neigh·bor·ing /ˈnāb(ə)riNG/ I’ll admit it. We are not using this word in accordance with the dictionary. Technically speaking, the word, neighboring, is an adjective used to describe something situated next to or very near something else. For example, Bedford is one of the neighboring cities to Hurst. Our intended use of the word is to…

“The importance of religion in the lives of Americans is shrinking.” That headline caught my attention as I was scrolling through the newsfeed on the NPR website earlier this week.  The story was based on the latest results of a study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).  As with similar type surveys, the reported…

Do you take flying leaps fearlessly? Have the ability to see through walls? Stop bullets with your amazing bracelets? Yeah, me neither.  My superpowers tend to be much less exciting. Granted, I have quite a few, as I imagine you do, too. If we didn’t have some of these less-than-spectacular superpowers, then there likely wouldn’t…

I was really trying to be a good mom to my puppy, Murphy. Honestly.  He had an ear infection and, while shopping at the grocery store, I found (what I thought) what I thought would be a great toy for him. Who doesn’t love Mr. Bill? (If you aren’t familiar with old school SNL, you…

The United Methodist Church is becoming untied. I remember laughing, some years ago, at the typo one church had made when it identified itself as (Name) Untied Methodist Church. It doesn’t strike me as quite as funny anymore. Some 80+ current United Methodist Churches in our conference (Central Texas Conference) will be petitioning to disaffiliate…

To everything (turn, turn, turn)There is a season (turn, turn, turn)And a time to every purpose, under heaven Written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s, the song, Turn, Turn, Turn was recorded by several artists with limited success. It wasn’t until the band, the Byrds, released their version that the song became an international…

I recently had the privilege of gathering with clergy across our conference at Glen Lake Camp and Retreat Center in Glen Rose. The purpose for the gathering was to reconnect, enjoy time together and to meet with Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., our new bishop. We had various activities to choose from – porch sitting, cornhole,…

Listening Well as We Emerge From the Pandemic As we emerge from the pandemic, each of us is re-learning how to be around each other. The COVID-19 pandemic demanded we isolate ourselves. Many of us got used to being alone so as we begin to gather together in person again, we are invited to be…

Liminal space is a place of transition, a threshold between two points, signaling the end of one time or space, and the beginning of another. If you aren’t familiar with the term, “liminal space,” my guess is you are well-acquainted with the feeling of being in such a space. It is that in-between experience, the…