Content from January 2025
Living Our Vision: Glorifying God Through Love and Faithful Service
A few years ago, I gathered our church leadership to walk through the development of a vision statement. This statement would become the focus for every future ministry decision made. We even had a sign company come in and place our vision in vinyl letters on a prominent wall. We said, “Whatever was on the wall, must be happening down the hall!” Armed with a large dry-erase board, we got started. The process centered on several questions. I would ask…
Fear Is Not My Future
Thoughts from a Worship Leader with Karlee Oliver “Fear is Not My Future” by Maverick City It’s taken me months to write this because of fear—isn’t that ironic? Fear convinces us that the worst is yet to come and clouds our ability to see the promise that lies ahead. What if we could shift our perspective? What if we embraced the truth that fear is not our future? Let Him turn it in your favor / Watch Him work it…
Why ‘Showing Up’ Matters in Living Out Your Faith
As a long-time United Methodist pastor, whenever someone desires to unite with our church membership, I ask the historical questions that make up our membership vows. By doing so, we call Christian believers to an active faith rather than a passive one. When we vow to uphold the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and testimony/witness, we commit to “show up” in tangible ways for God and His people. This act of showing up demonstrates our dedication to building…
The Christmas China
The Unlikely Messenger: A Slice of Life with Debra Brown The moody January sky cast shadows through the window on the glass of the china cabinet where my friend Joyce and I stood, staring at the contents inside. “Meredith’s generation is less attached to things,” Joyce said. “It’s not a reflection on her childhood. It’s not a reflection on how she feels about you or Allen.” I nodded. “But she doesn’t even want the Christmas china she’s used since birth,”…