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Equipping World-Changing Disciples
January 2025
First Sunday after the Epiphany / Baptism of the Lord, Year C - Lectionary Planning Notes
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January 19, 2025
Where You Are: Embracing the Familiar Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C
January 26, 2025
Where You Are: Embracing the Familiar Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C
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December 2012
Dec
The third annual Wesleyan Leadership Conference met at the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville, TN November 1-3, 2012. Dr. David Lowes Watson was the keynote speaker. His to...
The following is the New Testament lesson for Monday in the first week of Advent from A Disciple’s Journal 2013:2 Peter 3:1-18 (NRSV)The Promise of the Lord’s Coming This is now, b...
How many of you have ever waited for someone or something? How many of you have ever watched for a loved one to come home late at night? What did that waiting and watching feel lik...
November 2012
Nov
Another season of Advent is upon us. It is a season of waiting, preparation and hope. During the four weeks of Advent the church prepares to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by ...
Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer!What you are about to read in this and the next post are generalizations about brain chemistry and its implications for worship. What I am propos...
Most congregations believe they are open and welcoming places. They strive to be communities that welcome and accept all people. Of course, some do this better than others. After a...
October 2012
Oct
Like the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, Hurricane (SuperStorm) Sandy raises or should raise huge theological questions. And therefore equally huge questions about what it means to pray...
In the mid 1950s the Latin American Mission, worried about the failure of churches to grow, studied three diverse movements that were rapidly growing in their context: Communism, J...
The Goal of Worship PlanningIn worship, we Christians "offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice" (UMH, p. 10). By the phrase, "we offer ourselves,"...
September 2012
Sep
One of my all time favorite movies is The Lord of The Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. The films are based on the novel of the same name written by J.R.R. Tolkien. The focu...
August 2012
Aug
"...class leaders and class meetings were the genius of the original Methodist movement. They were a highly effective means of pastoral nurture and oversight, first in John Wesley'...
The NeedOver the past 6 years, our three worship staff at GBOD have offered a variety of solutions to help our congregations and ministries celebrate both Advent and Christmastide ...
In the Wesleyan tradition lay men and women who were mature and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ were the people called upon to lead the mandatory small groups known as “classes....
July 2012
Jul
Coaches strive to bring out the best in the players on his or her team. A good coach helps a person do things he or she never thought possible. They accomplish this by teaching the...
Companions, I freely admit I'm a science geek. I set an alarm to wake me a little before 3 A.M. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 4 to watch the live webcast of the seminar and press releas...
June 2012
Jun
Tue. 28 June 1775. This being my birthday, the first day of my seventy-second year, I was considering, How is this, that I find just the same strength as I did thirty years ago? Th...
In the Ordinal of The United Methodist Church (PDF), we ask all candidates for ordination, commissioning, and recognition of orders the following question as part of what we call "...
I'm just back from a week of teaching at the Conference Center of the Central Congo Episcopal Area in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was the second of three spiritu...
“Rather than pastoral care or doctrinal instruction, disciples setting out in the Christian life need a helping hand from someone who knows the way ahead just a little better than ...
Develop a Discipleship System
