Things I Like

I've decided to, in an effort to get back to regular blogging, start blogging about things I like. Seems simple, right? Today I start with the joy of charcoal grilling in the backyard with kids, a beverage and a good dog as a way to start a holiday weekend.
One of the reasons I love to grill with charcoal at the start of a holiday weekend is that it is a great discipline to get the body and mind to relax: sure, you could multi-task but why would you skip out on the joy of entering the weekend at a slower pace, enjoying the smell of the hot coals and the time with family. There are few finer moments in my life than these!

Crazy Weather Tonight in North Texas

Wow, what crazy, crazy weather in North Texas tonight. Often we see weather like this here in NT in the spring but, up until now, we've been very fortunate. Tonight it appears that, at least 100 people have been injured and there are two reported fatalities in Granbury. And the weather keeps coming...

Prayers are much appreciated!

A Devotional by Bill Carroll

Seventh Sunday of Easter

May 12, 2013

John 17:20-26

“The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them,  that they may be one even as we are one.  I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one,  so that the world may know that thou hast sent me  and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.”

(John 17:22-23)

Devotion

In this passage, Jesus states “that they may become perfectly one.” As we see our world torn apart by religious conflict, our people hungry, homeless, depressed and assaulted, our people killing each other, the thought of a perfect world seems an impossibility. Just today I was amazed at the very long line outside a neighboring homeless shelter. These people were hungry. Some were obviously single and alone, others were young couples, and there were families with children as well.

Christian perfection was a theme heard in many of the writings of John and Charles Wesley (just think of the hymn text references to perfection). I expect that we Christians have a long way to go when it comes to “perfection.” We certainly have a long way to go before “becoming perfectly one.” Let us journey on down that long road. 

Prayer

O God, grant us grace and forgiveness that we may love thee and one another with wholeness of heart in the name of Jesus. Amen.

William P. Carroll, President
The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts
Associate Dean
School of Music, Theatre, and Dance
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

A Great Devotional by Rebecca Garrett!

Fifth Sunday of Easter

April 28, 2013

Acts 11:1-18

“…‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’”

(Acts 11:9b)

Devotion

This passage in Acts tells of Peter’s vision in which God teaches him, through the metaphor of clean and unclean food, that all people are welcomed into the body of Christian believers. Peter refuses at first! He does what we so often do, too: he earnestly tries to follow guidelines of righteousness instead of the voice of the Risen Christ.

What has God made clean and holy in our lives, in our churches, in our ministries, that we may be calling profane? Is it a new idea for a project that seems like too big a risk? Is it someone in our ministry whose brand of helping sometimes causes more frustration than help? Is it a talent of our own that we keep trying to stifle? Is it a person whom others in our society have deemed unworthy of love and protection? I invite you to join Simon Peter and me this week in seeking to accept God’s vision of holiness rather than our own vision. 

Prayer

Holy One, teach us to look to you for holiness, acceptance, and truth.

Rebecca E. Garrett
Music Associate
Highland Park United Methodist Church
Dallas, TX

A Wonderful Devotion by Rebecca Garrett

Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 21, 2013

John 10:22-30

“…How long will you keep us in suspense?  If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

(John 10:24b)

Devotion

It’s been a few weeks now since we finished the season of Lent – we journeyed with the Servant Savior, we absorbed the gravity of Holy Week, we experienced the wonder of Easter morning. Yet our journey continues. We find Easter didn’t answer all our questions. We find we’re still in suspense as to who – exactly – this Messiah truly is.

So we continue to discover Eastertide worship in all our varied arts: we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; we weave vibrant tapestries of gold, white, and green in our worship spaces; we dance; we play oboe, bassoon, and trumpet; we paint; we proclaim the Word through drama.

And joyously, in our Eastertide worship, we hear our Shepherd’s voice, continuously revealing Messiah to us. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (10:27).

Prayer

Risen Shepherd, we long to be brought continually out of suspense and toward your gentle Easter voice.

Rebecca E. Garrett
Music Associate
Highland Park United Methodist Church
Dallas, TX