Three weeks ago I retired as active clergywoman in The United Methodist Church. Does that make me un-active clergy? I’ll say this, I am certainly active for being non-active. Earlier today, I learned that I will take 4300 steps if I walk to a recycling center and then head in the opposite direction to a dollar-type store to pick up an incidental (today, a forgotten cleaning supply). Part of my reason for wanting to move to the downtown Denton area... Read more
In The United Methodist Church, most clergy moves generally take place in the summer, after our Annual Conferences. This traditional time, along with school year schedules and extended summer vacations, are relics of our agricultural roots. Summer months had to be set aside for the survival needs of crop care, sowing, harvesting, and preserving. It’s one of those traditions that is rarely questioned, but may have served its time. We hardly live in a rural, agriculturally dictated world any longer.... Read more
According to multiple news reports, Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey and someone who clearly covets the Presidential office, has declared, “I am not a bully.” Now, he made this disclaimer after the shocking revelations that his minions and closest advisors apparently decided to play havoc with a little town called Fort Lee, New Jersey. This town hosts feeder lanes to the George Washington Bridge, which connects New Jersey and New York City and is possibly the busiest bridge in the... Read more
It could be that the current move toward a more inclusive church is itself anti-biblical. To be truly biblical may mean we need to move to greater exclusivity. We may need to institute genitalia checks on every man who comes in. The Scriptures clearly state, “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord” (Deut 23:1). We also need to check and make sure no woman who is... Read more
Over Christmas, I saw, Philomena, a well-done movie of evil masquerading as good, the need for closure, the temptation for revenge, and the freedom of forgiveness. Major human life themes combined with great acting: compelling and captivating. The story revolves around an Irish woman trying to find her son, adopted nearly 50 years before. When she learns that he had been adopted by US citizens and grown up here, her immediate concern: “What if he is obese? The portions are... Read more
Although technically, my retirement doesn’t take place until tonight at midnight, for all effective purposes, I retired Sunday at 12 noon. I had picked this last Sunday of the year to say goodbye because it is normally a very low attendance Sunday and I figured I could be in worship with my congregation and then quietly slip out. For several years now, we have set the worship space in tables this day, invited people to bring food, enjoyed brunch together,... Read more
“My bags are packed, I’m ready to go . . . ” and thus starts one of my favorite songs from my younger days, Leaving on a Jet Plane. Yes, my bags are packed. In fact, essentially my whole life is packed, and safely stored for the time being. No jet plane, but indeed, “O babe, I hate to go.” For months now, I’ve been preparing for this goodbye with my retirement, official on Dec. 31,2013. I search for words to describe what... Read more
It’s about the poor and left out. That’s the main message of Christmas–doesn’t matter what religion or beliefs you hold, the center of this crazy, shopping-exhausted, fueled-by-adrenaline partied, frenzied decorated, over-the-top worship-extravaganzad day is that invisible, lonely, cast-out, poor and powerless people matter. We just tend to forget that in the stampede for the “perfect” Christmas, be it gift, meal, family, event or decor. Christmas is about the minimum-wage person who exhaustedly checked you out on the last-minute shopping. Christmas... Read more
I wrote this column last year and it turned out to be a huge hit on this blog, so decided to run it again this year. Dear Christmas Advice-Giver, Why are some of the religious Christmas Carols so sad when this is the season of happiness? I mean, really, “In the Bleak Midwinter?” Nothing like a downer. Aren’t we all supposed to be just super joyful right now? And what does “bleak” mean anyway? Signed, “Bleakless” Dear Bleakless, Here’s the... Read more
Yearly, members of the church I serve order poinsettias to decorate the worship center during Advent and into Christmas. We purchase them through a local non-profit agency that helps the impoverished in the area as part of their yearly fund-raising efforts. This year, I jokingly challenged the congregation to order lots of them to make sure that I got my December exercise, since this will be my last year to undertake the task of KEEPING ALL THOSE POINSETTIAS ALIVE UNTIL... Read more
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