Five Practices
Daily Devotionals
- Practicing Extravagant Generosity
- Forty Days of Fruitful Living
- Cultivating Fruitfulness
- The Balancing Act
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Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation – Day 2. The Destination
Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation
Day 2. The Destination
“The church is not the destination any more than the plane and a successful flight are the ultimate destination on your next trip.” Continue reading
Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation – Day 1. Shouts for Joy and the Sounds of Weeping
Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation
Day 1. Shouts for Joy and the Sounds of Weeping
Why do people resist change even when they know that old habits, attitudes, and systems are holding them back from doing greater good? Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged 30 days, 30 days of preparation, Call to Action, devotional, devotionals, general conference, ministry matters, remember the future
5 Comments
201. Pray for Us, Lord
Steve Cox, who serves as District Superintendent for the Heartland North and Pony Express Districts of the Missouri Conference, shared the following poem he wrote with the Cabinet during a Lenten devotional. Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged devotional, ministry matters, poem, Poetry, pray, prayer, steve cox
3 Comments
200. Remember the Future
The purpose of Remember the Future is to deepen understanding and further conversation about the key issues that shape our mission and future as a denomination. I hope the daily writings help focus the conversation on the mission of the church in Christ, and that they cause delegates at General Conference as well as local church leaders to continually remember the future! Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged annual conference, blog, Call to Action, general conference, ministry matters, remember the future
2 Comments
199. A Single Line
I wonder how many hundreds of sermons, lectures, essays, articles, and books I’ve read that try to describe the initiative of God’s grace in Christ that we call Advent? And how many songs, pageants, dramas, concerts, and paintings have attempted the same? Continue reading
198. We See a New Church
I recently spoke with some Bishops and members of the Interim Operations Team who are giving direction to the Call to Action. Often I return from meetings with a low-grade depression, the discussions confirming the intransigence of the church and the hopelessness of reversing the downward trends that challenge our mission. Not so with this meeting! Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged annual conference, Call to Action, churches, Council of Bishops, fruitfulness, growing churches
6 Comments
197. Reaching Out and Reaching Up
We’ve explored and experimented with two new large initiatives, and both are bearing fruit beyond what we could have imagined. Continue reading
196. Where were you on 9/11? And where are you now?
Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? Continue reading
195. Bishop Monk Bryan
I’m composing this within a few hours of hearing of the death of Bishop Monk Bryan at the age of 97. Monk Bryan is widely known to many pastors and laity in Missouri and across the connection. Continue reading
194. Don’t Let Worry Win
When serving as a pastor, I learned that I usually make my biggest mistakes when I’m tired. When I don’t attend to patterns of rest, sleep, exercise, and time away, and just keep grinding away at work day after day, I become more likely to say things I wish I could take back, make decisions that aren’t constructive, and foster an atmosphere that isn’t conducive to anyone’s best attitude and fruitfulness. Continue reading