I'm not a coffee drinker, but if Jesus were to ask me if I'd like to have a cup with him, of course, I'd say, "Sure."  You might call that smooching up to the boss.  I might say, "So?  Look which boss it is."

There's no need to worry, though.  I doubt Jesus even likes coffee; he never did anything miraculous with water and coffee.  Still, if you have not seen Coffee With Jesus you need to.  I love when people can stab the shallow points of our faith in a direct and meaningful way.  These cartoons do that.  Here are a couple appropriate to the season.



If you read long enough you just might get offended.  I've said before if you have never been offended by Jesus then you might not have been listening to everything he had to say.  Has Jesus ever offended you?

The last post showed me how run-of-the-mill my office is.  But!  At least I do not have to worry about designing, printing and hanging a sign in our church like this one.




Say hello to the fishy church.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to view the video.++

Well, our church office recently received a new framed copy of our mission statement.  Are you suggesting this office is cooler than mine?

I came across this picture recently and wanted to share it.  Not because I want you to give me your political opinion.  I have my own, right now. 

Nothing is a straight-forward as most people would want us to think.  Many of the issues we are facing are too complex to suggest so.  So, again, this is not about your rant for the day. 

The reason why I am sharing this is because it involves something my Disciple II group brought up recently.  I'll share with you after you see what I'm talking about.


Each of our Disciple sessions open with prayer.  The group shares concerns and praises that we will pray together for throughout the week.  Someone recently said it simply: Let's pray for a cure for cancer.

And that is what we have been doing.  Praying.  This picture was a reminder to me about my commitment to pray with my group about this.  And I am grateful.

Chances are all of us have been touched by cancer in some way.  There is something wrong with that.  So, maybe you're not in a Disciple II group, but would you be willing to pray with us?  Let me know and I'll share with the group. 

What else are you praying for?  What are your reactions to the picture?

Here is what I sent the church this morning: AnotherNote, December 14, 2011

There are a couple of things in there you might appreciate even if you're not associated with our church.  Let me know what you think.

Believe me; I know what Christmas is really about.  The most meaningful Christmas hymn is Emmanuel.  You're probably thinking of Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel.  That's nice, too.  But this is the one I'm thinking of:






At Christmas we celebrate that God is indeed with us!  That is a Merry Christmas.

We've got that cleared up. Now, I can show you this because it's pretty funny:

When I was growing up, Christmas was my favorite holiday. Of course, that made me like every other kid. I will confess: It was about the gifts. There were other things that made Christmas time nice: houses covered with lights; school Christmas parties; Dickens on the Strand; and Christmas vacation. If one of those things were to be left out I would always feel like I was missing something, that Christmas just was not Christmas. What I have learned, though, is that while those things might be fun and worth looking forward to, they do not make Christmas.

For many people Christmas is another reminder of a great loss. This will be the first Christmas since a loved one has passed away for someone. Also, even at Christmas, tragedy always finds itself on the news. Surely, then, Christmas has to mean more than red-bowed gifts and office parties. Indeed, it does! Christmas is the reminder that God is with us—that God came to us and will always be with us. In our joy or sorrow we can trust that God is with us. Without that, there is no Christmas. May God’s presence, then, be everything to you this Christmas.

I think I may have offended 90% of all Christians yesterday.

Yes, I am exaggerating.  I don't even know 90% of all Christians.  And 90% of all Christians didn't even hear me yesterday.  Still, I am going to stand with the 10% on this one.

Now, any other preacher or blogger would tease you to make you want to listen to the audio.  Me?  I'll just tell you what I said and hope, pray, wish, dream and imagine what it would be like if you did listen to the sermon--but only if you want to.

I reminded the congregation that, once we leave our worship service, we are all sent out by God to serve.  It's ironic, though, what so many Christians do right after worship service.  Come on; you know what it is like to wait in line at Luby's.  We all know the biggest advantage of being United Methodist is that we get out of church earlier than our sisters and brothers of that non-denominational church down the street.  That's right.  The biggest irony is that we are sent out of worship service to go serve, but the first thing many of us is go to our favorite restaurant to be served.

Hey, Jesus had to have said worse things than that.  We can still be friends, right?  Maybe I can take you on to lunch, on a Monday.

The sermon is entitled Lighten Up, and is based on the ministry of John the Baptist.

++If you are reading by email or news readers, click here to listen to the sermon.++

This is for those of you who do not understand the mind of a procrastinator. 

Our--we procrastinators-- idea of time looks similar to this clock. 

You might think your favorite procrastinator is not doing anything until the last minute.  That is untrue.  Chances are you may only know of one thing your procrastinator has due in ten minutes.  More than likely they have been working on other things they have been putting off.

There is nothing any of us can do about it.  We just accept the fact that it is true, like when I first found out professional wrestling was fake. 

So, procrastinators, unite...eventually!  And, all others, bear with us.

Any bad procrastination stories? 

It is official. I have submitted my application for graduation in May--May 12th to be exact. So, we are now in countdown mode.

I won't give you the it's-been-a-long-time-coming speech, just yet (But it has been!). Right now I just want to give you an open invitation. I do not know exactly what we will be doing that day, but I do know it will be a celebration. If you think you are going to be in the Dallas area, come and celebrate with us. I will save the cheesy speech for then. Until then here is your countdown.

For those who read via email or news reader, you may need click on the post title to see the countdown correctly. 

It has been said that Run DMC changed rap music.  They told us to walk this way.  Now, I know that does not mean a whole lot to some of you, but have some respect!  Please do not make me wish that your Christmas fruitcake bowl will runneth over.

If Run DMC changed the rap world and The United Methodist Church says it is called to make disciples for the transformation (change) of the world, it stands to say that the two should come together.  If that were to happen it might start with this look:

As you sit in church this Sunday, I know you will think of me. 

Your liturgist or preacher will stand and invite you to turn to your Gospel reading of the day.  Some of you will be invited to stand with your reader because of the Gospel reading.  Maybe you will follow along in your Bible or close the book and listen. 

Either way, this week you will hear these profound, spiritually enlightening and inspiring words:

John 1:6


There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

That verse has meaning for me.  What about you?  What verses--that probably don't include your name--are most meaningful for you?  Let's hear 'em.

I have found the meaning of life.  And, now, you can know what it is, too!  After searching and contemplating for years, we can finally know what the point of it all is--like when I figured out the lyrics to the intro to Mr. Belvedere.

Now, do not delay.  Follow this link to see the meaning of life: The Meaning of Life.

You are welcome. 

Good News!  Good News!

Yesterday I preached on the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; our text was from Mark 1. I was also able to avoid every temptation to include a "Good News! Good News!" impersonation of Roscoe P. Coltrane.  God is good.

We all hear bad news.  It is everywhere.  We are reminded, though, that God has good news for us.  Maybe we just need to hear God's good news again.  That is what the Christmas season is about.  Now, since the Christmas season has not begun, at least not in the church, we look to the ministry of John the Baptist.  He knew the good news of God and prepared the way for others to hear it.  That was an important part to God's plan, apparently.  And it is still important for us today.

Are you tired of hearing bad news?  Then do something about it.  Do not let God's good news be pushed away by the bad news of your day.

In a nutshell, that is what yesterday's sermon was about: Hearing God's good news and preparing the way for other to hear it as well.

Have a listen and let me know what you think.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to listen to the sermon.++