When does a religious movement take on the characteristics of a destructive cult? And why do people need to take extreme positions? I’ve been pondering that while considering a strange trial in Ohio. On trial are Amish Bishop Samuel Mullet along with 15 of his followers. The charge: invasion of another Amish community and desecration of its members by cutting off their beards (for the men) and hair (both men and women). Please note that to the Amish, such acts... Read more
“All you can do is pray.” I said this to our Children’s Day Out (CDO) director this past Thursday after a conversation about the increasingly desperate need to purchase a van. The program, CDO, had simply exploded, particularly in the last 20 months when it moved from preschool to a full-service daycare, including before and afterschool care. Which also means transporting a lot of students each day. Determined fundraising had netted about $12,500, but a really good quality and safe... Read more
I can’t get through this week without commenting on the political campaigns. Two weeks, two National Conventions, and the airways spew impossible promises, nastiness, low blows and the usual mud-slinging. Yet both parties claim to be full of decent human beings and aiming for the most upright of principles. Ten things I find useful to keep in mind. Perhaps they will help others. 1. The President is NOT the Messiah or the Savior. He (and perhaps someday, she) is and... Read more
A racist conference? I don’t think so. This is not the career path of a man who has been held back by race. It is the career path of very, very few clergy in our connection. It is a path of privilege and of increasing prestige, responsibility, and financial comfort. If race has ever been a factor, it was a factor in his favor, not against it. Are we a racist Conference (North Texas) and Jurisdiction (South Central)? An extraordinarily... Read more
Sleep. We all need sleep. Several health articles hit the news this week about the necessity of good sleep, particularly for adolescents and for the elderly. Teens who compromise their sleep also seriously compromise their ability to learn. And because the wisdom that goes with age has yet to be developed, they are not able to see that going without sleep is hurting them so seriously. Older adults apparently run a far greater risk of developing forms of dementia, including... Read more
I’m sure that many have heard of this horrific situation in Pakistan. A full story can be found here, but the quick summary is this: an eleven year old Christian girl with Downs Syndrome was seen holding a burned copy of Noorani Qaida, a religious textbook used to teach the Koran to children. After some neighbors reported this to a cleric, the child and her mother were arrested. They are in danger of facing the death penalty. Even if they escape... Read more
There is probably not even one halfway awake person in the US who has not heard about the comments made by a formerly obscure candidate in Missouri for a US Senate seat. Last Sunday, Todd Akin suddenly burst from his obscurity with a comment so hateful to women and so stupid in reasoning that I wouldn’t be surprised if a new phrase is formed. Can’t you hear it now? “Oh boy, I just did an “akin.” People might utter that... Read more
Let’s face it: July and August are always hot and miserable months, although this summer has been far from the worst. And a wonderful thing has taken place three times in the last several weeks: we saw rain. I was home for the first rain. I sat outside and watched it descend. The elephant ears bobbed up and down with the drops. The rain spouts from the gutters flowed with water, directing it on to flower beds. I sensed even... Read more
Is it gracious to let a fox loose in a henhouse? I believe most of us would say a hearty “no” to that, but think about it a moment. Assuming for just a moment that foxes can talk, suppose a fox comes to you, the henhouse owner, and says, I know I’ve had some problems in the past, and may have possibly caused harm to a few of your plump little hens. However, all that took place when I was... Read more
For three months now, I have traveled, rested, prayed, written, reveled in family time, read, walked, worked in gardens, and regained health. I now return to the work I love and have missed, serving as pastor to Krum First United Methodist Church. I thank this group of generous people who supported my time away. I am beginning my seventh year here, and it was time for a real Sabbath rest. All of us are built for periods of rest. We... Read more
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