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Today is Good Friday – the people and events of this not-so-good day we’ve been studying throughout Lent. No matter where this finds you today, I hope you find a way to mark this day distinct amongst other days. Perhaps you’ll fast from 9am-3pm today or stop by the sanctuary during those same hours for prayer. Maybe as the kids get out of school early you share the story of Good Friday with them in an age-appropriate way. Maybe you’ll share in worship tonight at 7:30pm in-person or online.Read More →

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. . . So here is my chili recipe. There is no theological lesson or deep spiritual meaning behind the ingredients. I’m just sharing a favorite fall/winter recipe that I’ve adapted from the website Simply Quinoa. Don’t get me wrong, chili can be serious business and cause heart burn, but not as serious as matters of life and death. This chili recipe does not require serious cooking skills, nor does it give me heartburn. Read More →

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Jesus often went up to the mountain to pray – Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12, John 6:15. As this is being published, I am wrapping up my time in the Wet Mountains of southern Colorado filled with prayer and planning for preaching, teaching and worship for 2023. I’ll be flying home late tonight.  The picture is a view from off-the-grid cabin I stayed at with my best friend, who is also a UM Pastor. I have felt your prayers for and during this retreat. Thank you!Read More →

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n my hot summer recap video from a few weeks ago, I spoke about how I thought we would look back upon the summer of 2022 ten years from now and realize that’s when God started turning things around for UMCG. After this weekend, I feel that way even more.Read More →

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ICYMI, (in case you missed it) we’re in the preaching series on grace in country music. I’m teaching about John Wesley’s understanding of how we experience God’s grace in four ways and how each experience of grace can be reflected in country music. Country music isn’t the only kind of music we can see grace reflected in.Read More →

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June commemorates (LGBTQ) Pride Month that is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. If you don’t know, the Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. This movement advocates for LGBTQ rights locally, nationally, and globally.  United Methodists also support and advocate for equal rights for all persons regardless of sexual orientation. In our Social Principles we boldly state that:  “Certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due [to] all persons. We are committed to supporting those rights and liberties for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation.Read More →

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How to Witness to Your Faith In case you missed it, this past Sunday was Confirmation Sunday. We had the joy of 11 students from three different Confirmation classes making a profession of their Christian faith and how they plan to live out their faith through the life of the United Methodist Church of Geneva. The collection of these student witnesses is truly inspiring. Seriously, if you missed it, I strongly recommend you spend even just a few minutes watching and receiving their testimonies. You can click here to watch their collective witness on our YouTube channel.   My pastoral experience tells me those reading thisRead More →

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United Methodists on Abortion With the recent leak of the draft SCOTUS ruling on Roe v. Wade, the question about what United Methodists believe about abortion and women’s rights has been coming up in conversation recently.  United Methodists develop positions, or Principles, on matters in our Social World: by gathering a global team to discern, draft, study Scripture and pray over the many important social concerns facing our world today. Using our Wesleyan Quadrilateral, a team drafts a statement that is then later considered, adapted and voted upon by the General Conference of The United Methodist Church, which is the only body that can speakRead More →