Thoughts on John Wesley, UMC, life, faith, and anything else!
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The High Cost of Evangelism
I find myself in a denomination that is concerned about it’s life. In North America, attendance is down, membership is down, churches are closing and it seems like it is a stretch to find things to celebrate. Statistics are watched closely. Any church that has growth is studied and, at times, used as a model.…
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Discovery
I’m discovering that it is possible to fail, yet succeed. Sometimes we try so hard to succeed at things that, in the end, just don’t matter that much. The danger is that we succeed in those things, yet fail at the things that really matter. I’m discovering that it is possible to lose, yet win.…
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Wesley on Good Works before Justification
Reading through Wesley’s sermon “Justification by Faith” and ran across this nice quote where Wesley addresses “good works” before one is justified: 5. If it be objected, “Nay, but a man, before he is justified, may feed the hungry, or clothe the naked; and these are good works;” the answer is easy: He may do…
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The Power of Religion
Yet, on the authority of God’s Word, and our own Church, I must repeat the question, “Hast thou received the Holy Ghost?” If thou hast not, thou art not yet a Christian. (From Sermon 3: Awake Thou Sleeper) As I read through John Wesley’s sermons I am amazed at how often he defined a Christian…
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It is Just Not Enough
Many people of good will strive wholeheartedly for peace, mutual understanding, human encounter, world unity, and living harmony. Yet human vulnerability in face of the divisiveness that followed the Fall can never be totally overcome by excellent intentions, marvelous slogans, peace marches and conferences, disarmaments, sensitivity training courses and group dynamics alone. All of these…
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The Illusion of Leadership
Henri Nouwen writes, The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there. Our lives are filled with examples which tell us that leadership asks for understanding and that understanding requires sharing. So long as we define leadership in terms of…