Sermon: Divine Teamwork

"Divine Teamwork" (May 26, 2013) The idea of God as Trinity is complex and hard to make sense of. Ultimately, I think it's unimportant-- unless it can tell us something about God and something about how we are to live. I think it does this: by describing God as complex and in relationship and community,…

Sermon: Just Breathe

  "Just Breathe" (May 19, 2013 - Pentecost) Just as in Hebrew and Greek, our English word for "spirit" is linked to words for breathing. Can we take some time to simply breathe in the Spirit and let that in-spire and move us? (Acts 2:1-21)

Sermon: Break the Chains

"Break the Chains" (May 12, 2013) This phenomenal story from the Book of Acts invites us into the heart and experience of those who have been complicit in oppression, and reminds us that the chains of bondage and oppression bind both the jailers and the jailed. The true power of God lies not in the…

The Great Divorce: Tension and Schism in the UMC

This blog post is part of a synchblog today on the topic of schism in the UMC. Please share your thoughts here, on the DreamUMC website, on your blog or facebook page, and tonight at 9 pm eastern on Twitter as we chat together. ----- Sadly, I have recent experience with splitting up. It's not…

In Loving Tension (of Ogletree, McLee, and the UMC)

I get headline notifications on my smartphone from both NBC news and the AP. This means that I can have Olympic results spoiled, know who won a country music award for music I dislike, and be in the know about the deaths of celebrities I've never heard of, all in nearly real time (which is…

Sermon: God’s Gardening

"God's Gardening" (May 5, 2013) The Biblical story is filled with gardens, always conveying humanity's flourishing-- or lack thereof-- as we seek to live before God and with one another. Although we may feel like we have been cut off from the blessing and abundance all around us, the story is not complete; the story…

A Year Ago…

A year ago, I broke a loaf of bread. A year ago, grace again was shortchanged, voices again were silenced, division again went unnamed. A year ago, hearts broken and sealed and scarred over were broken again in places familiar and new. A year ago, the Body of Christ was broken. And so I broke…

Sermon: The Divine Why

"The Divine Why" (April 28, 2013) Like children and teenagers, in trying to understand our purpose and mission, we must constantly ask "why?" and "so what?". In living out God's vision for life made new, however, the why is clear-- so that we may live in abundance in God's presence. God has no hidden motive…