VBS Reflections

Last year I ranted and ranted about the curriculum that our VBS Team picked for our church, but this year I must say that the obvious "baptist-slant" in the curriculum is missing. I credit that to selecting a curriculum produced by a publisher that is not directly affiliated with one particular denomination and to the fact that our VBS Leaders go out of their way to tailor the materials to fit our church.

On that note, I continue to wonder what the VBS Team would need to do in order to produce its own curriculum for our church (and others) to use? If they invest as much time in re-writing the materials as they would in writing their own, we could have a unique curriculum, rather than the same one that almost every other church in the area is using. Just a thought.

Grace&Peace

They say it's my birthday...

Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah....
Gonna have a good time...
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah....
They say it's my birthday...
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah....
Well it's my birthday too yeah!
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah....

Ok, enough of that. I am 29 today.

Grace&Peace

Wireless ROCKS!

I just want to say that wireless internet access on my new laptop is REALLY COOL! I can now go to Starbucks and work on email and documents that were previously only available on my desktop in my office. I like the fact that I can work on sermons, blog, or AIM from almost anywhere. Fun stuff!

Grace&Peace

Annual Conference - Day 3

My friend Doug Fox just gave his address to the body of the Annual Conference because he is being ordained this evening. He told us, "As an engineer he guided people to the stars, but as a pastor he guides people to the creator of the stars." He told us, "As an engineer he learned to blast rockets into the heavens, but as a pastor he blasts people into heaven."

I thank God for Doug's ministry and I am glad to call him a friend.

Grace&Peace

Annunal Conference - Day 1

Sunday, June 3, 2007: Clergy Session and Opening Worship
On Sunday afternoon I attended the Clergy Session for this year's Annual Conference where several friends of mine were elected to probationary membership in our conference and one other was elected to full membership and ordination in our conference.

I went to dinner with a few colleauges and had a great conversation about the future of ministry in the UMC - with a special emphasis on attracting younger clergy to Methodism. The guys who I ate dinner with shared several different strategies on how to move forward in this area, but we are still struggling on how to move such a large body of people in new directions when we only meet as a whole body once every four years.

At opening worship there were 95 PT interns commissioned for this summer's program. They then helped to serve communion to the almost 2500 people in attendance. It was very cool to see all those college students who are giving their summer to serve the underserved here in Dallas. I pray that Trietsch can lift up a few interns next summer to serve with PT in 2008.

Grace&Peace