A Taste of the Faithful Life

Welcome

I’m a retired United Methodist pastor who can’t shake the notion that I have thoughts worth sharing with others. Here you’ll find some random ruminations on life as well as sermons, essays, and comments on current events. I offer these humbly as a taste of the faithful life, just as another Rev. James once offered his ale as a taste of the good life in Wales. Naturally, I’m also promoting my latest book. Enjoy!

LATEST POST
Timely, unsettling, reading

Well, I knew a book about Abraham Lincoln would not be light reading, but this one is unsettling because it reminds us that many of the issues Lincoln faced have not gone away.

The book is Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment, by Allen C. Guelzo.

I had tried to avoid anything political until after the election, but this book came in at the library, so I read it. It’s unsettling because it’s so timely.

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Featured
Timely, unsettling, reading
Exciting history
A dual crisis
Nonfiction horror
Confession and call
Look away, patriots!
An extra-Oord-inary verdict

Just published!

Change of Heart

  • As the United Methodist Church splinters, Methodists of all stripes need to be reminded of their rich theological and cultural heritage.

    In accessible, non-academic style, this book introduces readers to John and Charles Wesley and the Methodist movement they founded.

    It weaves historical and theological narrative with the personal testimony of a second-career pastor who “married into” the United Methodist Church, was led by God to seek ordination as pastor in it and remains loyal to it after 30 years of ministry.

    The text is richly annotated with references to John Wesley’s works in the hope that readers will be drawn deeper into Wesleyan spirituality.

Details on Books page

Still available

Keeping Christmas

  • Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year--or at least we want it to be. Too often our celebration of Jesus' birthday is overwhelmed by bright lights and tinsel, overspending and overeating, plus constant chatter about a "war on Christmas." Can't we do better than this?

    There are two Christmases. One is sacred. One is secular. The two have clashed in one "culture war" or another for 1,700 years. Christmas is not (as some falsely claim) a pagan holiday, but pagan-influenced traditions are part of the seasonal clutter.

    Keeping Christmas is about helping you find joy in a season of excess and strife. Part survival guide, part history, part cultural commentary, and all laced with spiritual reflection, this book is about how you can celebrate in ways that are most meaningful to you and your family.

    It's not easy to thread your way through the Christmas maze. But if Ebenezer Scrooge could learn to keep Christmas well, so can you. Maybe it's time to reinvent Christmas. Maybe we can get it right this time.

Details on Books page