of New York Times articles* and a plethora of other studies** done on the topic, people like me are ticking

What just happened? (My take on #GC2016)

General Conference 2016 is now in the books. After a long season of great anticipation and some trepidation, our denominational leaders have now gathered and adjourned, leaving the rest of

The High Cost of Unholy Fear (or, how to miss God’s best)

Two years after the Israelites were delivered from slavery, Egyptian silver clinking in their backpacks, they stood with toes touching the border of the land God promised them.They’d seen waters

Betty Crocker and the United Methodist Church

Last June while attending the North Georgia Annual Conference, I wrote the following as I wrestled with a deep personal concern about the dangers of denominational unity at any cost:

Don’t settle.

Mark Batterson tells the story of Honi the Circle-Maker.* Honi isn’t a Bible character, but from other writings that include his story (Jerome, for instance), it seems that Honi likely

Are we connected? (Three non-negotiables for the United Methodist Church)

Sometimes conflict creates clarity. This current season of debate within the United Methodist Church has caused us to talk a lot about what really connects us. What exactly is our

A Layperson’s Guide to General Conference 2016

Today, our quadrennial United Methodist General Conference convenes in Portland, Oregon. You may not be able to muster a thimbleful of concern about this, but I can assure you that

I just want to be saved (or, What missions is)

When I met her, she was laying in the middle of the road, flat on her back. It was a Tuesday afternoon in January. I was driving back toward our

Women who inspire

Here is a brief introduction to 10 women from a blog written for Seedbed — both from within and outside the Methodist tradition. What they initiated, challenged, and accomplished is

It would have been enough (or, How Jews worship by remembering)

This evening marks the beginning of Passover. I pray blessing over my Jewish neighbors who will celebrate this high holy feast and remember together God’s faithfulness. In the course of

Take a little wine for your stomach (or, how to live well in a stressful world)

You definitely get the sense in Paul’s two letters to Timothy that he is writing a young and anxious pastor who is hanging by a thread. You can hear the anxiety