Circuit Writer

Here’s an excerpt from the Global Ministries mission bulletin insert for March 2010.  You can read the entire article here.

Faith apart form works is dead.  James 2:26

Many groups travel from the US to another part of the world on a mission trip. Some of these groups plan their trip with Global Ministries’ People to People Pilgrimages office in order to maximize their spiritual experience as well. One group from Atlanta, GA recently traveled to India.  One pilgrim wrote:

“One month ago today we were ringing in the New Year sitting half way around the world in the Christian Church of Mungeli, India.  Even though the words spoken were unrecognizable Hindi, there were some comfortably familiar sights as I gazed around the sanctuary:  wooden pews filled with worshippers, Bibles and hymnals in their hands; the open communion table; a temperamental sound system that worked intermittently, and the cadence of the Lord’s Prayer …

Read the rest of this story here.

This is my column for the Tahlequah Christian for the week of March 7-13.

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As I prepared to write a column for this week, I sat at my table surrounded by paperwork: a copy of my notes for the ordination council, an unfinished application for graduation, a calendar with dates for my friends’ already scheduled ordination services, and a reminder about the upcoming Regional Assembly in April. It suddenly struck me that perhaps this week I should take a break from the theological and focus on the practical, because I have a lot of news and information to share. continue reading…

This is a rather late posting of my column from The Tahlequah Christian for the week of February 28 – March 6.

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This last week I attended a public presentation entitled “Beyond Apologetics.”  (Also on Facebook.) The lectures, jointly sponsored by Phillips Theological Seminary and Brite Divinity School at TCU, were funded by a grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. This evening gathering convened a panel of scholars and pastors who are working on the question of ministering to and with people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. It was a fascinating set of presentations that challenged me to think differently about how we behave in community when we gather together as church. continue reading…