Columns

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK Today, on my 28th day of voluntary self-quarantining (not sick… just doing as we’ve been asked), I ventured outside to go to the drive-through at the bank. As I drove out of my yard, I noticed the beginning buds on my Crepe Myrtle trees that line both sides of my long driveway. My son, Shawn, pruned them in the winter, and for all of these months, they have looked like a sad bunch of limbs sticking out of the ground. Not so today. New life called to me, “Drive...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley had seven sisters who survived to adulthood. Emily was his oldest sister. She was 11 years older than John and helped raise him. Their mother, Susanna, had 19 or 20 children, but only 10 survived to adulthood – seven girls and three boys. Susanna had the older children help raise the younger children. Emily was quick to learn. Her mother taught Emily her letters in one day and soon she was reading the Bible. The Wesley girls were among the best ...

By Rev. Deborah Wight-Knight, Conference Pastoral Counselor I was a CPE (student) chaplain at Grady Hospital in 1984. One of my patients - I’ll call her Gloria - was the first documented female diagnosed with AIDS in the southeast. This was before they called it HIV/AIDS. No one knew at that time exactly how the virus spread. Was it only sexually transmitted? Was it contained in the gay and lesbian community? Were our medical personnel at risk? No one knew. Studies were just beginning on ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON What is your most valuable resource? I’ve come to discover that time is one of the most valuable resources I have and that it is nonrenewable. I can always make more money, but I can’t make more time. There is no end to the demands on my time. There are people who need my attention, problems to solve, messages to prepare, opportunities to take advantage of and issues to deal with. Does that sound familiar? In the midst of busyness, how do ...

By Dr. Hal Brady What do we intend to do with our lives? As we contemplate this critical question, we need to remember that our dreams are more important than the vehicles we drive. An automobile depreciates very quickly, but noble dreams have no limit. When we have no dream, it usually follows that we have no life. For a moment, let’s focus on the biblical character Nehemiah and his dream of rebuilding the broken-down walls of Jerusalem. It seemed such a hopeless task. The walls were in ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON A lot of Methodists name their children after John Wesley. My own great, great grandfather was named “John Wesley Hanson” and he named his son, my great grandfather, “John Wesley Hanson, Jr.” Our son, Jeff, names his son, my youngest grandson, “John Wesley Hanson.” There were four people in John Wesley’s family who shared that name. His great grandfather was named “John Westley” (notice the unusual spelling). His father and mother, Samuel and Susanna Wesley, had...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK I recently returned from a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico where I spent some time with a dear friend who lost her husband to the dreaded disease of Alzheimer’s. Each of you knows something about pain. No one escapes those things that bring severe hurt to us physically, mentally, or emotionally. And it seems that no matter what kind of pain we have been through, we can always find someone else who has been through at least a similar or even a worse pain. The ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON I (Anne) am a 1 with a 9 wing. You enneagram fans now know a lot about me. However, the rest of you might feel like I’m speaking another language. I found out I was a 1 when I took the enneagram test during a conference I was attending several years ago. The test I took labeled the 1 as “The Reformer.” I LOVE being first and I love to reform things so I felt really good about these test results. Fast forward a year later and I heard people...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON In this era of so many disagreements, it is helpful to review John Wesley’s comments on this subject. “No man can choose for or prescribe to another. Everyone must follow the dictates of his own conscience in sympathy and sincerity. He must be fully persuaded in his own mind and then act according to the best light he has. Nor has any creature the power to constrain another to walk by his own rule. God has given no right to any of the children of men to lord it ...

Dr. Hal Brady In recent days, I’ve read several articles on the accusation of cheating in three sports: baseball, golf, and football (infractions). And these are certainly not the only sports who have issues with this kind of accusation either in the past or present. However, with the three sports currently involved this time, a baseball manager and general manager lost their jobs, a golfer has a cloud of suspicion hanging over his head, and several football programs are treading on thin ice. ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley cared deeply about the poor. In Bristol, he was proud to find the Methodist New Room Congregation active in ministering with the poor. They not only brought “good news to the poor,” but embodied various forms of “social holiness.” There was a school for poor children, a dispensary with free medicine for the poor, prison visitation, and the formation of a Stranger’s Friend Society which was for the benefit of those outside the Methodist Society – ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, may well go down as a significant day in Methodist history. If I use my imagination, I can already hear a Methodist History professor teaching seminary students in 30 years about the day our denomination announced its biggest split since the issue of slavery divided us in the 19th Century. 13: The number of text messages I received within about 15 minutes of the story about the new protocol document breaking. 11: The number of church members, ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK Because God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit always have had complete reign above the earth in a land called heaven, then it is reasonable to assume that the kingdom of heaven was and is where the Trinity lived and reigned. Wherever the Triune God was, then that’s where the Kingdom of heaven was and is. That lasted all throughout time from Genesis through Malachi, and then through 400 years of silence before the New Testament. In that land ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON In 1903, the Colonial Dames erected a monument near Reynolds Square, at the corner of Abercorn and East Congress, indicating the location of John Wesley’s house in Savannah, Ga. That monument “went missing” in the 1980s. It was recently restored by the Colonial Dames of Savannah. A lot of things happened in that house. John was unable to reside there for a month when he first arrived in Georgia on March 6, 1736. He had to wait until the previous pastor, Rev. ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON Have you ever noticed how much of what we buy is an imitation of the real thing? In the grocery store you can purchase chocolate flavored chips, butter flavored spread, and imitation vanilla extract. My kitchen has wood grain vinyl flooring, granite-look counters, and faux leather chairs. My dogs eat food that tastes like real meat and beg for bones that smell like chicken. In my bathroom are products that make my face appear younger and ...

By Dr. Hal Brady Is there any doubt that we live in a divisive society that even stretches beyond politics, though politics is where this divisiveness is most painfully obvious? Partisan party lines and media bias have become the spectacle of this societal alienation. Then there is the Internet! So many of us have withdrawn into our own private online worlds of chatter with no contact or communication with real life. Result? Consequently, there is an ever- increasing isolation from and ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley believed those Methodist Societies which did not grow had neglected the main reason for their existence which was to spread scriptural holiness throughout the land. He believed that God raised up the Methodist Movement in order to proclaim God’s desire to make believers Christlike in perfect love. “Are you going on to perfection? Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?” John never claimed to be sanctified (perfect in love), but he ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK My friend and I sat across from one another eating pizza when the subject of tips came up. We both said we always give a 20 percent tip. We discussed how unfortunate it was to have a waiter or waitress work so hard for a table of fifteen or more and then just receive a two dollar tip. That’s their pay. Tips are not just some extra bonus for a hard-working waiter. That’s his pay. “Most people simply don’t realize that these waiters and waitresses count on the ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON One of my favorite things about children’s ministry is observing how children relate and interact with each other. This summer we held Art Camp at our church, and I watched as two young kids were in a tiff over who was going to hold the pool noodle for the next game. Each one had their hands clutched tightly around one end and the adult was trying to pry their hands away so they could actually play the game. They each wanted so desperately ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley said one of the societies had not grown in more than a year. He attributed this lack of growth to one thing: the lack of visiting from house to house. If your congregation is not growing, perhaps you should consider the old fashioned practice which pastors vow to do at their ordination: “visit from house to house.” The Rev. Dave Hanson is a retired pastor and John Wesley scholar.

By Dr. Hal Brady A few days ago, my wife and I visited a minister friend and his wife in an Atlanta hospital. This minister friend and I have known each other for a number of years, as we served neighboring churches at the same time in the North Georgia mountains. Though we haven’t seen each other for some time, when I found out he was in the hospital in another city, I called him to see how he was doing. He told me that he had been in one hospital, transferred to another, was told he was to ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN A love letter to South Georgia Methodism There hasn’t been a moment in my life when I haven’t been a South Georgia Methodist. It’s true. For nearly 37 years, the compass of my faith in Jesus Christ has pointed to South Georgia as the home of my faith journey. Where do I begin to express my gratitude for this conference – this spiritual space marked with country churches, oak trees that hang just low enough in the summer, beautiful fields lined with peaches and ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON At one point, John Wesley became concerned about Methodist Societies that failed to grow. One suggestion he made concerning this issue you might take to heart. He said the reason they have dropped off is because they have given up early morning worship services. He urges us to have worship every morning at 5 a.m. He said those societies which fail to worship at “first light” will certainly see no growth. How many of us would take this advice to heart if we ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK My sweet mother outlived almost all of her friends. At 94, signs of dementia were beginning to show. She was losing weight, and life was harder for her. But, she was made of strong stock. The kind of stock that survived the Depression. That’s a good kind of stock. She seldom complained about anything, but lived her life in gratitude to God that there was food for her family during those lean years. On Friday nights, after work, I drove the 45-minute drive ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON During John Wesley’s early years, and especially his time in Georgia, he read and studied many of the mystical writings of his day and of ancient Christian mystics. He was very interested in what they had to say about self-denial, solitude, works of charity, and the interior life. William Law was very influential in Wesley’s life at Oxford. Wesley later wrote Law a scorching letter criticizing him for leading him astray by not talking more about Jesus Christ ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON I love watching preschool graduations. Precious chubby-faced kids with caps and gowns typically take turns declaring to beaming parents and grandparents what they want to be when they grow up. “A fireman.” “A ballerina.” “A baseball player and an astronaut.” “A mommy.” “A zookeeper and a policeman.” Nothing is impossible or unattainable. Everything has potential. If you asked the same kids in a year, you’d often find they’re now considering...

By Dr. Hal Brady A number of people equate greatness with size. Not so! Greatness is never a matter of size. Take those huge reptiles which once dominated the earth, the dinosaurs. They were simply enormous. But with the exception of the movies, they have all become extinct. In spite of their size and seeming strength they are gone. Simply put, they could not adapt themselves to a changing world. Think of how many great empires have come and gone in spite of their largeness. Focus on the ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley was born on June 17,1703 (Old Style), in Epworth, England. His parents were Rev. Samuel and Susanna Wesley. Samuel was the pastor of St. Andrew Church on the “Isle of Axholme” which was formed by the rivers Trent, Don, and Idle. Most scholars agree that John was the sixteenth of 19 children born to Susanna. Samuel served as rector of St. Andrew Church for 39 years. In recent years we have begun to celebrate John Wesley’s birth on June 28 (New Style)....

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN A few years ago, a powerful commercial aired during the Super Bowl. It was simply known as #LikeAGirl. The commercial begins with various adults standing in front of a camera and an off-screen director giving them motions to act out. “Run like a girl.” “Fight like a girl.” “Throw like a girl.” You see the actors giggle and offer some pretty over-the-top portrayals: one runs like they’re being swept away, another flaps their hands in a discombobulated way, and another ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK Before leaving for a lengthy trip I went to a crowded gas station. All pumps were filled, so I pulled my car to be second in line. Our two cars were facing head to head because my fuel tank was on the opposite side from hers. No problem. I’ll just wait a bit. A bit turned into several minutes, and I watched as the young woman continued looking down at her lap. She never looked up. “She’s probably waiting for the one in her passenger seat to return from ...

By Rev. Creede Hinshaw, republished with permission from the Albany Herald I returned home from the yearly meeting of South Georgia United Methodists, held this year alongside the banks of the Chattahoochee River in Columbus. We Methodists have been meeting like this for centuries, a practice begun by our founder, John Wesley, who used the meeting to inspire his preachers, keep their doctrine pure, their preaching relevant and their behavior above reproach. We’re still doing this, but the way ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON If you intend to go to Jacksonville, Fla. but take I-95 North from Brunswick, you’ll end up in Savannah, despite how much you want to go to Jacksonville. Your direction – not your intentions – determines your destination. At the church where Anne and I serve, we talk a lot about our spiritual life as a journey. We have people at all points on the path. Many of our people would say they haven’t decided to start their journey yet but are ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley lived at Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island for several months. It is not clear just where he lived while on the island. He probably lived with one of the families, perhaps the Hirds. Several times in his diary he mentions work being done in building his house, but we do not know where this house was located or if the building was ever completed. We do know that he was anxious to have the building constructed. One morning he went to the construction ...

By Dr. Hal Brady We have a granddaughter who is graduating from high school in a couple of weeks. Joining with her parents, my wife and I are so proud of her and her accomplishments – good grades, skilled musician, sound work ethic, accepts responsibility, fun person, respect for others and meaningful friendships. Of course, we think she is ideal. In a couple of weeks, along with numerous others, she will reach the monumental milestone of becoming a high school graduate. Certainly, she is to ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Q. Do you often think and talk with the beloved ones? A. We think of them always, wherever we are. We talk of them one to them, at home and abroad; in peace, in war, before and after we fight; and indeed whenever and wherever we meet together. Q. Where do you think your souls go after death? A. We believe the souls of the red men walk up and down near the place where they died, or where their bodies lie. For we have often heard cries and noises near the place ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN I want to tell you about Molly. Molly is in her early 30s and she came to our church two years ago. From the moment I met Molly I sensed a special energy about her. She’s always been willing to help with ministry ideas around the church. The first big project she undertook was redesigning our church logo. She and her husband have a marketing business and special expertise in this area, and, after about a month of meetings and an email thread that grew to about 100 ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE BJ FUNK John Wesley wrote a brilliant sermon, preached in England at Oxford, on July 25, 1741. He named it The Almost Christian. Its relevance stretches through the years to 2019, and it is just as meaningful today as it was 278 years ago. Wesley’s challenge is to question those who are not being Christian through and through. Are there those who are coming to church each Sunday to just “show up,” without any real heart change taking place? He describes the Almost ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Q. How do you know the One above can destroy all your enemies? A. From what I have seen. When our enemies came against us before, then the beloved clouds came for us. And often much rain, and sometimes hail, has come upon them, and that on a very hot day. And I saw, when many French and Choctaws and other nations came against one of our towns. And the ground made a noise under them, and the beloved ones in the air behind them. And they were afraid, and went ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON Uncertainty is the world in which leaders live. The world of certainty is the world of managers. Their role is to eliminate the risk and standardize the process to ensure dependable, predictable results. If we do this it will produce that. Leaders are not simply repeating what has already been proven. They are innovators exploring new territories, trying new things. There is no evidence to prove what will happen or if it will work. Leaders...

By Dr. Hal Brady How are we going to live? How will we be remembered? What legacy will we leave behind? Sometimes we can tell about the legacy a person leaves behind simply by walking through the cemetery. View several of these epitaphs and see what they tell us about the person who died. On a tombstone in Cambridge, England, these words were written about an Anglican priest: “Here lies Father William who served as vicar of this church for more than 30 years without the slightest bit of ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN Dear Methodist Movement, How are you? It’s been a pretty rough week for you. Truth is, it’s been a pretty rough last 40 years. I’m writing because I don’t think I stop enough to tell you thank you. I owe you a lot. On a cold December Sunday in 1982, I was baptized into the church by Rev. Dick Reese. From that moment, through cold water and the mystery of God’s grace, my life course was to be impacted by the Methodist Movement. Sunday after Sunday I went to church ...

Wesley and Indians JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON The Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum recently acquired a copy of “Gentleman’s Magazine” from May 1737 which contains a conversation John Wesley had with five Chickasaw Indians in Georgia. Some of the dialogue was as follows: Q:  Do you believe there is One above, who is over all? A:  We believe there are four Beloved Things above: the Clouds, the Sun, the Clear Sky, and he who lives in the Clear Sky. Q:  Do you believe there is but One who ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE BJ FUNK My dear friend Suzanne went to heaven this week. She was the daughter of Reverend Bernard Brown and his wife, Elizabeth. I met Suzanne when her family moved one summer into the District Superintendent’s parsonage on the street where I lived. We became friends that same summer, and we remained good friends until God called her Home. One memory I have of her remains with me always. We were in high school biology class together. When our teacher handed out our ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON We have just recently been working through repainting several rooms in our house. While I love the finished product and look of fresh paint, I really dislike the chaos created during the renovation. Art comes down off the walls to reveal nail holes, furniture is moved giving way to dust bunnies, and closets are turned inside out. Rooms I thought were clean and orderly reveal clutter and wear. Renovations get messy before they get better.  ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON On May 28, 1778, John Wesley wrote, “O, when will even Methodists learn not to exaggerate?  After all the pompous accounts I had of the vast increases of the Society, it is not increased at all; nay, it is a little smaller than it was three years ago…” Some things seem to never change. Rev. Dave Hanson is a retired pastor and John Wesley scholar.  

Dr. Hal Brady In one of his columns, the late Lewis Grizzard described standing outside the church in his hometown of Moreland, Georgia on a cold day. It had been at least 10 years since he had been inside, but his roots were there. As he reminisced about the youth group that met on Sunday nights, he recalled how two rowdy boys in town broke into a store and were required to attend the youth group for six months as punishment. The first night they attended, Grizzard recalled, they beat up two ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Once when John Wesley was preaching he observed several people sleeping in the congregation. He stopped in the middle of his sermon and shouted, “Fire, Fire!” The sleeping fellows sprang awake and asked, “Where? Where?” Wesley replied, “In Hell, where those go who sleep during the preaching of the Word.”

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK When my sister was a small child of four, she asked our mother how much longer before Christmas would arrive. Mama responded encouragingly by saying, “Oh, it’s just around the corner!” So, without telling anyone, Beverly walked the half block to the corner of Cranford and Williams street in Valdosta. She stopped and looked both ways around the corners. Christmas wasn’t there. She ran back home, crying into the warm embrace of our mother, who held her and tried...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON When John Wesley was 47 years old he married Mary (Molly) Vazelle, a wealthy widow with four grown children whose merchant husband had died four years earlier. She was 41 years old. They agreed that all her assets would go to her children. Their relationship was stormy. She was jealous of the time Wesley spent traveling and became furious at his correspondence with women. He made the mistake of telling her that she could open and read any letters that came to ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON We are collectors. When I (Anne) was younger I collected stuffed animals, shells, rocks, stamps, plastic Smurf figurines, books, Dr. Scholl’s shoes, Holly Hobbie socks, hair scrunchies, and cassette tapes. When I (Jay) was young we collected stamps with my grandmother. As you can tell, we’re dating ourselves as kids of the 70s and 80s. But as we’ve gotten older, our collections have changed. Instead of physical objects, we now collect ...

Dr. Hal Brady The late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, former minister of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, once said, “Do not always ask when you pray, but instead affirm that God’s blessings are being given and spend most of your prayer giving thanks.” What marvelous wisdom! Gratitude is the key to meaningful faith and joyful living. One of the unique things about the Thanksgiving season is that it is not so filled with hype. It’s just a special time to reflect with family and friends on ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Jay Jordan from St Marys, Georgia recently gave me a rare copy of the February 1751 Gentlemen’s Magazine from London, England. Buried in the small print on an inside page of this magazine was a small notice which indicated that John Wesley, Methodist preacher, had married a merchant’s widow. It did not mention the bride’s name, but did say that a certain amount was given as her dowry. The important magazine has been donated to the Arthur J. Moore Methodist ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK Hearing corn grow? For real? I thought it was a myth or some old wives’ tale. So, I went to a video on the Internet and actually heard the corn growing. Like soft lightning or better yet, like a continuous crackle. Fascinating! So what does it sound like? Interestingly enough, it sounds remarkably similar to the sounds made when corn breaks. It seems that plant growth involves millions of tiny breakage events.  These breakage events trigger the plant to rush ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON We’ve been a bit intrigued by questions lately. I guess you could say we’re kind of question nerds. We began talking about the power of Jesus’ questions in our last article, “What is Jesus asking you?” As we reflect on the power of Jesus’ questions in our lives, we’re prompted to ask ourselves, “If I could ask anything, what would it be?”  I recently read that the best question-askers are actually 4-year old girls. They ask an average of ...

Dr. Hal Brady The National Day of Encouragement occurs every year in the United States on September 12. This special day started in 2007 at Harding University in Searcy, Ark. and is intended as a day dedicated to the uplifting of those around us. The idea, of course, is for Americans to make specific acts of encouragement by words and deeds to others on this specific day, with the hope that this way of living will become a reality in our everyday lives. The point of this National Day of ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN Bishop Bryan is busy traveling the Conference speaking with members of each district of South Georgia about General Conference 2019 and the work of the Commission on a Way Forward. As we prepare for the conversations in our respective districts, I want to share three important practices I think we all should engage in as we enter into potentially difficult conversations. (I realize that three districts will have already had their event by the time you read this ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley had discussed with a friend whether or not it would be a good thing for him to marry, and on February 2, 1751, he decided to do so. He was 47 years old and his bride, Molly Vazelle, was a wealthy widow with four children. She was 41 years old. Her merchant husband had died four years previously. It is interesting that this marriage occurred just days after John had urged Methodist ministers not to marry unless there were exceptional reasons to do so....

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK When I was growing up, my daddy emptied our garbage cans every other day. If he didn’t, the cans would fill to overflowing. If the garbage was in the kitchen, he took it out more often so that leftover food would not begin to smell. If you had asked me what I knew about garbage, I would have considered that a weird question. I wasn’t supposed to know anything about garbage. It belonged out of our house, and daddy saw to that. Around 40 years ago, the late ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON How would you define “a consuming intimacy with God?” How long has it been since you were hungry and thirsty for a deeper relationship with Him? Those questions and many like it have filled my thoughts lately and have caused my heart to deeply desire living in a constant state of intimacy with God. But how do we achieve that level of intimacy? Recently my practice has been to read a passage of scripture several times while imagining myself...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Wesley told his followers that they should support their local Church of England and go there for worship and Holy Communion. Some asked him, “But what should we do if the pastor teaches doctrines we do not believe, like predestination? Or if he says there can be no Christian perfection this side of heaven? Or preaches against enthusiasm?” Wesley would reply to them and to us today, “In that case you should simply and quietly get up and leave the sanctuary. Do ...

Dr. Hal Brady You know the story. I once saw it mimed by a youth group in a worship service. The wounded person was stretched out on the floor in the chancel area. A figure representing the priest came up, took a look and turned his back. Next, another figure representing the Levite came up, took a look and turned his back. At this point in the worship service, all of us present confessed our sins of omission and commission in unison and received absolution (forgiveness). Then, the Samaritan ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN   This summer, Trinity United Methodist Church (Savannah) is kicking off a new sermon series called, “Won’t You Be a Neighbor?” that follows the Ephesians thread of the lectionary. The church in Ephesus had to struggle with what it meant to form a meaningful community of faith. Paul writes to them at length about important aspects of being the Body of Christ: reconciliation between separate groups (Ephesians 2), how we’re bound together in God’s powerful love ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley wrote, “There is no other religious society under heaven which requires nothing of men in order to their admission into it, but a desire to save their souls. Look around you, you cannot be admitted into the Church or society of the Presbyterians, Anabaptists, Quakers, or any other, unless you hold the same opinions with them, and adhere to the same mode of worship. “The Methodists alone do not insist on your holding this or that opinion; but they ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK When I was a young girl, I stood by my mother at the kitchen sink and watched her as she separated stalks of celery, washing each piece before she gave it to us at supper. She taught me that there is a part of the celery stalk that has a sweeter taste than the rest of the stalks. When all of the stalks are pulled away, there lies within the celery a beautiful surprise. It’s called the heart of the celery, and it has a deeper, sweeter taste than the rest of the ...

New preachers need time to adjust to new congregations Many Methodist churches across south Georgia received new pastors two weeks ago. Pastors and people are starting to get acquainted with each other. To the average person it might seem simple for a new pastor to learn a new church. Preaching is preaching wherever one serves, right? Church leadership is the same in every church, right? Well, yes and no. Every congregation is a unique organization, even if, like The United Methodist Church, ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON   The other day I was sitting in bed reading a book when my son Jacob, a high school freshman, came in the room to talk to me about the busy schedule of the week ahead.   Before he started speaking, I noticed him standing in front of me looking up at the corner ceiling with a questioning look on his face. I turned to see the object of his attention and was confused – all I saw was the empty corner of my bedroom. He pointed up at the ceiling ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Someone complained that John Wesley was getting rich by preaching all across England. He replied, “For what price would you preach with all your might, not in an easy manner, 18 or 19 times every week, and this throughout the year? What shall I give you to travel seven or eight hundred miles, in all weather, every two or three months? For what salary will you abstain from all other diversions than doing good and praising God? I am mistaken if you would not prefer...

By Dr. Hal Brady   In a certain classroom in New Hampshire, a youth was asked to give an oral report to his classmates. Each attempt ended in embarrassing failure. Recalling his experience, he confessed: “I could not speak before the school. Many a piece did I commit to memory, and recite and rehearse in my own room, over and over again, and yet, when the day came, when my name was called, and all eyes turned to my seat, I could not raise myself from it. When the occasion was over, I went home ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON   John Wesley met some very strange people. None were stranger than the man at Dewberry who charged up out of the congregation at Wesley and in a rage struck him with all his might on his face. The blow was so violent as to bring tears into Wesley’s eyes, but without a moment’s hesitation, according to Christ’s precepts, John Wesley turned his other cheek. Amazed and confounded, the fierce assailant fell back and sought to hide his face. From that time on he ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN   In this season of our church where we’re seemingly obsessed with finding “a way forward,” I want to share about a different kind of way forward I’ve recently found. I didn’t need to appoint a commission. And, thankfully, I don’t think my church will split over the fact that we’ve offered this opportunity to find a way forward. Is this newfound “way” a solution to our divisions over human sexuality? No. But I do think this way offers a faithful and responsible way to...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK   I wonder if God ever thinks about adding a PS to His Ten Commandments, preceded by one simple explanation: “Since I already know you won’t obey these ten, try this one: P.S. Get over yourself!”   Some of the phrases that attach to that statement, like ribbons flying behind a kite, are “Me first,” “My way,” “Notice me,” “Hear me,” and “Why me?” Right now, before even reading further, you may already be thinking of someone – maybe more than one – whose shoulder ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON   The author of numerous incredible books, Henry Cloud has become one of my go-to authors and I try to read everything he writes. Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with him and take some notes as he shared with a small group of pastors. The following are a few of my notes from his sharing: 1. Stay Replenished.To stay in ministry you need to make sure your soul stays replenished. Your Tank Level       -           When pain and ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley claimed to be a man of “One Book,” the Bible. He knew that the Holy Scriptures were the foundation of our faith and our guide for living the Christian life. Yet, there was no one of his era who knew more about many books than John Wesley. He was widely read in the classic and in contemporary literature of his own day. For example, John Wesley read everything Ben Franklin wrote about electricity. In search of remedies, he studied the medical writings ...

Dr. Hal Brady   The late Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author, once said that there are three questions we should ask ourselves about any business transaction. Is it legal? Is it balanced? Will it make me feel good about myself? Here, Dr. Peale is talking about character.    I simply cannot over-estimate the importance of character. Character has been defined in many ways. Character is what you are in the dark. Character is who you are when no one else is looking. Character is who ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN Change. It might as well be a four-letter word because it strikes most of us as something ugly and profane. No one likes to change. As human beings we are biologically wired to enjoy something called homeostasis — the state of equilibrium and balance when all is well and nothing is changing. Change is especially difficult in the church. As the world around us rapidly changes, the church tends to be the one place where we can find refuge from the storm. The ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley was a traveling preacher. He was always on the move sharing the Gospel of Christ wherever he went. It has been estimated that John Wesley spent one half of his waking hours traveling. He rode his horse more than 250,000 miles across England.  John Wesley spent 23 months in Georgia. It took him four months on the ship before he even arrived at the mouth of the Savannah River. While in Georgia he made 10 trips between Savannah and St. Simons Island. He...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK Have you seen the TV commercial where a granddaddy is reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to his grandson? As the wolf approaches the pigs’ home of straw, he huffs and puffs to blow down the house. The child interrupts, “Kind of like you, Grandpa, when you huff and puff?” Grandpa explains, “That’s right. When you have COPD, it’s hard to get air in and air out.” The commercial continues as the wolf tries hard to blow down the house of straw, but he is ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON Isaiah 30:15 (CEV), “The holy Lord God of Israel had told all of you, ‘I will keep you safe if you turn back to me and calm down. I will make you strong if you quietly trust me.’”  I (Anne) am an evaluator and assessor by nature. I think it’s the teacher in me. I worked as an elementary classroom teacher for seven years, then went on to write curriculum for the Department of Education.  Assessment and evaluation are wired into my DNA. ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON In his sermon on The Education of Children, John Wesley urges parents to make sure to never give children the things they cry for. He says that if you give children the things they cry for you will only teach them to cry for more. Wesley taught that parents must teach their children to obey them else they will never learn to obey God. He even went so far as to caution against praising your children lest you build their pride. Much of what he taught about ...

Dr. Hal Brady In our time, the word,”Love” and it’s meaning have come in for a number of cheap shots. There is a kind of lip service to the whole idea of love, but everybody knows you can’t take it seriously. How desperately in our world today, we need to be reminded again that for Jesus, love is not simply one virtue among many others. For him, love is actually the foundation, the basic yardstick, for all norms in how we are to behave and act toward one another. Authentic love, then, is not ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN I ended my last column with a phrase I first read in a book written by now-Bishop Bob Farr: “Adapt or die.” I believe what we face in our local churches, districts, annual conferences, and beyond is an adaptive challenge. Ron Heifetz distinguishes two types of challenges — technical and adaptive — and notes the difference as follows: “The technical is defined as those that can be solved by the knowledge of experts, whereas adaptive requires new learning.”  If we’re ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley discovered a worship service which was used in the 1600s to encourage believers to renew their covenant with God. He revised the service and used it as a Watch Night Service in his London headquarters, the Foundry. He also used the service as he traveled to various Methodist Societies across England.  His journal indicates wonderful responses to these Covenant Renewal services. Some of them lasted for three or four hours! He often scheduled them for ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON On Christmas Day, 1738, just a few months after his Aldersgate Experience when he felt his heart strangely warmed and he trusted Christ and Christ alone for his salvation, John Wesley sat down to write his rules for groups who want to grow in grace together. These rules were designed to help groups who wanted to help members become more Christ-like. It was important that all members covenant together to keep these conversation in strictest confidence. Meet each...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK God came to earth wrapped in an ordinary package. His birthing room had a dirt floor, his crib contained remnants of dried animal feed, and instead of “Lullaby” being played over a hospital loud speaker at the birth of a child, there was a mixed chorus of animals braying loudly, possibly over the intrusion of this couple and their baby. Here is a simple illustration of how that happened. In that land called heaven, the Son, Jesus, stood up one day, gave the ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON We’ve entered cold and flu season. This is the time of year when germs seem to be lurking, powerful and invisible on every surface. Because of the nature of these sneaky germs, it’s nearly impossible to go through a cold and flu season without at least once coming down with a case of the sniffles. Have you ever thought about the fact that great leadership is caught more than taught? Just by being around a great leader others can “catch” ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Susanna Wesley’s Rules for Raising Godly Children: Eating between meals not allowed. Take medicine without complaining. Obey parents (break their self-will).  How will they ever obey God if they do not obey their parents? Teach them to pray as soon as they can speak. Require all to be still during Family Worship. Teach them to cry softly so as not to disturb others. Give them nothing that they cry for. To prevent lying, punish no fault which is first confessed ...

Some time ago I ran across a statement that is worth pondering. It went like this: “The greatest blessing lacking in life is the willingness to see our blessings.” To my mind, this is something to mull over, not only because it is the thanksgiving season but because this is a true reality. Perhaps this is the point of Jesus traveling through Samaria, when a group of lepers call out to him for help. These lepers desperately desire to be healed. Rather than healing them immediately, however, ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson explore a new territory America had just purchased from the French (known as the Louisiana Purchase) to find a trade route via the Pacific Ocean. At this point, no one had dared to go west of the Mississippi, so Lewis and Clark set out with their expedition party, known as the Corps of Discovery, and canoes to paddle their way to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and Clark were ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Near the end of his life John Wesley said that 50 years earlier a good man gave him advice for which he had ever since had reason to bless God. The “good man” was the Archbishop of Canterbury. The advice was: “If you desire to be extremely useful, do not spend your time and strength in contesting for or against things as are of a disputable nature, but in testifying against open and notorious vice, and promoting real spiritual holiness.” Wesley thought that was ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK Four days after the Las Vegas massacre, I sat in a filled civic center in Tallahassee, Fla., listening to a teaching by David Jeremiah. He was, as expected, wonderful. But what happened at the end had just as great an impact. One of his gifted vocalists sang “God Bless America,” and as she did, I asked myself, “Do we even have the right to ask God to bless America?” With division sweeping our great nation, angry voices accompanied by violence filling our ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Did you know that the Wesley family had a very active ghost in the Epworth parsonage? While John Wesley was off at Oxford strange things began to happen back at Epworth. Footsteps were heard in the night coming up the stairs. Loud banging occurred. A noise like a chain being dragged startled everybody in the house. When this would happen their dog, “Jack” would crawl under the bed. Jack was a large Mastiff who was usually fearless. These noises seemed to get ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON It’s officially fall and that means football season – kids are playing on fields at the local Rec. Department, middle schools, and high schools. College football games determine our schedules on the weekends and NFL football fans come to life on Monday nights. No matter what sideline you find yourself on or which set of bleachers you’re cheering from, at some point, you’re either calling for more offense or defense. Along with the offense ...

Dr. Hal Brady With most of our attention riveted on Hurricane Irma, the 16th anniversary of 9/11 quietly passed by. Oh, to be sure, there were some observances and rightly so. And it was also appropriate and necessary that we focused on the monstrous Hurricane Irma. However, Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, will live forever in our memories. That was the day of the unthinkable. Who will ever forget the terrorist attack on our nation – those planes crashing into the World Trade Center and ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley tried a two-day experiment in sharing his faith. He decided that for two days he would only speak to others about godly things if the Holy Spirit directly prompted him to do so. At the end of this two-day experiment he concluded: 1) That he spoke to none at all, even when he rode many miles with them in a coach except for a few words when setting out. 2) That he had no cross to bear and soon went to sleep. 3) That he had much respect shown to him and...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN There’s a cute Disney movie that came out about 15 years ago called “Lilo and Stitch.” It’s the story of an alien that crash lands on earth and befriends a curious and fiesty young girl named Lilo. The movie follows their hijinks as they learn the value of family bonds. There’s a great line in the movie where Lilo teaches Stitch one of her native Hawaiian sayings: “Ohana means family…and family means no one gets left behind.” I remember a conversation I had with a ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK I just watched one network’s morning show about the recent unrest in Barcelona, Spain. I listened intently for any message about turning to prayer. I didn’t hear one. One lady said of the attacks, “We just all huddled down and cried.” Am I naïve to wish that she had said, “We just all huddled down and prayed?” The horribly gruesome scenes focused on the hate that caused these attacks, on the training of Isis through their 400 page Playbook (how odd is that ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley said that Methodist belief is a “hair’s breadth” from Calvinism (predestination). By that he meant it is God’s grace that saves us. We cannot save ourselves. You do not simply choose to become a Christian. You respond to the grace of God which reaches out to you! God seeks you. Then you respond. You can never respond until God knocks on your heart’s door. But you can say “yes” to God or “no.” Wesley says you can choose to be a Calvinist (believe in ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON Ephesians 5: 8-9 (CEV), “You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful.” Have you ever been around someone who shined God’s character so brightly you felt as if you’ve seen a glimpse of the Father Himself? Have you ever been in a church where God’s presence was so thick you could ...

Dr. Hal Brady A student at Harvard came to see the great Boston preacher Phillips Brooks one day. The student shifted from one foot to the other and with some hesitation and said, “Dr. Brooks, I’d like to talk over some of my doubts with you, but I don’t want to upset your faith.” Phillips Brooks threw back his head and laughed. As a matter of fact, he laughed and laughed until the student laughed with him. And that laughter did more to answer that student’s questions than anything Phillips ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley liked to preach in congregations that were alive together in Christ. But he often found congregations that were dead. In his journal he would comment about such congregations, saying such things as, “That poor, dumb congregation didn’t understand as much as the benches upon which they sat.” Or, “The mules which brought them to church understood more than they.” He told one church they were “the stupidest, most stubborn congregation he ever saw.” ...