It Doesn’t Take A Village to Help A Village
This past month, I’ve had the privilege of hearing the stories of small churches doing big things. In Emmet, Arkansas — a tiny community between Hope and Prescott — a small congregation at the Emmet United Methodist Church seeks to save their historic church building from collapsing under the weight of severe structural damage. The […]
When Communities Come Together
This past month has really gotten me thinking about the importance of community. As many of you are aware, Arkansas was hit with a number of natural disasters in June: from the Arkansas River flooding that displaced thousands of people to heavy rains, high winds, and tornado damage that made an already bad situation even […]
One planet, one chance to get it right
I’ve been thinking a lot about our planet lately. Not in a spacey kind of way, imagining the stars and planets and the endless wonder of the cosmos (although, that is something that takes up a lot of room in my brain as well). When I think about the planet these days, it’s usually out […]
Pray for our Church, Pray for our Delegates
The Arkansas Annual Conference is this month; and I’m pleased to say that this year, I’ll actually know what’s going on! As many of you know, my first week as the Digital Content Editor for the Conference was the same week as the Conference’s annual gathering in Hot Springs, Arkansas; the Super Bowl for Arkansas […]
A time, and a season, for everything
Like many wonderful things in life, there are two sides to every coin. Spring is no exception. On the one hand, I love the warmer weather. I love hearing the sounds of birds singing again, and the vibrant green growth popping up all over Arkansas on once bare and cold trees. On the other hand: […]
What comes next still matters
This month, the long-awaited Special Session of General Conference takes place, and most of the folks I interact with on a regular basis are – understandably – very nervous. The Commission on a Way Forward, at the direction of the Council of Bishops, have come up with three proposed plans that 864 delegates from all […]
We won’t be left in the dust
The six months that I’ve spent working for the Arkansas Conference have felt like an entire year. Not because my team and I have been slacking off, merely coasting through the summer months into the fall; it’s quite the opposite. Since taking over this position in mid-June, the Arkansas Conference has undergone a lot of […]
The season of outrage!
The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. Not just for the typical festivities like family gatherings, gift exchanges, the colorful lights, good food, the beauty surrounding the celebration of the birth of Christ, and eggnog – yes, I am a believer in the delicious, sugary, fatty delight that is holiday nog; […]
From the Editor: Being thankful when it’s tough
It’s finally November; a month typically associated with giving sacrificially and being thankful for your blessings. At least, that’s what November is supposed to be about. But these days, I feel like it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to reflect on what I’m thankful for in this world. Maybe it’s because I’m keenly aware of all […]
Finding Hope After Tragedy
This past month has been a tough, confusing, and at times, chaotic month for many Americans across the East Coast of the United States. Hurricane Florence — a Category 1 storm that had been labeled by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper as a “1,000-year rain event” — made landfall on Sept. 14 on North Carolina’s […]