This week I’ve been thinking about the Tower of Babel. Do you know the story? 

In the beginning all of God’s people had one language and the same words. They migrated together to a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They decided, when there, to build a city. This city would have a tower that reached to the heavens. So the people built a city and a tower that, indeed, reached the heavens. God saw this, and said, “Look! They are one people and they have one language; this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do now will be impossible for them.” 

The story of these days is a truly disturbing one.

This week we follow the story of a man arrested under a shroud of secrecy, for no clear crime.

“What accusation do you have against this man?” it is asked. The accusers don’t care to provide a steady answer.

It’s for the greater good, the authorities say to themselves. He is dangerous, he threatens our order of life, we must deal with him swiftly, they think.

Instead of releasing those whose crime is uncertain, they petition to release the insurrectionist.

As Diana Butler Bass summarizes, this week we follow the story of a government who “seizes an innocent man, tortures and jails him on trumped-up charges that change during a manipulated ‘legal’ process. The prisoner is left at the mercy of dehumanizing politicians and jailers to do what they please.”

It is Maundy Thursday. It is Thursday, April 17 in America.

In just days, we’ll live it like it’s the first time: palm branches will wave in the air and lay on the ground, the table of God’s grace will be set, the story of the cross will be read again, and we’ll wait what bated breath for what resurrection Easter Sunday will bring. Somewhere in the mix, a few thousand easter eggs will be scattered and (hopefully) found as well!

The ability to change one’s mind is quite possibly the most underrated personal trait.

Detractors call it waffling, inconsistency, lack of confidence, weakness of character - or in extreme circumstances, even betrayal. Proponents know it as cognitive flexibility. The Catholic Church calls it a “clarification.” I call it the greatest leadership skill you can have.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37)

Disaster relief is something that follows you. Whenever a healthcare provider asks me how long it has been since my last tetanus shot, I do the mental math on how long it has been since Hurricane Harvey. The heavy-duty overalls hanging in my closet (specifically used for post-ice storm, post-tornado, post-hurricane, post-fire, post-flood work) remind me of the many times when we dropped everything and started coordinating recovery plans because there were people and communities who needed help clearing debris, ripping out flood-contaminated dry wall and carpet, or bleaching the already molding places of their home or church.

Winding through the Old City of Jerusalem, the Via Dolorosa represents the path to the cross. In Jerusalem, this route is marked by 14 Stations of the Cross, positioned from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In church halls, sanctuaries, along corridors, and in gardens around the world, different versions of these stations have been created for centuries.

As I assume it is for most partners in the same industry, Paul and I have some very niche home conversations.

As I assume it is for most partners in the same industry, Paul and I have some very niche home conversations.

2025 has already been a full year in the life of our community – even if you don’t count politics!

Paul and I are back from a whirlwind journey to my mother’s motherland: the Philippines. My mom didn’t have the luxury of leisure, so we explored the places she didn’t get to go:

This southern gal gets excited when snow of any kind falls from the sky – we didn’t have much snow where I grew up and a snow day was almost like a once-in-a-lifetime event (okay, three times a year).

In case you missed it this week, the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops released this statement calling for love, unity, and support for one another during this time in our history. 

Dear Friends,

Once a month in the 10:30 service and weekly in the 8:30 service we celebrate The Great Thanksgiving together. These times are the most holy times in worship for me.

This is a Word not only with the pastor, but also with your Staff Parish Relations Committee.

The United Methodist Church operates on a quadrennium schedule. This means that all the laws, rules, policies, and practices of the United Methodist Church globally are updated every four years.

Sunday’s scripture comes from Isaiah 43:
Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you.

We Methodists have no shortage of traditions to ring in at the very beginning of each year:

Biblically, it’s a little early to be talking about stars in the sky. We haven’t gotten to that part of the story yet; Epiphany isn’t for another couple weeks!

I have shared before that there is no slow season of ministry. If you trick yourself into thinking summer is the slow season, you will be caught completely off guard by service-learning trips, Methodist conference season, annual programming plans, and clergy transitions.

How does a weary world rejoice? 

This is the question we are wrestling with as we travel through this Advent season.