E-pistles
7/28/2010
In my previous E-pistle, I shared about the death of my mother and her funeral which was a wonderful celebration of her life. I want to share some of the things my mother taught me, not to be maudlin or overly sentimental, but simply to share those faith lessons which mean so much to me. Somehow writing has always been “therapy” for me, so please be patient with my sharing in such a personal way, or else hit the “delete” button (and I will never know you did not continue...
7/21/2010
My mother died last Thursday just about exactly two years after she suffered a massive post-operative heart attack and nearly died. In July of 2008 we all waited and prayed while she went through a total of thirteen cardiac arrests. More than once we were called together to say our good-byes, but Mom recovered and we all received two "bonus years" with her. It was not easy for her these past two years, and she struggled with a very weak and damaged heart. Yet her strong spirit kept...
7/12/2010
This past Saturday I attended a briefing of some religious leaders and other community leaders with Senator Richard Lugar. There were only a handful of us present, so it was a wonderful opportunity to sit with this amazing leader who is also a life-long United Methodist. Lugar is now 78 years old, very fit, and extremely sharp and articulate. His mental acuity is amazing.
The briefing dealt with Lugar’s hopes of getting the U.S. Senate to pass the NewSTART Treaty dealing with the...
7/9/2010
It is finally over. After months of hype, speculation, and gossip, we now know that LeBron James has decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and go the Miami Heat. ESPN agreed to give a full hour of TV coverage to a program titled “The Decision” so that LeBron could make his announcement.
Really? Is this the decision? Is it really that important?
The ESPN program was an extended example of narcissism as the sports commentators praised LeBron and then asked him simplistic...
7/1/2010
Last Saturday we had our first-ever Candidacy Retreat here in the Indiana Conference for persons who are just at the beginning of the process of exploring ministry in the United Methodist Church. This idea, which was first proposed by Rev. Sandy Harlan our Associate Director for Clergy Services, was a great way to follow up with persons who came forward during the “call to ministry” part of our ordination service at Annual Conference. It was also a great way to encourage persons who...
6/18/2010
I have been called for jury duty in July. As I think about serving jury duty, I feel the same way about that obligation as I do about any other “duty” in my life. If I believe in our justice system and the important right to a trial by a jury of my peers, then when I am called to jury duty I have to respond. Likewise when Bishop Hodapp asked me to be a District Superintendent in 1990, I found myself saying, “If I believe in our itinerant appointment system, then I have to take...
6/8/2010
Robert Putnam, in his book Bowling Alone, has identified a severe decline in all social group activities in the US culture in the past 30 years or so. He began by studying bowling, and noted that while the number of individuals bowling has increased in recent years, the number of persons participating in bowling leagues has declined about 35%. He went on to study all other kinds of social groups – churches, service clubs, alumni associations – all the groups which provide our...
6/1/2010
I heard this morning on a sports radio station that they are selling tickets to a game already played. The game was last Saturday, when pitcher Philadelphia Phillies Roy Holladay (known in some circles as “Doc Holladay”) pitched a perfect game verses the Florida Marlin’s – 27 batters up, 27 batters down. This is just the 20th time in baseball history (but the second this season) that a pitcher has accomplished this amazing feat.
Now left-over tickets are being sold from...
5/28/2010
One of the historic items for consideration at the Second Session of our new Indiana Conference will be a series of votes on forming a new foundation to support the ministries and work of United Methodists in Indiana. We currently have three United Methodist foundations in Indiana:
United Methodist Foundation of South Indiana, Inc.
North Indiana United Methodist Foundation, Inc.
United Methodist Foundation of Indiana, Inc. (formerly known as the Area Foundation)
These three...
5/12/2010
The movie “Pay It Forward” a few years ago told the story of a young boy whose school project was to “pay it forward” – to encourage people to do good deeds for others, and then to see how those good deeds were forwarded on to others. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it seems to be a principle of the Kingdom of God, as stated by Jesus, that it is better to give than to receive. Our giving is then often (no guarantees) rewarded by our receiving both the...
