“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10a) When Mike Slaughter spoke at Hopewell UMC’s Planting Seeds for Ministry event back in 2015, I recall him repeating one of his favorite lines: “Our God does some of his best …
Managing the fast pace of change
“Your word is firmly fixed in heaven.” —Psalm 119:89b “The only constant in life is change,” Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher of the sixth century BCE, taught us. But when is too much change just too much for a system to …
Be Flexible
“Who knows whether he will not turn and relent?” (Joel 2:14a) The Washington Post, on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, in the midst of Advent, led off its Sunday Books section with an inquisitive, bold headline: “Can we still change each other’s …
‘Star Words’
It’s that time of year again to choose a new Star Word. What is a Star Word? It’s a tradition gaining in popularity where people choose life-guiding words on Epiphany Day (Jan. 6) or on Epiphany Sunday. This is a …
Drop by drop: Employ random acts of appreciation
“I do not cease to give thanks for you…” (Ephesians 1:16a) A recent card I received in the U.S. mail warmed my heart in an unusual and lingering way. It was an expression of thanks for something I had done—in-and-of-itself, …
What we have here is a need to communicate*
“We speak of these things in words—words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.” –I Corinthians 2:13 “What did you say?” Some of my best ministry ideas have gone …
Thankful Giving
In all this, I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35 …
Veterans Day: Honoring former Buffalo Soldier, revered church scoutmaster
As America honors its military veterans on Friday, Nov. 11, Wharton-Wesley UMC in Philadelphia, is proud that one of its own served during World War II in a U.S. Army unit with a special inherited history. Louis M. Stukes Sr., …
The best leaders champion their teams
“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,…let us RUN.” (Hebrews 12:1) When my granddaughter Mia scores an occasional goal during a soccer match, there is jubilation on the sidelines—her father, her grandfathers, all the wives and …
All Saints Day/All Saints Sunday
All Saints Day (Nov. 1 or All Saints Sunday, the first Sunday in November) is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place. We celebrate the communion …