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I have access to a Methodist Hymnal that is dated 1939.   One of the items included in this book are detailed orders of worship.  It is interesting to see how our worship has changed and evolved in the past 90 years or so.  One of the aspects that especially stands out is after the sermon … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 5:38-48 For all intents and purposes I have been in a physical fight once in my life.  Growing up there were times when I rough housed, but only once did I act in a way that I intentionally try to hurt another person.   I was in 8th grade and it was on the … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 5:21-30 Over the years I have known several people who have worked as servers in restaurants, and there is a common theme I have heard from several of them:  Sundays are the worst days to work.   The reason for this was best captured in a picture from 2013.   It was a picture of … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 5:13-20 I can tell you in very specific detail what I will be doing in 166 days from now.   That afternoon, I will be going to Camp Lakewood to pick up my son from camp.  I know that I will be making that trip by myself, and I know this because July 24th, … [Read more…]

I love to play games and I am fortunate that I get to play a lot of hobby board and card games.   In order to play all of these games I have read a lot of rulebooks, and I know how to play a lot of different games.   The end result of all this is … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Psalm 27: 1;4-9 In 2005 we moved to Indianapolis.  We moved to the north side of the city so that I could take a youth ministry position and eventually start seminary.   One of the benefits of this position is that we were able to live in the house the church owned right next door.  … [Read more…]

Scripture:  John 1:29-42 John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, once famously said the world is my parish.  He went on to prove exactly what he meant by this.  In his day, the Anglican churches were empty far too often, so Wesley took the message to where the people were.   Following the lead of his … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 3:13-17 It was the summer of 2014, and I was fairly excited because I was going to get to perform a baptism in an actual river.  At that point, the only baptisms I had been a part of were sprinkling baptisms.  I looked up videos and read tips on the proper way to … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 2:1-12 Maybe it is because bad news tends to lead better, maybe it is because complaints are more likely to be voiced than things going fine, or maybe it is just a sign of the times.  I have noticed that over the past few years when we get to the point where one … [Read more…]

There is just something about the start of a new year that creates a new paragraph in our minds.   Fundamentally there is very little difference between December 30th of one year and January 2nd of the next, but for us it truly does feel like the turn of a new page.   For that reason we … [Read more…]