I have been thinking over the last few weeks about the nature of the church.  But first, a story…

Not too long ago, I managed to get my truck stuck in the mud.  The details are a little embarrassing and not germane to the point I’m trying to make, so I’ll leave them out.  Suffice it to say, I was unable to remedy the situation by myself.  I tried and tried to no avail.  It’s not in my nature to ask for help, but I knew I had no other options.  I called my good friend Derrick who came without hesitation.  In the process, two good Samaritans happened along who also pitched in.  In short, I spent an hour and a half unsuccessfully trying to get my truck unstuck.  With the help of a friend and two friendly strangers, I was unstuck and rolling again in a matter of minutes. 

Many of you are aware of the news splash the United Methodist Church made over the weekend.  On Friday, a group of United Methodist leaders announced a proposal for the separation of the United Methodist Church.  This is one of several similar proposals that will come before General Conference when it meets May 5-15 in Minneapolis.  You can read our bishop’s response to this announcement, as well as the full text of the proposal and an FAQ, by clicking this link:  https://www.umcsc.org/bishop-holstons-statement-on-separation-proposal/.

New Year’s resolutions – we’ve probably all made them and we’ve probably all broken them.  I read recently that 40% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions.  To put that in perspective, about 33% of Americans watch the Super Bowl.  Even though we keep our New Year’s resolutions with varying degrees of success, chances are a lot of you will be making them.