On Easter Sunday, Christians around the world bore witness to Resurrection, that nothing will ever be the same again. History is full of incidents where people sought to snuff out the movement of God, afraid that Jesus is on the loose. During Holy Week, we remember such a time when authorities were so scared of…
No More Apologies (or Labels)
"Oh, I'm not that kind of Christian." I have uttered those words more times than I can count. As a child, playing with neighbors, in the halls of middle and high school, in social gatherings in college, in offices I've worked in, and now, as an ordained minister, seemingly to most every person I meet.…
The Church’s Game 7 Moment
There has been a great article going around the web that originated with the Humans of New York site, written by a women in New York studying to be a rabbi. She makes the correlation between being in the crowd at an important baseball game and feeling the emotion and contentedness that comes when people…
Not Knowing What to Say, But Saying It Anyway- Random Thoughts on Gun Violence
To be honest, I am not quite sure what to say. Perhaps that is not the best way to start a blog where you are trying to say something. So, this may seem like a post made up of random thoughts. I think that's okay. I know many people do have a lot to say when…
Real People Real Problems Real Help- Loneliness
There is a stretch of Route 50 as you travel through Nevada that has been dubbed "the loneliest road in America." That particular stretch of road spans desolate terrain marked by several large valleys and basins. There are long distances between the small towns along the road and travelers rarely see other cars. One has…
Unsung Heroes: Jairus
Even though it has been six years, I vividly remember walking into the retreat center for my first Bethany Fellows clergy retreat. Walking into a group of people who are some of our church's best and brightest young clergy can be intimidating. I felt the self-inflicted need to have it all together so that people…
We Have a Problem
I'm spending the week in the beloved community we know as church camp and we try to stay away from the news as much as possible while here, however several of us caught the video of a pool party in McKinney, Texas. The images of a police officer pointing a gun at a group of…
From Danny- Unsung Heroes: The Holy Spirit
5 year old Josiah Faulk was asking his mom questions about a man slumped over at an Alabama Waffle House. He couldn't figure out why the man was slumped over and why he had no food. His mom tried to explain to her Josiah that the man probably did not have a home nor did…
Religious Trends and the End of American Idol
That sound you hear is the mainline Protestant church in a panic. Actually, it probably most Christian groups in the United States. The Pew Forum, which is a leading research institute, just released a study of American religious trends. Here's a spoiler alert- on the surface, it's not particularly good. You can read the whole…
Thoughts from a Visit to Cherry Log
I spent yesterday in the mountains for North Georgia at Fred Craddock's funeral. As Sharon Watkins wrote, "it's hard to imagine the Disciples without Fred Craddock." So true and evidenced by the large number of people who packed into the Sanctuary at Cherry Log Christian Church to celebrate his life. The service was expertly crafted…
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