This is the category for Advocate editorials and other viewpoints.
How quickly I started to forget the most important lesson the pandemic taught me: Let go of the steering wheel and let God be the driver. A reflection by Advocate Editor Jessica Brodie.
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By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston. Growing up in the Holston household, respect for your elders was the rule. Fear was not exactly what my brother and I had for our father, even though we were scared at times, but it was the awesome power of his presence. He was a yes sir/no sir kind of guy. If he asked you to jump, you asked how high. If he asked you to run, you asked how far. If he asked you to stand, you asked how long.
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As news, photos and other details surface surrounding the shooting death of an unarmed black man, Ahmaud Arbery—a 25-year-old who was jogging near his home in Brunswick, Georgia—United Methodist church…
Read MoreBy the Rev. Angela Halter Marshall Some people may think the pandemic has finally “gotten” to us. They may think being quarantined and the practice of social distancing has taken…
Read MoreBy the Rev. Amiri B. Hooker The solution to revive the social justice teachings of Jesus is not the all-out 2020 lynching of black men and women. Has society gotten…
Read MoreBy Dr. Robin Dease As a seminary student in Washington, D.C., I worked for Marriott Management Services in the George Washington University community. I had the awesome opportunity of catering…
Read MoreBy Jessica Brodie. I’m astounded by the beauty of God’s glory shining across every single page of this month’s newspaper. Take a look and tell me if you don’t agree! On every page, you’ll find examples of regular men and women—and sometimes children!—doing something extraordinary for the Lord, living beyond themselves to spread the Good News or to help others in His name. And all this is happening when many of us are stuck at home, quarantined for the most part because of the coronavirus.
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By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston. The famed Dear Abby advice column offers wisdom wrapped in empathy and practicality. One such insightful column includes ways to have a chance for a fresh start today. There is no need to wait for a new week, a new month, or a new year. We don’t need to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the long term.
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These are trying times, to say the least. Our lives are upended, routines are off and many of the plans we thought we had a month ago are now completely and irrevocably gone. Some of us have lost our jobs, our security, our prospects, our health. And yet still: God is good. All the time. Even now. Especially now. A column by Advocate Editor Jessica Brodie.
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May we live out the hope found in the resurrection by continuing to participate in the life of our churches in helpful ways. Here are some suggestions. A column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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On hearing God’s call and how to respond. By Jessica Brodie.
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Anticipation abounds in uncertain times. We want to know what to expect, what the prognosis will be—and we want to know now. In the face of the unknown, we can find ourselves overcome with fear and helplessness. By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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God is still the God of the universe—and the head of this denomination. And God has the power and authority to do whatever God wishes—including change our hearts and minds and push through whatever plan God intends, whether this one or another entirely. An editorial by Jessica Brodie.
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Followers of Christ are often called to walk by faith and not by sight as we live in the in-between times modeled through Scripture. To walk by faith, not by sight, requires you to go to places God will reveal to you even if they are not familiar and to cling to the dreams God has planted in your heart. A column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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But what does “2020 vision” really mean for me as a woman of faith, and what does it mean for The United Methodist Church as we prepare to embark on yet another difficult and tumultuous year? A column by Editor Jessica Brodie.
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Once again, it is a new year, a time of listing the things we will resolve to do in the coming months. Some of these resolutions will be new, but much of the list contains “carryovers” from years gone by. Maybe the one resolution to make sure is on your list is to live beyond expectations. A column by Bishop Jonathan Holston.
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We’ve heard the stories time and again: once-thriving country churches whose numbers dwindled as their communities folded, until eventually the churches themselves closed their doors. I picture these country churches as they likely were long ago, bustling with activity and chatter, their doors spilling open after worship with people who’d picnic on church grounds or under a nearby shade tree. But once in a while, I hear stories of the reverse: a small church suddenly flourishing again with new life, filled with people and ministry doing all they can the name of the Lord. A commentary Jessica Brodie.
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Shalom. The Hebrew word for “peace.” Shalom is not the absence of tension, but rather this peace exists in the midst of tension. We sometimes fall into thinking that if we have God’s peace then there will be no tension, no conflict, no issues to face. However, the truth is that God’s peace is present in the midst of all this, despite the circumstances around us. A column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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By Jessica Brodie. As the mother of preteens, I hear the word “entitled” bandied about a lot. My kids are in Generation Z, which is the first generation to grow up in an entirely digital world, and they are fully accustomed to all things electronic and adapt to new technologies quickly and easily. Entitled is a funny word…
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It is said that the first feast was a traditional celebration of the plentiful harvest to which the Wampanoag were invited as an act of gratitude for the ways they had helped the Pilgrims acclimate to their new environment. The two groups joined together for these few days. Yet we know that this temporary time of friendship and feasting did not last. Now, even as we prepare for traditional celebrations with family and friends, the complexity of our history must be acknowledged. While we are thankful, we need to remember that reconciliation is still needed. A column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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