Beloved in Christ Jesus:

I hope you are off to a good start in Lent. Lent for many is a time of reflection and preparation. We are invited to deepen our life in Jesus Christ and prepare for the feast of Easter.

This year Lent came in on us on the heels of our Special General Conference. I think that is great timing for United Methodists individually and collectively. Since the General Conference adjourned, its effects are consuming lots of air, energy and even headlines in the religious and secular press. Mail is up by post and electronically. So a few reflections and observations seem in order. This may be more for my good, but you may find them to be grist for your spiritual mill.

The communications I have received have run the gamut. Many notes are simply kind and prayerful. Some declare that a great victory was won at the General Conference; others decry that the decisions made in St. Louis have inflicted great pain. Opining about the future of The United...continue reading