When have I experienced Christian Perfection?  I was asked this question of the confirmation class. I told them not to be worried if they haven’t experienced it at all. I am 51 and have only experienced it three times: once when I was called, once at ordination, once my second year at PTCUMC. In each of those instances I felt the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit in ways I have trouble…

Don’t miss the mark I can’t handle as much sugar as I used to. That doesn’t mean I don’t want it. I want it in excessive quantities. But I can’t consume large quantities at once. I should’ve never done it in the past. And even the little quantities make me jittery and crash hard later on.   Such is the way with things that aren’t life giving for us. A certain quantity…

Be steadfast Your best work. Does it need to be done? Does it need to be done right? If excelling in work seems daunting, we often fail to get it done. We don’t always get it right at first. But it still needs to be done. Perhaps it needs to be done before we get it right. Perhaps we need to get it wrong first. So that we learn, tweak, and do…

Emotional issues Nothing is an emotional issue until we assign emotion to it, Some things seem to rarely be emotional: ie where to go for lunch. But there are exceptions: ie your friend has a food allergy   Some topics are almost always evoke emotion: ie religion or sex (and both at the same time is explosive) But there are a few exceptions: even naming them will cause a reaction for most.…

The waiting place… Dr. Suess wasn’t wrong. The waiting place is often dark and lonely. It seems to drag on and on and on. Waiting to hear. Waiting to go. Waiting for a turn. Waiting for what’s next.   It isn’t easy. But in the waiting, God transforms us. We wait with prayer. We invite others to pray and wait with us. We build connections. We prepare for what’s next. We strengthen…