Pastor’s Ponderings

Last week, I mused about the value of spending time out in nature. On Sunday, I preached about the way in which all of us are called to care for God’s creation. I wanted to share with you a little bit more about that theme this week.   I fear that future...

Recently, I snuck away to be with a friend for a weekend camping trip. My friend could not take off days during the week right now, so I took off a Saturday and Sunday and we headed west to spend a short time in the George Washington Forest along the border of...

In this space, I try to offer some reflections on what it means to live as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ today, drawing upon our Methodist heritage, my understanding of the Bible, and my experience as an individual and as a pastor of several different...

The Baltimore Washington Conference has provided a tool for our congregation to learn about demographic and social patterns in the surrounding area. With a few clicks on the computer, I can pull up several detailed reports that indicate who lives within a 3 ½ mile...

What does it mean to mourn? In a recent article in The Christian Century, Yehiel E. Poupko shares the insight of Maimonides, a Jewish philosopher from the Middle Ages, on what it means to mark the death of another person.  Maimonides argued that every person is...

As I have been preparing messages on the Lord’s Prayer over the last few weeks, I have looked at a variety of ways in which the words in the Gospel are translated into English and how the church has used these words to shape its worship life. How we think about...

Many of us are familiar with Adam Hamilton, the popular author and Senior Pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas. The church is one of the largest congregations in the United Methodist Church. Member of that church are encouraged to be...

On Sunday mornings, I’ve been exploring The Lord’s Prayer through a series of sermons.  Here are a few helpful ways to use this familiar prayer. Think of it as a way to get a cold engine started. Recite the Lord's Prayer to "warm your spirit" so that you can more...

Over the last few weeks, I have been sharing ways in which we can grow in our discipleship. I talked about (1) prayer and worship, (2) serving God through serving others (3) studying the Bible and learning with others and (4) generosity. These have proven time and...

The disciples came to Jesus with a request: Lord, teach us how to pray.  Jesus responded with what we’ve come to know as “The Lord’s Prayer”. I learned the words as a young child, and they’ve been with me ever since. I have used this prayer in my daily private prayer,...