It is difficult to make sense of the events of the day. The passing of the Traditional Plan was disorienting, heart-rending, and continues to be heavy on my mind. The church that has been home for my entire life feels a little less like home. The votes clearly reflect the reality of where the church […]
I have been using Lift as a tool to help restart this blog and I thought I would share with you some of that process. One of the steps is identifying an ideal target person – someone for whom this blog is written. So, here goes: The ideal target person for this blog is Methodist […]
“Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;Â even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you” (Zechariah 9:12, NIV). Of all the things that I could be prisoner to, I hope that I will always be a prisoner of hope.
This week, I read Why?: Making Sense of God’s Will by Adam Hamilton. In this short book, Hamilton addresses three questions of theodicy, God’s justice in the face of suffering, Why do the innocent suffer? Why do my prayers go unanswered? Why can’t I see God’s will for my life? He concludes with a few words about Why God’s […]
Yesterday morning, I had the opportunity to preach at the Heritage Service at Resurrection Leawood. This is the first service on Sunday at Resurrection beginning at 7:45 AM. It was the first time that I had lead worship in several months and it felt really good. We considered the story of Jesus washing the feet […]
Cokesbury, Abingdon Press and UMR Communications each have long histories. How much of a future do they have? I recently read an article that referenced this video put together by a publishing company. What are your thoughts, feelings or opinions on the future of Methodist publications?
A few weeks ago, we were invited in staff chapel to reflect on the cross with a small group of fellow staff. I enjoy being in conversation with those with whom I work about theology. I don’t always take the time that I need in reflection with my colleagues, so I was particularly blessed by […]
Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. – Japanese proverb In considering the future of the United Methodist Church both vision and action is critical. Yesterday, I outlined a vision for renewal within the denomination and today I will tackle how I think it will happen. I used to think […]
I stay in the United Methodist Church because: I believe the doctrine and general rules of the UMC are aligned with the scripture and God’s work in the world. I have experienced the fruit of the United Methodist way of faith in my own life and witnessed it in the lives of others. I believe […]
Why you shouldn’t copy us or anyone else applies to churches as well. Apple’s design process might have some good things to teach about worship design. Hilarity at this blog post – BabyNamer.com Good insights at Top Ten Differences – Small town to megachurch Adam Hamilton asks the provocative question, In 44 Years U.S. UMC […]
This series is about your thoughts. Each day I will post a sentence starter and invite you to finish it. I hope that annual conference this year…
By now deviantmonk will be halfway through 30 days on 30 dollars. Read about the genesis of the idea here. Michael has a great top 10 list on church leadership at Some Things I’ve Learned So Far. Pastoral Wisdom is a gleaning of just that from conversations Will Willimon has had with retired pastors. What […]
Rev. Andrew Conard 