Uncategorized (Page 6)
Stewardship & Saints
I confess that today is a difficult day. While this will be read in October, I write in late September on the 30th anniversary of my mother’s death. And so it’s a difficult day. And I am reminded of all those who have lost loved ones with an understanding that the time of grief does not lessen the hurt. Yes, it gives us tools we can use to manage our aching, but – for me – to claim that the…
New
God continues to make things new. Let us celebrate the newness all around us, and continue to open our eyes and hearts to discover God’s ongoing work.
Expectations
I’m beginning to realize something as we’re nearing the halfway point of the summer. First of all, why is it the halfway point of summer already??!? But I digress… At the beginning of June just before my children finished the academic year, I was looking forward to some relaxation. I set myself up with the expectation that the summer months would be a time to relax a bit, a time where there are fewer meetings and fewer activities. And then…
Extravagant Hospitality
This past month, United Methodists of the California-Pacific Annual Conference gathered once again at the University of Redlands for worship, fellowship, and the business of the Annual Conference. While you will surely read more about some of these events from the many representatives from PB UMC, I want to highlight one small portion of the Annual Conference that I think can have great implication for discerning where God may be calling the people of PB UMC. A good percentage of…
Camping Changes Lives
As we look toward the summer months, we are closer to our children and youth being out of school. This is – of course – a time that many children and youth see for freedom, a break from schedules, and an opportunity for a bit more independence and self-discovery. What better place for this than camp? To be honest, I mostly missed camp as a youth. I went one year when I was in Junior High, and there was no…
Discipleship – Part II
In our continuing discussion of Discipleship, we have been exploring the meaning of discipleship specifically in the context of the community here at Pacific Beach UMC. After last month’s post about discipleship, we have continued to have great conversations, and several members and friends of PB UMC have asked intriguing questions.
Discipleship
A recent question came in through the church office that I would like to address here rather than in worship because it connects with some ongoing work that some PB UMC leaders are doing. The question submitted is: What is a disciple?
Why I Believe
A friend of mine who is a pastor at a United Methodist church in Santa Barbara asked me to join with others in a written series he was assembling called “Why I Believe.” The series explores the choice – and indeed it is a choice for each of us – to live a life of faith. You can see the original post here. We are in the season of Lent, a time where Christians around the world take time for…
More
More. It seems like we’re always looking for more. And in a consumer-driven culture like ours, the idea of always looking for more can be harmful if we’re not careful…
Questioning God
Happy second month of the New Year!! No, I don’t have my calendar wrong. Of course it’s January, and of course this is when we most commonly celebrate the New Year. But did you know that – according to the Christian calendar – we started our new year back on November 30, 2014? The Christian year starts with Advent, the season of prepa- ration that culminates in Christmas. We then move through the twelve days of Christmas (and a partridge…