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Custody of the Eyes
> There is a popular idea that is frequently referred to in recovery groups: take things one day at a time. Regardless of the addiction (choose your poison – alcohol, drugs, work, food, sex) it is imperative that one “stay on the wagon.” A year of sobriety may feel impossible, but a day is more…
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Blogging a Hot Topic
>The News and Observer has recently run two articles on blogging that are worth checking out. Yonat Shimron wrote Blessed be the Bloggers: For they shall influence church policy and politics (Friday, June 23) and Flo Johnston wrote about this blog in Christian Convos flourish as pastor begins his blog: Reconciliation UMC reverend finds new…
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Law Abiding and Illegal
>As promised, here is post #2: Reflections on Immigration: the “Law Abiding” and the “Illegal” My previous post on immigration was an attempt to argue that the Church cannot reflect faithfully on this issue without reflecting on baptism and identity. While I am convinced this is true, I also want to offer some more general…
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The Politics of Baptism
>My first post to this new blog sparked some good conversation both online and off. Since then, I have done some more reflecting and thought the subject of immigration deserved more attention than my flippant and sarcastic rant. In the next two posts, I would like to touch on two aspects of the issue: 1)…
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Breaking the Rules
>Sometimes rules are meant to be broken. Sorry to sound cliche, but in this case I believe rules are at least meant to be reevaluated, changed, or reconsidered. With the coming of June, my thoughts have drifted toward the annual gathering of United Methodists in the eastern half of North Carolina. This year we will…
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Cybersex and the Church’s Silence
>A new epidemic is afflicting people across the world and unfortunately the Church gives it little or no attention. I am speaking of “cybersex,” a term variously defined, but for our purposes here refers to “any use of a computer to in some way enhance sexual stimulation.” That definition is very broad and covers a…
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Da Buzz on Da Vinci
>Someone came up to me the other day and asked: “So are we going to talk about the Da Vinci Code in church? My first thought (that I kept to myself at that particular moment) was “sure, we are having a book club sermon series coming up that will focus on fictional prose … Poetry…
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Race and Reconciliation Resources
>Why blog? Not sure I know the answer to this – but at least one reason I decided to start was to share reading lists with friends. When I was first sent to Durham to help found a new, intentionally multicultural and multiracial congregation, these were some of the resources I turned to that dealt…
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Duke Lacrosse, Durham, and Cultivating Peace
>In these great Fifty Days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, the church needs to spend some time in the Easter garden of our faith. One fruit of the spirit that needs special attention is peace. We have allowed all kinds of weeds to choke out peace. We have allowed our lives to become fragmented, compartmentalized,…
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One of those Emails
Just the other day, I received a fowarded email that just hit the wrong nerve. Perhaps you have seen it also? The original is in red and my response is below. “Guest” workers explained: Since hearing the plan for treating illegal immigrants as “guest” workers, I now have undergone a complete reversal in my understanding…
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