By Jessica Connor. January is the clean month, the time when I ceremoniously tear off the December page in my desk calendar and gaze down upon all the fresh blank spaces, just waiting for me to plug in meetings, events and occasions.
By Jessica Connor. Red-faced and sad, I have to confess: This morning I asked my 7-year-old son, "Do you remember why we celebrate Christmas?" and he responded, "Because it's Santa Claus's birthday." With a crash, all my happy notions that I was doing right by him as a Christian parent crumbled to the ground, replaced with shock and disbelief.
By Jessica Connor. Prayer is a powerful, powerful thing. We pray for safety, for health, for strength, for comfort. On prayer lists and church bulletins, in worship and in small groups, we pray for a friend diagnosed with cancer or an acquaintance recently widowed.
By Bishop Jonathan Holston. Have you ever received words of inspiration from a family member, mentor, teacher or someone you value?
By Jessica Connor. “Mom, look – chocolate cereal!” Cameron said, eyes bright in his 6-year-old face. “Oooooooh, Dora cereal!” 4-year-old Avery exclaimed. “Ooh, and strawberries!”
By Jessica Connor. I can be a Martha — so caught up in working and spinning my wheels that I lose sight of the big picture. I value Mary's style: relationships, contemplative learning, being in the moment. But all too often, my anxiety or my workaholism takes over, and I spend way too much time doing instead of being. My recent mission trip to Zimbabwe made me realize my deep need for a lot more Mary in my life and a lot less Martha.
By Jessica Connor. It took four years of heavy planning and hard work, and now, Jurisdictional Conference 2012 has come and gone.
By Jessica Connor. There I was, standing in the Pee Dee Room Sunday afternoon at Annual Conference, surrounded by a sea of Advocate supporters, all talking excitedly and sharing stories. It was the Advocate's celebration reception, the afternoon when our board of trustees marked 175 years of newspaper ministry with an Advocate birthday party, complete with cake and plenty of friends. What a beautiful thing!
By the Rev. Richard Reams. In a time when our denomination seems more fractured and partisan than ever, the last thing that is needed is some type of polemical article about how things should have gone, or who is to blame for what did/didn t occur, or what could have happened if people listened to me.
By the Rev. Josh McClendon. I came to General Conference for two reasons: first-hand experience and moral support.
By Jessica Connor. General Conference 2012 has come and gone—an overwhelming, educational, inspiring, exhausting and ultimately reassuring experience for this editor.
By Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor. The services of worship during the General Conference of our United Methodist Church are always meaningful. It is wonderful to praise God with brothers and sisters from around the world. The visible reminders that the Spirit of God is at work in near and distant places are magnificent. As at the first Pentecost, the Holy Spirit continues to breathe life into the church.