Time For This To End: Bishop Bledsoe’s Decision to Appeal

Last updated on: July 27, 2012 at 12:49 pm By Christy Thomas

Will this never end? That’s what I asked myself upon hearing the not unexpected news that Bishop Bledsoe has filed an appeal to have his involuntary retirement overturned so he may return to active episcopal leadership. Full details of the appeal can be found here. The document flows with legalese, of course, littered with words and phrases like “unconstitutional, unlawful, violates, lack authority, failed, Bishop Bledsoe deprived, lacks jurisdiction.” Jesus Has Left the Building No where in there do we... Read more

Time For This To End: Bishop Bledsoe’s Decision to Appeal

Last updated on: July 27, 2012 at 12:49 pm By Christy Thomas

Mystery Worship Twelve: Memorial Services

Last updated on: July 24, 2012 at 6:48 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this the last of a series. Mystery Worship One is here; Mystery Worship Two is here; Mystery Worship Three is here. Four is here. Five is here. Six is here. Seven is here. Eight is here. Nine is here. Ten is here. Eleven is here. For weeks now, I’ve wandered into different churches in different places, seeking to learn how they worship, and how I experience different types of worship. Some were wonderful, some awful, most just ordinary. One in particular especially touched my soul. But worship takes place in other... Read more

Further Reflections on Bishop Bledsoe and the Nature of Grace

Last updated on: July 21, 2012 at 5:56 pm By Christy Thomas

The Nature of Grace I’ve got the whole concept of grace heavy on my mind today. In a world held together by a gracious God, I am more and more aware that we don’t always receive what we want and never receive what we deserve. Others have written eloquently about this subject, particularly Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ,”... Read more

Administration and Spirituality: A False Dichotomy

Last updated on: July 18, 2012 at 2:03 pm By Christy Thomas

Spiritual Maturity and Administrative Skills In the controversy over the decision to involuntarily retire Bishop Bledsoe, Mr. Don House, chair of the evaluation committee, said, . . . the committee was aware of “great things” in the North Texas Conference, and praised Bishop Bledsoe as “a gifted man, a dedicated Christian man in the church.” But he said the committee acted in the interest of the denomination. “We need excellent administrative skills, and that’s the primary motivation behind this – the health... Read more

Mystery Worship Eleven: A Missed Opportunity

Last updated on: July 17, 2012 at 11:23 am By Christy Thomas

Note: this is part of an ongoing series. Mystery Worship One is here; Mystery Worship Two is here; Mystery Worship Three is here. Four is here. Five is here. Six is here. Seven is here. Eight is here. Nine is here. Ten is here. On my first Sunday back in Texas, I decided to attend an Orthodox Church for my Mystery Worship time. With some research for preparation, I discovered that the Orthodox Church considers itself the only true church, and is not in communion with other Christian... Read more

A Twist on the Mystery Worship Series

Last updated on: July 15, 2012 at 1:59 pm By Christy Thomas

Since early May, I’ve been writing a “Mystery Worship” series were I’ve been visiting different churches and offering my experiences on this blog. Now, I discovered that in many ways, the church I serve, Krum First UMC, has been “Mystery Worshipped!” In late winter, I was contacted by a UNT journalism student who had been assigned to write a piece on the city of Krum. I think he emailed a number of people, but I was the only one... Read more

Short Cuts, Herbicides, Church Growth Techniques and a Swath of Death

Last updated on: July 14, 2012 at 6:11 pm By Christy Thomas

Flower Bed and Weeds As I continue my work of finding multiple parallels between church and garden, I find myself frequently returning to the issue of short cuts. The current picture: my long-suffering husband has built for me a massive number of flower and vegetable beds at the parsonage where we live as he is aware that my soul stays cleaner and healthier when my hands stay dirty and soil-stained. The two of us have a general division of duties... Read more

Silence, Sandusky and Subordination

Last updated on: July 13, 2012 at 1:53 pm By Christy Thomas

The Freeh Report Because of the release of the Freeh Report, multiple news organizations have offered more information recently on the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh, hired by Penn State to investigate, published a scathing report about the extent of the cover-up by university officials. Freeh concluded that those officials showed a callous disregard for the vulnerable youth because of their need to protect the football program at all costs. According... Read more

Mystery Worship Ten: Redeemer Presbyterian

Last updated on: July 10, 2012 at 3:31 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is part of an ongoing series. Mystery Worship One is here; Mystery Worship Two is here; Mystery Worship Three is here. Four is here. Five is here. Six is here. Seven is here. Eight is here. Nine is here. For Mystery Worship Ten, I choose Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. This church, begun in 1989 by a group of 15, had recently moved into its first permanent home ever. About 4500 people worship weekly at Redeemer now–with six different Sunday services. At this link,... Read more