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No More Videos Until June
Hey Y’all, With the end of the semester, my vacation, and my need to handle some church things, I will not have any more Eight Minute Methodism Videos until June. I have these videos roughly scripted: -It’s Not Over: What Comes Next After General Conference -2020/24, explaining the what, why, and how’s of the dating Continue reading
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Dr J’s Song of the Day April 28th
It’s the Sunday of General Conference, and Dr. J’s Song of the Day is “The Middle” by Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey. A lyric selection: Take a seatRight over there, sat on the stairsStay or leaveThe cabinets are bare, and I’m unawareOf just how we got into this mess, got so aggressiveI know we meant Continue reading
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Q&A with Dr. J #4
Questions will be answered to the best of my ability. 1. Have any petitions related to Deacons sacramental authority and leadership authority made it out of committee? So far, calendar items related to Deacons include:-rewording the authority of provisional Deacons to include the phrase, “The appointment setting is defined as ‘people within or related to Continue reading
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Dr J’s Song of the Day: Welcome to Hard Times
Dr J’s Song of the Day for Day 3 of General Conference is “Welcome to Hard Times” by Charley Crockett. A lyric selection: Welcome to hard times and feelin’ lowDo you like sinnin’? No?Well, you will before you goWe’ve got lots of gamblin’Oh, and we’re tellin’ liesYou’re certainly welcome to hard times Take a look Continue reading
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An accidental parable?
When we moved into our house in 2019, this shrub had been cut pretty far back and was unrecognizable. It didn’t have the blooms or the dried out flower/pods that follow. We considered digging it up. Then I said no, let’s give it year. Well, it came back. And each year, with some pruning, and Continue reading
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July Update
Lots of neat stuff on the way. +The podcast is coming back. Watch out for more episodes. +My music reviews for ministry are coming back as well. Coming Monday July 24th, country music album reviews are coming back with Ernest Tubb. +I am building my fall classes, and I am teaching a lot, so I’ll Continue reading
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DISAFFILIATION RUMORS, MYTHS, AND OPPORTUNITIES – #12: North Georgia and Florida Lawsuits
Two legal issues related to disaffiliation have been in the news this week. The first one: The lawsuit against the Florida Conference has been dismissed for similar reasons as the Western North Carolina suit: separation of church and state/The UMC has it’s own governing and judicial bodies to handle this. The second one: A lawsuit Continue reading
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Disaffiliation Rumors, Myths, and Opportunities – #8: The Lewis Center Report
There is a report going around from the Lewis Center ( a church and ministry research and leadership development center at Wesley Theological Seminary). It gives us a quantitative look at some of the aspects of the disaffiliating churches so far. Here is a concise summary from the report (full report linked here): The areas Continue reading
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97 – The Flatlanders: More a Legend than a Band
Now we’re getting into new music territory for me. The Flatlanders’ More an Legend than a Band is a weird and sort of mystical album for me. It is full of songs about life, loss, and a mix of hopelessness and hope that both teeter on the edge. I’d never heard of this group, but Continue reading
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Persimmon Pudding Recipe – Podcast Episode 4
In Episode 4, Rev. Karen Kleuver talks about Persimmon Pudding, and here’s the recipe!Persimmon Pulp: https://simplejoyfulfood.com/want-to-learn-how-to-make-wild-persimmon-pulp/ Continue reading
Jonathan LeMaster-Smith 