Just These Lines Pastor Blog

Viewing Posts found in the Change category. | View all posts
Featured image for “Listen, Lament, Learn & Love”
Read More
 Change
 Choices
 Gratitude
 Hope
 Inspirational
 Just These Lines
 Support

Listen, Lament, Learn & Love

Trinity Sunday/June 3, 2020 Just these lines, my friends … … to say that the murder of George Floyd, following a long list of unjust deaths of so many black women and men, rips back the veil yet again – assuring us that racism, our malignant cancer, remains powerful and deadly. In our Sunday, May 31 reading of Acts 2,...
Featured image for “Hope, Light & Love”
Read More
 Blessing
 Change
 Community
 Generosity
 Gratitude
 Hope
 Inspirational
 Invitation
 Just These Lines
 Prayer
 Support
 Thankful

Hope, Light & Love

Easter/April 8, 2020 Just these lines, my friends …  … to say that I really miss you. I so miss being with you on Sundays (face-to-face). It’s strange – when I gather with our pastors and musicians (no more than 10) on Sunday in our expansive Sanctuary to do our livestream worship service, we still do feel the presence of...
Featured image for “Healing Light”
Read More
 Change
 Community
 Hope
 Just These Lines
 Worship

Healing Light

The 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany/Scout Sunday/January 22, 2020 Just these lines, my friends … … to say what a glorious weekend past: serving at the Charlotte Rescue Mission with a group of Bridge Builders (composed of members from Matthews UMC and Mt Moriah Missionary Baptist Church), beautiful worship on Sunday in the Sanctuary (watch here), the MLKing march to...
Featured image for “Sacred Moments”
Read More
 Change
 Choices
 Community
 Gratitude
 Hope
 Invitation
 Just These Lines

Sacred Moments

The Third Sunday of Advent/December 11, 2019 Just these lines, my friends … … to say that I hope you had the opportunity to hear the deeply moving music of our Sanctuary Choir on Sunday (December 8). You can click here to listen to their special music and watch my sermon. Connections & Sacred Experiences I love being the pastor...
Featured image for “Wonder Woman”
Read More
 Blessing
 Change
 Community
 Inspirational
 Just These Lines
 Prayer
 Service
 Support

Wonder Woman

19th Sunday after Pentecost in Ordinary Time/October 16, 2019 Just these lines, my friends … … to say thank you to Pastor Paul for such a good word about the 7th fruit of the Holy Spirit, self-control. If you missed his powerful message in our Spirited Life series, I hope you’ll watch here. I was visiting with someone the other...
Featured image for “The Catholic Spirit”
Read More
 Blessing
 Change
 Choices
 Global Impact
 Inspirational
 Just These Lines
 United Kids
 Youth

The Catholic Spirit

16th Sunday after Pentecost in Ordinary Time/September 25, 2019 Just these lines, my friends … … to say that what a beautiful weekend … and over the weekend … Some of you were able to participate in the Leukemia/Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Walk for the Cure celebrating my dear friend, Rev. Larry Whitley of the Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. Whitley...
Featured image for “Trusting the Engineer”
Read More
 Change
 Community
 Hope
 Inspirational
 Just These Lines
 Worship

Trusting the Engineer

14th Sunday after Pentecost in Ordinary Time/September 11, 2019 Just these lines, my friends … … to say that we had a wonderful weekend at Matthews United Methodist. IT ALL BEGAN … on Friday evening in the Gym with a wonderful dinner and fashion show celebrating Promise Pajamas, a non-profit led by two extraordinary women in the life of our church — Valarie...
Featured image for “The Common Objects of Our American Love”
Read More
 Change
 Global Impact
 Inspirational
 Just These Lines
 Leadership

The Common Objects of Our American Love

3rd Sunday after Pentecost/June 26, 2019 Just these lines my friends … … to say that we had some beautiful days in the mountains at Lake Junaluska. It was Annual Conference week for United Methodist churches across Western North Carolina. The days were full, exhausting but renewing. I heard Sanctuary worship from this past Sunday (June 23) was surprising (power...
Featured image for “From the Lyon’s Den…”
Read More
 Change
 Community
 Support

From the Lyon’s Den…

The sun is setting as I write these words. It is the close of a Sunday I hope always to remember. Our time together in worship and then the afternoon reception flowed together to create a tapestry of care and richly shared grace that washed over me and my family as an experience too deep for words to describe. Even...