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Scripture:  Matthew 13:1-9;18-23 It is often the case that actions taken with the best of intentions lead to unforeseen consequences.   This was definitely the case when as part of the New Deal the Civilian Conservation Corps began a project to help with soil erosion.  In the 1930’s after the disastrous dust bowl that impacted the … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Romans 8:26-39 William Thomson, or as he was better known by his noble title, Lord Kelvin was something of a scientific renaissance man.  He began his career in mathematics before becoming incredibly interested in the applied mathematics of physics, and towards the end of his life moved to making innovations in engineering and he … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 11:25-30 I have a bad habit of saying “yes”, and that can sometimes get me committed to doing all kinds of things.  For instance all the way back in 2015 I was asked to be on the District Committee on Ministries for the Southeast district and I said yes. The DCoM is the … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Genesis 22:1-14 At this point we have probably all heard and rolled our eyes at the old joke that goes like this:  The doctor says to the patient, “What seems to be the trouble?”   Raising his arm, the patient says, “It hurts when I do this.”  The doctor says, “Then don’t do that.” Even … [Read more…]

Last month, the United Methodist Churches of Indiana met for Annual Conference.  This multiday gathering is to do the business of the church, make decisions that impact all of United Methodist Churches in the State, and renew the connection of those together as the people called Methodists in Indiana.  One of these connectional pieces was … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 10: 24-39 After seventeen seasons, the show went off the air in 2019, but do you all remember Who Wants to be a Millionaire?   This game show tasked a person to answer multiple choice questions in an effort to reach a million dollars.   The show broke new ground, because the contestant could always … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 9:35-10:8 Often the word missionary brings up images of a faithful disciple who has traveled overseas to a foreign county in order to bring the good news of Jesus Christ and help make converts of the native peoples.  While there are missionaries that focus on medical and justice issues this more evangelistic model … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 28:16-20 In 1992 Francis Fukuyama published a book that has an odd distinction of being both incredibly influential and incredibly obscure.  The book entitled The End of History and the Last Man is obscure because there is a good chance that you have not heard of it.  It is an academic political philosophy … [Read more…]

This month I will spend a week helping to lead Jr. High church camp.  This year at camp we are going to be focusing on exploring the Christian faith through questions, and every day of camp will have a “BIG question.”   On Tuesday the big question to consider and discuss is “Who am I?”   That … [Read more…]

Scripture:  1 Corinthians 12:4-13 Since I grew up as a pastor’s kid, that meant we moved every few years and I started a new school while in high school.   I decided that I wanted to be involved with this school’s drama productions.  However, I quickly learned there was an unwritten rule.  Kind of like here, … [Read more…]