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!😁😁
Debra Baty is the head of Resources 4 Redemption, which is an effort aimed at spreading good information about sexual orientation and gender identity. She recently published an article about “sexual fluidity” and how it impacts our sanctification in Firebrand Magazine. It is a good piece, and Debra does worthy work. All believers in the West have to contend with the artificial ideas of the sexual revolution. There is nowhere we can go that these issues do not impact us. The only way out is through.
Debra has a personal story that is quite compelling. She is a trustworthy, thoughtful, and conscientious resource. All covenant Christian bodies need to know where they stand on these things, lest the evil one sow confusion. Now is the time to reflect upon these things. Days are coming when what we believe will be put to the test. If we have not prepared, then we cannot expect to prevail.
Resources 4 Redemption can be found at https://substack.com/@resources4redemption
If you would like to ...
I didn't realize until I finished this morning's live stream that it got cut off pretty early in the stream. It should have made me suspicious when the viewer count stayed the same and I wasn't getting any more comments. Anyway, I recorded the whole thing and have reposted it here for you. I'll clip up the two main portions and post them on YouTube later today. Sorry for the snafu, y'all. There was a small power surge and something about that threw Rumble off. Tomorrow should be normal. God bless you all!
The issue of identity, while being ubiquitous in our most divisive politics, is also central to the Christian concern. I wanted to speak to these things a bit for the sake of fellow believers who perhaps are not quite so sure how to navigate these things…
https://open.substack.com/pub/jeffreyrickman/p/the-harsh-reality-of-identity?r=17brpc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
No live stream this morning. Was up all night with a sinus infection and need to get in gear for annual conference session. I'll just plan on Monday. God bless you folks!
