Day 3 of Annual Conference went well. Here are some of the highlights: We took the 5 finger vote in response to the Great Plan for the Great Plains, in which we are considering the possibility of one annual conference across the states of Kansas and Nebraska We passed resolutions to close seven United Methodist […]
The second full day at the Kansas West Annual Conference gathering in Hutchinson, KS was good. Here are some highlights of the day: I received 4 votes in the very first clergy ballot for General Conference 2012. This was a pleasant surprise. I had not submitted a profile sheet to be considered. I wonder who […]
It was a good first full day of Kansas West Annual Conference. Some of my reflections from the day: The Great Plans for the Great Plains conversation about a new annual conference across Kansas and Nebraska continues to be a lively. The Kansas State Fairgrounds has provided an excellent venue for meeting. (Although, I still […]
Today we are headed to the Kansas West Annual Conference. This year it is being held at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, KS. This will be our son’s first trip to Annual Conference. Perhaps more exciting than that, this is where my parents live, so he will get to spend a good deal of […]
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Scripture Monday – Mauled by Bears
There are some strange and wonderful stories about the prophet Elisha. Here is one example from 2 Kings. “From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” He turned around, […]
Last week, I had a series of posts about fruitfulness. As I have thought more about this topic, I wondered, How long do you wait? How long do you wait: before naming that you have been busy and not bearing fruit? to make a change? to celebrate fruit that is being born? before checking something […]
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Scripture Monday: 2 Kings 1:10
There are some strange and wonderful stories about the prophet Elijah. Here is one example from 2 Kings. “Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men” (2 […]
How do we help people live fruitfully in their day to day life? Ultimately, the church is not about keeping a variety of interesting programs running and giving people something that to do that is segmented from the rest of their lives. We are about equipping people to live fruitfully in their every day life […]
How do we separate busyness and fruitfulness? Fruitfulness leads to the fruit of the spirit are evidenced among the people. Another way to consider this is to see lives changed, communities transformed and the church renewed. Busyness does not lead to evidence of the fruit of the spirit. Busyness does not lead to changed lives, […]
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Fruitfulness: Ministry Audits (1 of 4)
It may be common practice to have the financial books of a local church to be regularly audited. Does the leadership of your congregation ever conduct ministry audits for fruitfulness? What would it look like to determine the fruitfulness of a particular ministry area in the church – small groups, UMW, a worship service? Related […]
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Why I Choose Apple
On Friday I was filling up my car’s tank at the local gas station. I set my keys and iPhone on the trunk. The phone started to slip a bit, so I pushed it up a little further and then turned to pick up the pump handle. When I turned back around, I thought that […]
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Scripture Monday: John 10:9
I very much appreciate knowing Jesus as the Good Shepherd in John 10:1-21. This is a helpful metaphor for me. I was studying this with my small group a few weeks ago and came across this verse: “[Jesus said,] I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and […]
Rev. Andrew Conard 