http://www.fivepractices.orgnothing provideden-usSun, 17 Oct 2010 08:00:00 ESTSun, 17 Oct 2010 08:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=430http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=430Remember the sport of curling from the Winter Olympics Curling is the game from northern climates in which players slide polished granite stones with handles across a sheet of ice toward a target area. As the stone slowly moves across the surface, teammates furiously sweep the ice with brooms in order to influence the speed and direction of the stone. A talented and vigorous sweeper with a good eye can influence the trajectory of the stone by several degrees and can significantly affect the distThu, 16 Sep 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=427http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=427Whatrsquo;s the primary portal by which people enter into the life of a congregation, and thereby take their first steps toward life in Christ I heard a consultant describe how the answer to this question has changed over the years. From the 1910rsquo;s to 1950rsquo;s, Sunday School was the primary way new people stepped into congregations. Remember all those great black-and-white photos of classrooms and fellowship halls full of men, women, couples, or childrenAttendance at Sunday School ofteTue, 31 Aug 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=429http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=429Recently, I took a trip to Atlanta, Georgia for the celebration of a 50th Birth Day Party of a friends daughter. The family paid for my plane ticket. My friend told me a few weeks earlier that her family wanted to do something very nice for me because I had given such compassionate, care, and service for her mothers Homegoing Celebration. The party was great and I was asked to pray and make remarks to the family at the party. On my return home, I caught a flight on an American Airline plane thaFri, 27 Aug 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=426http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=426I remember asking a group of clergy a question adapted from a Stephen Covey book from years ago:ldquo;What is the one activity that you know if you did superbly well and consistently would have the most significant positive results for your church and ministryrdquo; The answers were wide-ranging and depended on the circumstances of the churches and the gifts of the pastors.One suggested that if she consistently had one significant personal conversation with a church leader each week, the effectWed, 25 Aug 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=428http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=428For twelve years now we have been offering a free Ice Cream Social to the near community. For the first ten years we held it at a street near the church--hauled everything there, located electricity, served food and drink and offered activities for participants. Now we locate it at our Welcome Center using the entire parking lot, providing the same ice cream and cake and drinks, but also this time a hot meal for all (with help of partner churches), restrooms, etc. This year was the second time wSat, 21 Aug 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=425http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=425Here is a trailer for the newly-released Five Practices of Fruitful Living. Enjoy! You can order a copy of the book here.Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=424http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=424Recently I heard Gil Rendle say, ldquo;I was not trained to change peoplersquo;s lives, but to change their membership affiliations.rdquo; With these words, Gil, who serves as a church leadership consultant with Texas Methodist Foundation, captures how our understanding of the purpose of the church and the task of pastoral ministry has evolved over the last couple generations. This insight brought forth a rush of memories about how I learned to invite and welcome people into the life of the chuMon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=423http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=423Irsquo;m writing this during a two-week study leave along the South Texas coast. This is where Irsquo;ve come the last few years for brief periods to work on my books. Each day I spend several hours writing, interspersed with periods of walking, running, reading, swimming, and sleeping. Occasionally I take a day off for fishing. I called a pastor friend of mine to see if he might join me. He ended up talking to a professional fishing guide from his congregation, and then before you know it we weWed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=422http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=422Methodism began as a way of life rather than as a denominational system. John Wesleyrsquo;s passion was leading people to follow Jesus, and his genius was developing patterns and support systems to help people walk with Christ. Wesley believed we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our own spiritual growth through personal practices. Spiritual practices place us in the most advantageous circumstances to be formed by Godrsquo;s grace. The Wesleyan way of life included worship, prayer, the sacramenTue, 6 Jul 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=421http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=421I recently listened to a podcast interview with a Catholic priest whose ministry focuses on young people involved in urban gangs. Many of the tools he uses derive from the recovery movement, including wisdom gleaned from Alcoholics Anonymous. He used a maxim that Irsquo;ve heard before to describe what it takes to cause someone to want to change from one kind of life to another. He said, ldquo;It takes what it takes.rdquo; This intentionally redundant saying refers to the fact that every personMon, 21 Jun 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=420http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=420Our theme for the Missouri Annual Conference a couple weeks ago was Growing Deeper: Deepening the Spiritual Life for Leadership in the Church. Because the call to ministry represents a spiritual milestone of extraordinary significance for pastors and provides one of the most unifying and motivating experiences of our life together in Christ, we took a few minutes during the Clergy Session to sit quietly and reflect upon our callings. I led the clergy in silent contemplation on several questionsMon, 14 Jun 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=419http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=419Irsquo;m pleased to announce that Abingdon Press has released my newest book, Five Practices of Fruitful Living. It is available now from Cokesbury at a wonderfully reduced price as well as from Amazon and from a wide array of on-line and storefront Christian booksellers. From the time I wrote Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, I felt that these same edgy, provocative words could serve as a basis for understanding key elements of the personal faith. Five Practices of Fruitful Living moThu, 3 Jun 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=418http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=418Early last year I was asked to write a chapter for a book, The Future of the United Methodist Churchmdash;Seven Vision Pathways, to emphasize the importance of Transforming Existing Congregations. I shared some brief stories about congregations in Missouri and about some of our strategies and approaches in the Missouri Conference. The book has now been released by Abingdon Press and is available from Cokesbury, and I received a copy this past week. As I re-read what I had written, it occurred tTue, 1 Jun 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=417http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=417John Wesleyrsquo;s Journal describes the first Conference of Methodists this way: ldquo;In June, 1744, I desired my brother and a few other clergymen to meet me in London, to consider how we should proceed to save our own souls and those that heard us. After some time, I invited lay preachers that were in the house to meet with us. We conferred together for several days, and were much comforted and strengthened therebyhellip;. This I did for many years, and all that time the term Conference meaThu, 27 May 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=416http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=416Irsquo;ve taken an unintentional sabbatical from the blog writing, and I apologize for that. My new book, Five Practices of Fruitful Living, has just been released and is now available from Cokesbury and Amazon, and in anticipation of this release wersquo;ve been working to redesign and revamp the FivePractices.org website. The current website focuses entirely on the Five Practice of Fruitful Congregations, and so the definitions, banners, divisions and graphics all reflect that book. Wersquo;reMon, 24 May 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=415http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=415As a Bishop, I often feel that nearly every element of my life is mapped out. Sometimes my calendar fills with appointments, engagements, presentations, and travel for months and years in advance. Even the everyday decisions and recurring crises are patterned and predictable to the point that much of my work feels scripted. Carving out a personal life for me involves continuing my commitment to writing, reading, running, birding, my personal spiritual disciplines, and time with my family. TheseTue, 13 Apr 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=414http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=414Palm Sunday I enjoyed the privilege of preaching to a full house at Shiloh UMC. It was a beautiful day, bright and sunny, and the warm receptivity and great singing deepened my anticipation of Holy Week and Easter. Since I began serving as Bishop, our family has adopted the tradition of selecting a congregation or two somewhere in the conference and then driving to attend their Easter services. This year we shared Easter at The Gathering in St. Louis, one of our newest congregations. The GatheFri, 9 Apr 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=412http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=412ldquo;I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.rdquo; (John 10:10) Irsquo;ve often considered this one of Jesusrsquo; most important teachings, and Irsquo;ve spent years trying to understand it. What does Jesus mean by life Obviously, life for Jesus means more than physical life, the heart pumping blood through the body and the brain pulsing waves detectable by the sensors of an EEG. The life Jesus came to give us involves more than adding years to our earthly existence. The fact Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=411http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=411quot;Enter the figure from line 23 on line 28, unless it is larger than line 22, and then divide by whichever is the smallest number from lines 17a or 17b, and place the resulting figure on line 32.quot; After two evenings of reading instructions similar to those, Irsquo;m proud to announce that Irsquo;ve completed the Schnase family 2009 taxes well before the April 15th deadline. Our taxes are ready for filing. Irsquo;d love to share with you how cheerfully I fulfill this important and necessaMon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=410http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=410When First United Methodist Church of Richardson, Texas, launched their Five Practices initiative, they had ushers, greeters and staff wear a variety of buttons to highlight the practices-- specifically,the adjectives that drive them. You may download the PDF of the button designs here to use in your own local church setting.Mon, 8 Mar 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=408http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=408I recently offered condolences to a friend following her fatherrsquo;s death. Her father had served as a pastor for many years. With gratitude to God she said, ldquo;My father loved Sunday mornings. He was born on a Sunday and he died on a Sunday, and that just seems appropriate. He loved getting up on Sundays and going to church, and he did it throughout his life.rdquo; Something in the loving exuberance of that description stimulated my own reflections throughout the day. I hadnrsquo;t thoughMon, 1 Mar 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=407http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=407Irsquo;ve never considered myself much of an athlete, but I try to keep fit. Irsquo;ve been a long-time runner, walker, and marathoner, and still log more than 1000 miles each year. Two years ago I turned 50, and during a thorough physical examination the doctor suggested that while I have ldquo;Army legsrdquo; and do well with walking/running, I really need to focus more attention on upper body work. ldquo;As you reach this age,rdquo; he said, ldquo;you need to think about muscle mass and how Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=406http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=406Can it be Lent already As a pastor, I was keenly aware of the movement of the church yearmdash;Advent, Lent, Pentecost, etc. Our church planned for special emphases, sermon series, retreats, church-wide studies and readings. As a bishop, I sometimes find myself surprised to realize that a key spiritual season is upon us. Such was the feeling when it dawned on me that Ash Wednesday is this week and that Lent begins in a couple days. Lent is a season of spiritual preparation for which I feel almoMon, 15 Feb 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=405http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=405We received an update from Mike Davis, pastor of two churches that have engaged in Risk-Taking Mission in Amelia County, Va.Last year weposted a story that originally appeared in the Virginia United Methodist Advocate, highlighting how the ministry got started.Their work has resulted in more than $20,000 given to community assistance organizations, and now stretches outside the county and across state lines. Read on for the Rev. Davis letter: January 23, 2010mdash;Itrsquo;s an appropriate day tSat, 23 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=404http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?PKValue=404Update: For more information on how you can help the relief efforts in Haiti, visit umc.org/haiti and www.umcorhaiti.org. On Tuesday evening, I was giving a presentation to a gathering of clergy from the Missouri Conference when a pastor reported a major earthquake in Haiti and asked for our prayers. The news of an earthquake when it comes without pictures or connections appears abstract, distant, removed. The next morning, photo images and news reports brought into sharper focus the sights anTue, 19 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST