Dear Grace Family: Have you ever noticed that people use many euphemisms to avoid saying someone has died? We may hear that they “passed on”, or they “bought the farm” or they “joined the church triumphant.” I have often been bothered by this reluctance to speak directly about death, but I could never articulate exactly why this bothered me. Rachel Mann is…

Dear Grace Family: Many of you attended previous performances of the Triumphant Quartet here at Grace. Those who did attend can attest that the group offers an uplifting, encouraging and faith-filled message. They have quite a following and the crowd’s enthusiasm adds to the whole experience. I mention this because we have the Triumphant Quartet performing in the Grace sanctuary starting at…

Dear Grace Family: One of our big goals at Grace UMC this year is to promote and grow our ministries to youth and children. This is so very important because sharing our faith with the next generation is essential to our mission. In furtherance of this goal, Ms. Niki has planned a family movie night for tonight, February 9, starting at 5:30pm…

Dear Grace Family: I am currently reading Adam Hamilton’s latest book, entitled “Wrestling With Doubt, Finding Faith.” Many of you know that I consider Adam Hamilton’s writing very consistent with my personal theology, and I appreciate his ability to simplify complex ideas. In his current book, Hamilton writes, “Christian Faith does not see God as a human-like being. It sees humans as…

Dear Grace Family: I have mentioned before that I enjoy the daily devotional writings of Fr. Richard Rohr. Recently, he wrote the following: “Having faith doesn’t have to do with being perfect. It has to do with staying in relationship, hanging in there, holding on to union as tightly as God holds on to us. It’s not a matter of being correct…

Dear Grace Family: Peter Marty, the editor of The Christian Century magazine, is one of my favorites. Recently, he wrote an article about the practices of faith. He said, “Faith is a way of life that acquires its layers and contours incrementally, often imperceptibly.” His point was that our faith grows deeper over time as we encounter relationships with people from all…

Recently, I read an article entitled, “The 80/20 Rule is a Problem for churches.” The author, an experienced pastor, explains that even though it is a common observation that 20% of the people in a church do 80% of the work, this is not good for churches. This is because the gospel message, and the life of the early church in Acts,…

Dear Grace Family: Have you ever heard the advice to “keep your expectations low and you will not be disappointed”? I have often struggled with this advice because it suggests that having high expectations of others will inevitably lead to disappointment. Sometimes this is true, and sometimes it is not. But the real benefit of keeping our expectations low is that we…

This is my last Gracevine article for 2023, and as I look back over this year, I am especially grateful for the Grace UMC community. I see us living into the vision of the church as a “beloved community” in which we share each other’s burdens and sorrows as well as our joys. We are connected as members of the body of…

The weekend of the Grace UMC Christmas cantata is here! This year’s cantata is entitled “Rhapsody in Bluegrass”, and we offer two performances. The first is Saturday, December 16th at 6pm, and the second is Sunday, December 17th at 10am. Come to see one or both, and remember to invite friends! You will not be disappointed! The next couple of weeks will go by…