Almighty God, We praise you as the ultimate source of all knowledge. Generation to generation you have shared your truth with your people through the prophets. King Solomon, the wisest man on earth, found you as the source of his wisdom. In your great mercy you sent us your Son, Jesus the Christ, to teach us the way to you. Jesus was often called rabbi, teacher. He came … [Read more...] about Prayer for Students and All Those Working With Students 2012
Ministry
Bloom Where You Are Planted?
A blog I have grown to appreciate is the Reverend Warren Bevacqua's The Wardog Blog. While I am not a fan of the name, I do appreciate Warren's thoughts on youth ministry and the resources he lifts up. His post on "Bloom Where You're Planted" brought up strong feelings in me. I strongly agree with the idea of making the best of the situation you find yourself in. Envy is … [Read more...] about Bloom Where You Are Planted?
Sanctimony, Schadenfreude, and Sin
I continue to struggle with processing the Penn State scandal. It is overwhelming to think of what Jerry Sandusky did to children at the university. When I ponder how he could be a member of a United Methodist church in my conference, I shudder. One of the few rays of hope in all of this is that the truth is slowly coming out and some semblance of justice is slowly being … [Read more...] about Sanctimony, Schadenfreude, and Sin
More Punishment, More Problems?
One of my biggest fears about the whole Penn State child sex abuse scandal is that in all our sanctimony and schadenfreude, we may be making future situations worse. Particularly in terms of transparency. Now that the NCAA has punished Penn State with massive penalties, I wonder if other institutions, in the future, will allow for independent investigations, create open … [Read more...] about More Punishment, More Problems?
Double Standard
The joy of seeing a well respected pastor from my annual conference elected bishop was tempered by tweets complaining that Bishop Webb was a white male. Here is the most egregious and overt tweet: I understand we need to be concerned about inclusivity. We need to wrestle with issues of power. As a church we need to worry about what voices are not being heard on all … [Read more...] about Double Standard