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Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B - Lectionary Planning Notes
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Uncommon Wisdom Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
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April 2016
Apr
In my previous post I argued that United Methodist congregations need to adopt a rule of life that shapes how they form mission-shaped disciples. I recommend the General Rule of Di...
Julu Swen, Africa Representative, took this video of the new library at Gbarnga School of Theology in Liberia. The video starts at the entrance to the GST Campus and moves into the...
After a recent workshop on “writing your own obituary,” one of the participants said to me, “I have always been hopeful they will find a cure for death in my lifetime, so I will n...
Introduction I've had hymns, hymnals and congregational singing on my mind a lot over this past year or two. We at Discipleship Ministries and the Publishing House had been in nego...
Apprenticed to Jesus: Discipleship Practices for Growing Christians by Thomas R. Hawkins Upper Room Books, 2014, 160 pages I hear a lot of talk about discipleship. I hear it from p...
"Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but the stories that you tell,” declares marketing guru Seth Godin. I’m sure this is sound marketing advice. Stories meet us...
March 2016
Mar
The E-Readers for Theological Education Project continues. On March 29, 2016, DRI Africa Representative Julu Swen presented 36 additional e-readers to the administration of the Gba...
Robin Pippin and Julu Swen continued through West Africa from Nigeria to Sierra Leone, to deliver 18 e-readers to the College of Theology and Management and Church Training Centre ...
In February, Robin Pippin and Julu Swen delivered a total of 102 e-readers to the United Methodist Church in Nigeria in continuing efforts to enhance theological education througho...
The scriptures flow abundantly with stories and teachings about the connection between the Creator and creation. Within our faith tradition, time in the wilderness, solitary places...
The United Methodist Church’s mission is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which dis...
How could anyone write 300 pages on listening? That was my first thought when I was assigned to read a 300-page book on the topic. My assumptions included: listening is innate; ev...
“The seventy-two came back rejoicing” (Luke 10:17). “Came back rejoicing” describes the spirit of the North Katanga Publishing Team when we gathered in Kamina, Democratic Republic ...
February 2016
Feb
We are overconfident in our beliefs. That’s my one-sentence summary from Thinking, Fast and Slow. By beliefs, I am not referring exclusively to religious beliefs. I mean everything...
One District Superintendent’s Courageous Conversation regarding “whiteness” and understanding racism by the Rev. J. Patrick LenoxKane District Superintendent, Western Pennsylvania ...
Lent is historically 40 days (not counting the Sundays) of final preparation for baptism. “In early centuries, forty days was the time sufficient for converts to make their final, ...
Reason One: A Living Immersion in Christian Community and Practice Consider how uncommon the opportunity really is in our society for people to disengage from routines, responsibil...
Have you ever noticed the way people talk about their favorite team? If the team is doing well, fans will use the pronouns "we" and "us." "We are really running the ball well this ...
Have you already decided on your Lenten practice? Even if you have, I have a challenging Lenten practice that you might not have considered. I would not have considered it myself, ...
Disunity in Christ by Christena Cleveland IVP Books, 2013, 220 pages Who are the “wrong” Christians for you? If you had to make a list of beliefs or attributes of “wrong” Christian...