Columns by the resident bishop of the South Carolina United Methodist Conference
In a world filled with complexity and uncertainty, it is easy to get overwhelmed. And the best way to counteract this kind of paralysis is to do something for someone else. A column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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Some of the final words we hear each year during Annual Conference are these: “Sine Die.” Adjournment indefinitely. The completion of the agenda. The time for everyone to go their separate ways back home. While this is a necessary action in accordance with parliamentary procedure, as People of Hope, we know that the conclusion of Annual Conference is not the end of our time together as Christians. As United Methodists. As disciples of Jesus Christ. By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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“As we breathe a collective breath together, it is my hope that we will stay in conversation with one another, focus on the things that unite us and remain steadfast in our mission to walk together toward a future with hope.” An annual conference column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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Bishop Jonathan Holston on his expectations that the 2019 Annual Conference will be “a glorious time of celebration where the graciousness of God and the generosity of God’s people called United Methodist will be experienced in excellent ways.”
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Bishop Holston reflects on prayer in his latest column for the Advocate.
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Bishop Holston reflects on Lent, General Conference, and how we are still one church and God’s people as we work together to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
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Bishop Jonathan Holston on how men’s ministry is not only about the opportunity we have to disciple men and their families in their faith journey, but it is also about empowering men and women to return to their communities ready to continue the witness of faith locally and beyond.
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In the midst of all we plan, God is at work among us in marvelous and magnificent ways. However, to remain focused on following God’s plan for our lives—rather than simply our own plans—requires discipline, dedication and a commitment to prayer. This shift in focus requires a deep well of faith. A column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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For many of us, this season will be an endurance marathon of way too much to do, way too much to eat and way too much stress. However, the true blessing of the Christmas season can be discovered when we focus on preparing our hearts to receive again the greatest gift given to humankind: the hope, comfort, joy and glad tidings the baby Jesus brought to earth. By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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Professional athletes often find success through their keen ability to remain focused in moments of high pressure. Certainly they practice and train to continually improve their skills, but the difference between a novice and a champion can come down to the ability to focus when it matters most. By Bishop Jonathan Holston.
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By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston. South Carolina once again is feeling the brunt of a powerful hurricane that has caused widespread property damage across our state. While many South Carolinians have had their lives disrupted, there is tremendous evidence of God’s faithfulness in our midst. We recognize that these are trying times that are overwhelming and often lead us to believe there is nothing we can do to help.
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By Bishop Jonathan Holston. An African proverb teaches it this way: “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
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Bishop Jonathan Holston reflects on what it is to be in mission: Being on the cutting edge, figuring out what it means to make disciples. Transforming the world for people where they live. Using our lives to share Christ’s love. Meeting new people and listening to their stories. Growing in an understanding of how God is at work in the world.
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Bishop L. Jonathan Holston on Godly leadership (and how to eat an elephant).
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By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston. As we approach the opening of the 2018 session of the South Carolina Annual Conference, I am filled with excitement and hopeful expectation. We will celebrate the culmination of this past year of ministry and look to the future with enthusiasm about the ways God will continue to use us in the communities across our state and around the world to make disciples.
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I have found that to know what really matters in life is to eliminate all the things that distract you from what really matters. Even though our minds are filled with other thoughts, preoccupied with schedules and not always thinking about heavenly things, the Easter message reminds us that what we do with our lives matters to Jesus. A column for the Advocate by Bishop Jonathan Holston.
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It’s so easy to simply get caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowds and join the procession that has the loudest brass bands or the most elaborate floats or the greatest number of celebrities or the most charismatic leaders. It’s easy to miss the procession where Jesus is riding on a humble donkey proclaiming dominion, not with violence, but by courageously loving, humbly serving and bravely acknowledging his place among the victims of imperial power. A column by Bishop Jonathan Holston.
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By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston. As we continue in this season of Lent, of sacrifice, of self-reflection and seeking God, we are called to wrestle with how we bring hope to situations of despair in our world. On Feb. 14, once more we found ourselves in anguish over the loss of young lives in a mass shooting—this time with 17 dead and more than a dozen wounded at a high school in South Florida. Less than three months into this year, 30 mass shootings have been reported in our country.
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As we prepare to embark this month upon our Lenten journey, we do so in the midst of a world that is in need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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So once again it’s a new year, a time when we make resolutions. All of us desire a clean slate to bring change to our circumstances and improve our quality of life. A column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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