The holy season of Lent starts today with Ash Wednesday. Lent was originally a period of fasting and preparation for the baptism of new believers. This significant season of the year has evolved into a time of penance for all Christ-followers.
On Sunday, February 12, I had the opportunity to witness firsthand the United Methodist Church growing in North Alabama again. Twice on the same Sunday.
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"
I look forward to reading through the Bible together in 2023. May we encounter the living God often in Scripture as we read together.
Yes, we have experienced the season of Christmastide on many occasions. Yet we have not previously been in this particular Christmas season. The Christ Child’s birth continues to change lives.
Together, as the North Alabama Conference, we will continue our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Christ-followers are called to practice thanksgiving 365 days of the year. Indeed, we are reminded by Paul in Philippians 4:4 to “rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice.”
As we focus on discipleship, our hope barometer grows exponentially. After all, we are disciples of Jesus Christ, the Hope of the World.
I asked the North Alabama District Superintendents to add their voices to mine in naming reasons they are grateful for our clergy.
The focus during the 2022 “Bishop’s Days in the District” is on providing information related to discipleship, disaffiliation and continued affiliation in our conference and denomination.
I loved being at the 2022 North Alabama Annual Conference with you. It was great to be together in person again! I left the experience with several positive impressions.
I anticipate a powerful conference as we focus on the theme: Disciples Celebrating Discipleship. We will worship, hear reports of how God is moving among us, vote upon resolutions presented from various members of the annual conference and do business together.
I encourage each of us to take these or other appropriate actions in response to the violence that has become increasingly prevalent in our society. Our actions make a difference!
Yes, our hearts ache, God. When will the killing stop? When will the acts of hate and racism cease? When will we love as you love?
Maybe, like Mary Magdalene, we are so preoccupied with other matters that we fail to realize Jesus' many ways of being present in our lives. Then we hear him calling our name.
So, we United Methodists again are in a period of waiting for the next General Conference. What do we do while in this waiting posture?
My prayer is that we will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God is with us as we serve and lead together as United Methodists in the North Alabama Conference.
In moving through the Lenten season, we have the opportunity to pray, fast and wrestle with wilderness temptations and questions. As we do so, we grow and mature in character, take next steps in our calling and deepen our walk with God.
O God, We come before you today with heavy and troubled hearts about what is unfolding in Eastern Europe.
The four cornerstones to the North Alabama Conference cabinet's appointment-making process are: careful listening, cabinet conversations, prayerful matches and strategic transitions.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy is a reminder of the difference one person’s life can make, not only to those who know them best, but also to a country and world.
Is it possible that “all things new” includes not only the present and future, but also the past?
Jesus is more than a promise come true. Jesus is God’s Son. He is God come to Earth. He is the reason that we celebrate Christmas.
Tornadoes have wreaked havoc in parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and several neighboring states. Lives were lost, buildings destroyed and communities devastated. We want to do something to help those who are hurting.
“Advent is the time in the Christian year when we particularly watch and wait for God to break into our lives.”
Reading through the Bible together in 2022 is a way in which we open ourselves to experience God's presence and kainos new.
Our next Holy Land pilgrimage with Educational Opportunities will be June 28 - July 7, 2022, and is open to clergy and laity.
This is the perfect time for churches and community leaders to express their gratitude to the clergy in their lives.
Here we are twenty years later, still feeling repercussions from 9/11/01. The pain, sadness and fear linger in our lives, nation and world. We ask that You free us from the brokenness that remains with us as a result of that day.
My time of reflection and recalibrating allowed me to imagine a future with different rhythms as I enter a new season that includes additional responsibilities.
