I hope you had a positive, patriotic experience yesterday celebrating the historically recognized birthday of the United States of America. We are 249 years old! It is always a meaningful holiday that provides an opportunity to celebrate the many freedoms which make our country unique and strong. What might we consider the most important freedoms [...]

On the morning of June 22 the lead headline on the Daily Memphian web page read in a large, bold font: “Most important Memphian of all time has died”. Depending on the era and context of importance, that statement could have applied to any number of people. For music, Elvis Presley. In sports, Larry Finch. [...]

You don’t have to be a golf fan to admire what J.J. Spaun did last Sunday in the final round of the U.S. Open.  Spaun had led or been near the lead in the previous three rounds at Oakmont Country Club, which was proving to be a terribly difficult course, frustrating the world’s best players. [...]

There are sooooooo many books that have been written in the collective categories of self-help, finding happiness, or what it takes to be successful that it can be hard for any one of them to stand out. From person to person, it often depends on what we are seeking, how we establish our priorities, what [...]

The annual gathering of United Methodists from the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference concluded in the early afternoon of this past Wednesday. From the opening worship service on Sunday evening to the concluding act of the fixing of clergy appointments, the Holy Spirit was present and evident throughout. There were many high and holy moments, and the [...]

Do you have special memories of when your family comes together for food, fellowship, and to celebrate or acknowledge something significant…a birthday, anniversary, holiday, wedding, baptism, birth, death, or a milestone moment in someone's life? A variety of traditions often accompany these events, even if the details vary from family to family. As time passes [...]

It is a season of graduations. Whether it be from kindergarten, elementary school, high school or higher education, graduation is a rite of passage, a move to a new chapter of life experience. Such times are exciting and cause for celebration. They also create new questions for those students and their families. What kinds of [...]

As a local church pastor, I once received a call from a senior living facility that one of their residents, Mary, who was a member of my congregation, had been taken by ambulance to the hospital. Mary had passed out during the evening meal in the common dining area. The person who called said she [...]

If you have followed basketball over the last forty years, you likely remember the time a reporter asked a young Michael Jordan about why he tried to score so much. Jordan’s Chicago Bulls were winning a lot of games, and he was leading the league in points per game. But he was simultaneously criticized for [...]

My position with the Foundation and Development Fund for the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference gives me a seat at the table of our Committee on Finance and Administration. At our most recent gathering, we faced the task of finalizing the 2026 budget that will be presented for review and approval at Annual Conference in June. John [...]