Will We Finally Heed Wesley’s Warning? A Suggested Prescription for the United Methodist Church

The picture on the top of my blog is a picture of the life size (all 5′ 3″ ) of John Wesley. Along with the statue is a plaque with this quote, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.” Like a little kid on a long car ride, we continually ask ourselves are we there yet? Are we that dead sect that Wesley warned us about many years ago? My last blog mentioned some of the statistics of our dying congregation. Bishop James Swanson actually began a sermon to new UM pastors with this, “I hope somebody has told you that you are becoming a leader in a troubled, declining organization.” There is no denying that this is a critical time in the history of our church. The crucial question is how will we respond?

Now, what? A look into the UM Church

I love the United Methodist Church.  There I said it, and I mean it.  Now that doesn’t mean I love every aspect or decision of the church, but the capital-C Church is one area that God has given me a passion for.  Now, while I don’t believe the UM Church is for everyone, I do believe in what the church stands for and also whom the church stands for.  However, the Church is dying, or so we read.  We have lost over 3 million members in 30 or so years.  The sad news is that we are not just losing members, the leaders that we have are getting old.  In just 20 years, our young clergy (under 35) has shrunk dramatically from 5047 to 1198.  Many questions can be asked from just this previous paragraph.  Why?  How did this happen?  Whose fault is it?  But the most important question we can ask is: now, what can we do?

Wrigleyville: Our first trip to Wrigley

It’s been almost two weeks since Heather and I visited Wrigley Field. So, it is past time for a blog, but I guess I wanted to just hold those memories in my mind as long as I could. It’s interesting being a Cubs fan. I’ve been one now for 17 years. People often ask me how I became a Cubs fan. Let us begin with that story.

What will Bill Self do? A (mostly) balanced look at OSU and KU

There is no doubt that Bill Self is the number 1 candidate for the OSU job. Why would they have not talked to anyone else for one week after Sean Sutton resigned? Bill Self is their first option, and needless to say their best option. There is also no doubt that they will get their chance to make their proposal to Bill Self. He said as much yesterday saying, “If somebody from OSU calls me, I’m gonna take the call.” Oklahoma St. is his alma mater and in many ways, for a man who has moved around a lot, Stillwater could be home. As Kansas fans, you will read in the National Media, like here and here that Self would be only greedy for going to Stillwater. OSU fans like to believe in the charm of Stillwater (which there is), while not acknowledging that Lawrence is a similar kind of town with a similar rockin arena. So here is my take on what Self will be trying to decide. I’m an OSU fan, so there is that bias, and a hopeful one, so I like to wear my orange colored glasses, but I am not blinded by my allegiance to the university as many OSU fans are, so I hope that you Kansas fans will appreciate my bias, but appreciate more my insight, feel free to comment on how you think that I do.

A 2-day Adventure to Chicago.

Heather and I just visited Chicago for the first time earlier this week during our Spring Break.  We left at 6:30 A.M. on Tues. the 1st and got back in town at 1:30 early, early Thursday morning.  It was a great, quick trip!  A little background on why we decided to go.  About a month ago we attended a couple’s retreat and were encouraged to “go on some adventures” as a married couple.  So about 10 days before we left for Chicago, we had decided to go to Chicago, namely to watch the Cubs play, but also to experience the city of Chicago.  So we got tickets to the Cubs 2nd game of the season, and planned our great adventure. 

Soda Jerk

I thought that I would post an article from the Jessamine Journal about Tastebuds.  Neat little article for my family and friends to read about. 

My NCAA Tourney Bracket

I believe that those people in leadership have a responsbility to be transparant with how they live their life, so after the remarkable success of my “How to pick a winning NCAA Tournament Bracket.” with 300 people viewing that blog on Tues. night and Wed, alone.  Here are my picks for the Tourney. 

Keeping Updated with March Madness

One of the worst things about March Madness is that it is not an official national holiday.  Most of us have to work, go to school, or go to church (it is holy week and all) during this most important of sporting events.  So, for those of you who do not have the luxury of being seated on the couch for about 40+ hours over the weekend for all the games, here are some tips to keep updated with the NCAA Tournament.

How to pick a winning NCAA Tournament bracket.

It is the ultimate activity for bragging rights, the NCAA Tourney.  Whether you are male or female, young or old, spend hours picking your brackets or chose your teams by who would win a fight between the mascots, if so don’t pick the Eagles from ORU, anyone can fill out a bracket and have a chance to win.  In fact, a couple of years ago the winner who predicted George Mason to go to the Final Four did so because he thought they were George Washington.  So it is not rocket science.  It actually cannot be reduced down to a science, but there are some general principles that will help you win your bracket pool.

An Ode to Favre

Brett Favre retired.  About 10 years ago, I thought that the day that Favre retired would be a day of rejoicing for me.  A bit of history is needed.  I hated Brett Favre.  He was a 49ers killer.  His career record against the 49ers as a starter just 11-1!!  That has to be the best record of any starting QB against the 49ers in their history.  My deepest hatred for Brett Favre occurred the weekend of my birthday in 1995, when he lead his upstart Packers to an upset of my beloved 49ers.  (No thanks to a fumble by Adam Walker, a name that lives in 49ers Hall of shame, on the 1st play of the game).  Anyway the Packers knocked the 49ers out of the playoffs in 95, 96, and 97.  So this play in the 98 playoffs is one of the sweetest plays in my lifetime. 

However, my hatred for Brett Favre began to fade as 1. I matured and 2. the 49ers struggled. This combination allowed me to get a better perspective on life, but also on being a fan.  With that new perspective, I came to respect Brett Favre as much as I respected any other player in the NFL.  He was a great paradox of a player.  he had a great love and passion for the game, but he also held his family in great esteem.  This example was most evidently seen in his legendary Monday Night Football game the day after his father died.  He was a fierce competitor who hated to lose, but he had an uncanny ability to keep a perspective on the game, and so he always played the game with a smile.  He is the NFL all-time leader in wins, TD passing, and TD yards, but he will not be remembered for his numbers, but for the say he played the game.  The way he played encouraged me to be in paradox, a passionate 49ers fan while having greatly respecting and (even rooting) for number 4.  So, thank you Brett for playing the game the way you are supposed to.  And after thinking of your 11-1 record against the 49ers.  I hate to see you leave, but I’m glad to watch you go.