Diary of a Delegate: End– or Beginning– in Sight

It's my last official day of work before General Conference. The phone is ringing constantly with church work and with people calling delegates for last minute legislative pitches. It's actually kind of fun in a strange, stressful way. Here online, I want to give another thanks to UM Insight for reposting my thoughts on bullying…

Inspiration and Hope: Why I am part of MFSA

I am part of the Methodist Federation for Social Action because it both inspires me and gives me hope. For me, MFSA lifts up the greatest strengths and addresses the greatest areas of weakness in my denomination. One of the biggest things that drew me to The United Methodist Church as a college student was…

Why are you part of the Methodist Federation for Social Action?

Since 1907, the Methodist Federation for Social Action has worked to mobilize clergy and laity within The United Methodist Church to take action on issues of peace, poverty and people’s rights within the church, the nation and the world. This mission has attracted a diverse cross-section of United Methodists, for a variety of reasons. Why…

You’ve got to be carefully taught

The other day, my daughter asked me about Abraham Lincoln at breakfast. I explained who he was, and why he was important, which led to a conversation about slavery. I don't think she believed me when I described that people had once bought other people to do work for them. I didn't even get into…

Of Connection and Commandment

"A new command I give you: Love one another; as I have loved you, so you must love one another." That's how Jesus sums up his message to his disciples in John 13:34. But sometimes it's unclear how to best live out that love. I was contacted today by Mary Jacobs, who works for the…

That’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion.

I've been pointed to a fantastic discussion on Newsweek's website about disbelieving clergy, and a corresponding study from Tufts University about clergy who have "lost faith in their tradition." Friend and fellow blogger Jeremy has a great exploration of this article in his blog post on the subject, playing on the questions of how clergy…