08
Oct 2021
Have you ever thought of your membership vows to the church? If you’re like me, the answer is no. I joined the church after my Confirmation class in seventh grade. I stood before First United Methodist Church of Madison, Florida, and agreed to everything the pastor said. I was coached earlier as to what I was saying and what my affirmation meant. I had intentionally waited a year longer than my peers and made the commitment to church membership on my time schedule, when I was ready to join. I’m not sure......
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Sharing Life
I spent two nights at Mingus Mountain United Methodist Camp this week. Like Pastor Sharon before me, I serve on the Board of Ordained Ministry. I believe it’s my fifth year? Time has escaped...
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Change is Afoot
Can you feel it? Fall is in the air! Maybe I’m just wishful thinking, but I can feel the cooler air when the sun sets. I have started sitting on my back porch for...
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Thank You, Volunteers / Additions to Worship
Thank You, Volunteers Have you thought about what it takes to make a church function? A church the size of St. Mark’s has a large staff – four administrative staff, four program staff, three...
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Influence for Good
When I was in my teens, I spent several years on staff at our local Girl Scout camp. One summer, we had a fire in the main lodge. The story as I remember it...
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Caring for All People
While I grew up in the United Methodist Church, I made the conscious decision as an adult to remain United Methodist. The denomination has its weaknesses for sure—the US church is mostly white, mostly...
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James
This week, our worship shifts a bit to the book of James. In August as we sent our kids back to school, we focused on wisdom, learning from Proverbs and Ephesians wise words for...
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Do Good
As a parent, I have been watching our nation argue about rights and responsibilities around children wearing masks in school. As a parent of school-aged children, I have joined other parents in feeling dismay...
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Transitions
Recently I felt frustrated that I don’t seem to know my way around town. I had to look up how to get to my kids’ school from where I was. I was disoriented because...
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Love is … Sacrifice
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended everyone mask up again, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. As you know from watching the news, the Delta variant is spreading quickly through the...
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