My morning has been spent on logistics. Three people have written to ask to be interviewed. I have been checking them out online. A guy sent me a link to download the Arkansas Annual Conference session that they made publicly unavailable. I corresponded with four UMC men I'm going to be doing a series on, covering some of the legislation being brought to next year's UMC General Conference. I spent time seeking a woman to join us. A homeless woman came through on Saturday and required attention yesterday and this morning. She skipped out on an interview for a place we had arranged for her to stay. Sad. So much of my effort to help homeless folks has been frustrated. I can't imagine the anguish and dysfunction of a daily life. She seemed like a lovely woman.
My wife spends Mondays in the church kitchen with a crew of women who make a few hundred meals for their own families plus some others that they care for. The ministry is called Bountiful Tables. It means I'm responsible for caring for my kids all day on Mondays, so right now they are playing with some of their friends in the fellowship hall, but this afternoon I'll be taking them home, feeding them, putting them to bed, and managing their needs until dinnertime.
TJ is back in the office this week on Wednesday. I may have an interview or two filmed for him to edit. He and I will be going with a crew to a tabernacle replica in Claremore on Friday. A crew from our church is going, and we are going to film something for the church. My friend, James Lambert, will be coming after that to film a PlainSpoken segment. In the meantime, I have ordered some new ethernet cable to do some troubleshooting on the connectivity issue that is plaguing my live stream. A new computer is hopefully going to be delivered at the start of next month. My church's tech expert is experimenting with a new router at his home that, if he likes, he will purchase a new one to install here. It's sure to be a busy and rewarding week.
Thanks to all the PlainSpoken supporters for being patient with me as I juggle lots of things. I'm glad to do what I do!😁😁
I'm publishing this here first to convey my thanks to those of you who have supported my work. Thank you.
Episode 1 takes up marriage, divorce and remarriage. Going into Johannesburg, our Book of Doctrines and Discipline told the world who could marry and never once used the word "divorce." On the last morning of General Conference, in about fifty minutes of floor debate, that changed. I walk Petition 1020 through its whole life: the language we inherited, Jonathan Lee's petition, the committee's 35–1 vote, and Saturday on the floor. That meant Rich Hoffman's amendment, Matt O'Reilly's rewrite, a motion to send the whole thing away for six years, and a final vote of 329–41.
Then we open Matthew 19 and 1 Corinthians 7 and ask what the church said, and what it chose not to say. I land somewhere between grateful and uneasy, and I want to hear where you land. The free discussion guide sets the old and new texts side by side, gives both sides in the delegates' own words, and has ...
I don't know why the live stream didn't work today. Here is what I did:
Update: I know I said I would start back up this week. I could easily start the morning live stream back up, but I have been feeling like I need to do some wrap-up on General Conference. It just took me some time get clear on what I would feel good about doing. And I finally got some really good thoughts together after a lot of percolation. Early next week, I should be publishing some very decent work on explaining some of the more impactful developments in Johannesburg. For right now, I'm aiming at eleven episodes dealing with:
1. Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage: how the church put words about divorce into our Book of Doctrines and Discipline on the final morning
2. Sex and Gender Identity: the rewriting of ¶302.8
3. Protecting the Unborn and the Mother: our new language on abortion
4. The Racial Theology Resolution: Resolution 1466, adopted and then defeated on a revote
5. The Articles of Faith: a new doctrinal standard for the Global Methodist Church
6. Restrictive Rules and the ...
