by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 3, 2025 | Conversations
In her article about Methodism’s “vile” practices (ministering to those outside of the church, visiting the imprisoned, and holding authorities accountable for inhumane treatment, to name a few), Dr. Ashley Boggan(general secretary of the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History) suggests that now is the time for the Methodist church to be even more vile. She explains that “Wesleyan viletality is a willingness to look beyond today’s acceptable practices and norms and bend the rules in order to ensure that more people can experience the love of God.”
Read the full article, HERE.
by Stacey Hilliard | Mar 10, 2025 | Conversations
“Mary Magdalene is a prominent figure in the story of Jesus’ life and resurrection. She is one of the few named women who is a follower of Jesus. She has a pivotal role in the Gospels, because she is the first to see him resurrected (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20).
“This Lent, let’s consider using Mary Magdalene as our guide, following Jesus as she did…
“We are invited to listen to his teachings and witness his healing work as described in the Gospels. We are asked to journey with him to Jerusalem and witness his final days and crucifixion. Like Mary Magdalene, we are also beckoned to wake up early on Easter and go to the tomb, only we know that we will find it empty! We are called to share the good news with each other. We are charged with sharing our encounters with the risen Christ.”
This is just the beginning of a devotional written by Rev. Tiffany McDonald. Read Rev. McDonald’s complete devotional, as published in the March 10 issue of UM Now, HERE.
by Stacey Hilliard | Feb 24, 2025 | Conversations
In 2021, the New England Conference offered an online study of the book “Faith After Doubt,” by author Brian D. McLaren. In addition to being a prolific author, McLaren is on the faculty of the Center for Action and Contemplation (cac.org) where he recently introduced the center’s 2025 Daily Meditations theme of “Being Salt and Light.” Sound familiar? See and hear McLaren’s thoughts on the scriptures Pastor Anne addressed in her recent sermons, HERE. If you missed Pastor Anne’s recent sermons on salt and light, you can watch or read them on our website (https://crawfordmethodist.org/sermons/).
by Stacey Hilliard | Feb 24, 2025 | Conversations
“The term ‘spiritual practice’ doesn’t usually refer to hiking or painting, but these activities can strengthen our faith. Here are four practices to try when you are yearning to draw close to God…
…People find a deeper connection with God by spending time in spiritual practices that are best for their unique personality and situation. Spiritual practice exploration is an option any day of the year, but adopting something new during a specific season can be helpful. Consider adding a practice during Lent, the 40 days leading to Easter, or Advent, the four weeks leading to Christmas.”
In an article published on umc.org, author Laura Buchanan explores how activities such as making art, hiking, meditating, and listening to or making music can help us find a deeper connection with God. Read the full article HERE.
by Stacey Hilliard | Feb 21, 2025 | Conversations
Know that exhaustion is normal. And to carry on, you must resist turning exhaustion into shame.
This post was originally shared in an email by the Reconciling Ministries Network (see HERE)
After an acute experience of stress, most of our bodies respond by feeling tired. But after prolonged periods of stress, we may experience “adrenal fatigue” – deep exhaustion and lethargy. We borrow against our future energy, and that depletes our future capacity.
Avoiding a fatigued spirit is a group project, not a solo endeavor. Shame will tell you that fatigue is abnormal and a sign that you don’t belong to the community of justice seekers. The Spirit of God will tell you, in contrast, that you were born a beacon of their love.
We can teach our spirits to regulate, and we can co-regulate in community. What a gift – that we retain the child-like ability to come back to ourselves in the presence of others who can bring us there.
Regulating our spirits doesn’t mean accepting increasing dehumanization or cruelty. It means shoring up our relationships and tools so that further cruelty doesn’t blow us off target.
The regime is testing our boundaries now to see who we think is disposable. All our disparate strands of suffering are bound up in one corded whip. So, when they call “red rover, red rover”: hold fast to your neighbor and get low to the earth. We will send no one over!
by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 4, 2024 | Conversations
“The ritual of lighting candles at Advent is not a shallow exercise. It begins the Christian year with a clear reminder that God so loved the world Jesus came to provide the best example of how to find beloved community amid our challenges…It acknowledges, with the lighting of a simple candle once a week, that God is still in our midst, still calling us to be the body of Christ “\’until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.’”
Read Bishop Bickerton’s full Advent letter, HERE.
