I've been thinking lately about a question that Jesus answers in one of His most famous parables: What kind of God is waiting for us? It's a question that seems especially important in a world where many people are suspicious of religion, skeptical of churches, and uncertain what they believe about God. As I've pondered … Continue reading I’m Glad You’re Here
Ordered Grace for a Disordered Age: A “Benedict Option” for the Global Methodist Church
January 20, 2026 (first published in Firebrand Magazine) Photo by awelgraven A Pastor’s Lament A Methodist pastor I know recently wrote, “The churches I know about that I’d be willing to uproot my family for are Reformed Calvinist or Roman Catholic. I think there should be Wesleyan/Methodist churches that work like that.” As a retired … Continue reading Ordered Grace for a Disordered Age: A “Benedict Option” for the Global Methodist Church
“I Wonder What Jesus Thinks About All This?”
Advent, Idolatry, the Coaching Carousel, and the College Football Playoffs Seen From Heaven Well, the College Football Playoff tournament for NCAA Division I FBS football is now set, with the first round on December 19th-20th. It will all culminate in the National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on January 19, 2026. Certainly there … Continue reading “I Wonder What Jesus Thinks About All This?”
I Wonder What the Fans Are Doing Now?
Advent, Outrage, and Our Idolatry of Football I wonder what the fans are doing now. Not the coaches. Not the athletic directors. Not the boosters.The fans. Because as soon as Lane Kiffin floated his “I need to go home and pray about it” line at the Egg Bowl podium, a curious spiritual phenomenon swept across … Continue reading I Wonder What the Fans Are Doing Now?
I Wonder What Coach Lane Kiffin Prayed?
Advent, Idols, and the SEC Coaching Carousel The Advent season is a time of holy waiting, a season when Christians lean forward toward the Coming One—the Child whose arrival dismantles kingdoms, reorders loyalties, and reminds us that glory is never where we think it is. At least, that’s the theory. In practice, Advent tends to … Continue reading I Wonder What Coach Lane Kiffin Prayed?
Stable Itinerancy: Wesley’s Counsel for a Rootless Age
Reclaiming the Wesleyan Way of Formation, Stability, and Mission – Part Two In my previous post I noted that a pastor recently remarked, “The churches I know about that I’d be willing to uproot my family for are all Reformed Calvinist or Roman Catholic. I think there should be Wesleyan churches that work like that.” … Continue reading Stable Itinerancy: Wesley’s Counsel for a Rootless Age
Ordered Grace for a Disordered Age: A “Benedict Option” for the Global Methodist Church
Reclaiming the Wesleyan Way of Formation, Stability, and Mission I. A Pastor’s Question A Methodist pastor I know recently wrote, “The churches I know about that I’d be willing to uproot my family for are Reformed Calvinist or Roman Catholic. I think there should be Wesleyan/Methodist churches that work like that.” My initial response was … Continue reading Ordered Grace for a Disordered Age: A “Benedict Option” for the Global Methodist Church
Deconstruction of the “People Known As Methodists”
Becoming Like Whitefield’s ‘rope of sand.’ It is probably not an understatement to say that most Methodist pastors of whatever tribe have heard the following quote at least once. It is attributed to George Whitefield, an Anglican Priest who, along with Charles and John Wesley, was one of the founders of the Methodist movement. Regarding … Continue reading Deconstruction of the “People Known As Methodists”
Checking Your Spiritual Vitals
"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." – 2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV) Reflection:Every morning, you may check your blood pressure, count your pills, or log your steps. These are good habits—wise, even. After all, your heart matters. But as you place the cuff around your arm and monitor your physical … Continue reading Checking Your Spiritual Vitals
A Plea for Peace in a World Addicted to Division
We are living in a time when grief is politicized, disasters are opportunities to score points, and basic disagreement too often escalates into scorched-earth warfare. We experience this every day, but I recently experienced it firsthand. At my father's funeral—held in the church he loved, and sadly left due to warfare in the United Methodist … Continue reading A Plea for Peace in a World Addicted to Division
Opa's Haus 