As I sat down to write this blog post, news started coming in of an active shooter at Mansfield Timberview High School. The Conference staff is joining with people of goodwill to pray for all those involved and that a peace-filled resolution to what...
Like most Americans, I can remember precisely where I was on the morning of September 11, 2001. I had been the Senior Pastor of University UMC in San Antonio for just five and a half weeks. That morning, I was preparing for a staff meeting when ...
As I did four years ago (and four year prior to that, and…), I ask the Christians of the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church to pray for our newly inaugurated President and Vice-President, our Senators and Representatives in the ...
Please see below for Bishop Lowry's message regarding today's mob protests at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. With you, I have watched today’s mob assault on the U.S. Capitol with horror and revulsion. We are a country built on the rule of ...
In my life, Christmas isn’t really Christmas until we sing two hymns as a part of Christmas Eve worship – “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World.” The words of “Joy to the World” sweep me away. “Joy to the world! The Lord is come; Let earth receive ...
There is something about the Advent time of year that evokes our interior longings and quiet reflection. Perhaps it is the music. Charles Wesley’s “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” settles over me. The lyrics, combined with the melody, reach deep ...
The signs and sounds of Christmas are all around. This year, the decorations came early. Locked down by COVID-19, we collectively, Christians and non-Christians alike, longed for a season of hope, joy and peace. Driving through our neighborhood, I ...
Periodically I am asked, "Should our work in missions (love, justice, and mercy) be focused at home in the communities in which our churches are located or should they be in extended mission work across America and the world?" My answer is always ...
Struggling with Sin Back in my seminary days one of the big intellectual fads that swept across America was a form of psychotherapy called Transactional Analysis (TA). It was built on the foundation of acceptance and appreciation of both yourself and...
[caption id="attachment_2280" align="alignleft" width="300"] from abqhomeblog.com[/caption] A good friend recently sent me a beautiful picture of a full moon appearing over the New Mexico Mountains. Attached was a comment about taking time to ...
The news of another terrorist shooting and the tragic deaths of so many in the Pulse Nightclub rocks all of us with its senseless hate-filled violence. It addresses us all on so many levels – unchecked gun violence (examples are many: Sandy Hook, a ...
Do you remember the typical first assignment for an elementary school student on returning to school in the fall? Growing up we often (virtually always) had to write a paper on “What did you do with your summer vacation?” It was a fun assignment. As ...
Last Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris and the subsequent actions seeking to bring the perpetrators to justice rightly captures our hearts and minds in a wide variety of ways. The sheer barbarism of the attacks spreads anxiety and fear among the ...