Author Archive

Where is the Steve Jobs of The Gospel?

October 7, 2011

Apple Founder and Chairman Steve Jobs didn’t invent the mp3 player. Or the computer. Or the cell phone. But, what did he do? He re-imagined the mp3 player, the computer, and the cell phone to such an extent that when that vision was actually come to fruition, it changed peoples’ lives. They caught on to the vision (quite literally) and it was made plain to them in a way that they believed in, bought in to and were amazed and impacted daily by the vision once realized. The mp3 player, computer and cell phone were already there, as is the good news of all that Jesus Christ did for us is and has been for 2,000+ years. But where is the guy or gal that is bringing a revolutionary message that people can catch on to? Not physically, like we hold on to an iphone, but felt in all aspects of our daily living. Why does it feel like the church is still dealing with eight track tape players and rigged up 1950s-era telephones? Wherever that guy or gal is, I would follow them in a heartbeat. Until then, we all should try to be them.

RIP Mr. Jobs

The Gospel Shared in A World Like Ours

September 14, 2011

I’m a huge fan of Jason Upton. I heard his band member, Bryan Willard tell this amazing, touching and thought-provoking story about a little girl sharing the love of Jesus to an atheist. Jesus loves atheists, Jesus loves homesexuals, there is no one that Jesus does not love. Take a listen when you get a chance.

Welcome to our Facebook Page!

July 7, 2011

Carol serves up a nice welcome video for the District’s Facebook page! Enjoy:

“Like” The LaGrange District Facebook Page!

May 30, 2011

We are happy to introduce The LaGrange District Facebook Page. Search “The LaGrange District” on facebook + ‘Like’ the page for the latest LaGrange District UMC News, including updates from our District Superintendent. Please forward on to others in and outside of the District! From what we understand, we are one of the first – if not the only - district in the North Georgia Conference to have a Facebook page.

Click Here to find the page. This is another way we’re pushing the envelope to create a community within our district to connect us, from the very north of the district to the south, east and west.

Blogging the Stop Hunger Now Experience

March 12, 2011
Nathaniel Long, John Mattox, and Dan Dixon at the Stop Hunger Now warehouse in Marietta

Nathaniel Long, John Mattox, and Dan Dixon at the Stop Hunger Now warehouse in Marietta

Have you heard that three pastors from our District are participating in the 4 by 40 project by eating 40 packages of Stop Hunger Now meals during the 40 days of Lent?? What an interesting concept. They are Nathaniel Long of Senoia UMC, Dan Dixon of Mt. Gilead UMC and John Mattox of Pleasant Grove UMC. You can follow along with their stories as they are blogging at the links below:

Meet the “Hogfather” of the LaGrange District (Rev. Nathaniel Long) by clicking here

Keep up with “Preacher Dan’s Ponderings” (Rev Dan Dixon) by clicking here

View some of Rev. John Mattox’s posts at the Pleasant Grove UMC blog by clicking here

Rev. Long will be doing an on air interview next Wednesday at 8:00pm for 95.5 The Beat Atlanta. We’ll tweet that from the District Twitter feed to remind you: www.twitter.com/lagrangedist.

“Today, I quit being a Christian”

August 5, 2010

“Today, I quit being a Christian.”

With those words last week on Facebook, Anne Rice delivered a wake-up call for organized religion. The question is whether it will be recognized as such.

“I remain committed to Christ as always,” she wrote, “but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”

To read the rest of this article by Leonard Pitts that I read in the AJC today, click here.  There are numerous points he makes that we all need to think about.

Young Adult Gatherings at Annual Conference

June 8, 2010

Annual Conference 2010 is upon us! If you’d like to blog or tweet daily about your experience at Conference, let us know!  Here are some things happening at Conference for young adults to take note of:

All young adult clergy, laity, and those who specialize in young adult
ministry are invited to Two Story Coffee House on Tuesday night, June
15, from 8- 10 pm BEFORE AC kicks off for a time of acclimation,
fellowship, and networking. The first 75 guests will receive a voucher
for a free coffee drink of their choice! Two Story Coffee is located
at 1680 S. Lumpkin Street in Athens. Parking is available on the
street or in the lot behind Two Story or their neighbors, Athens
Classic Properties or Home Place. After 9 pm additional parking is
available at Earthfare, across the street. For more information about
Two Story Coffee house, check out www.twostorycoffeehouse.com.
Questions??? contact Margaret Freeman at mfreeman@ngumc.org

Also, during lunch each day of annual conference young adults are
invited to meet just outside the Classic Center Theatre to walk to a
nearby restaurant to eat. Another great way to meet other young adults
from across the conference!

Two opportunities for young adults to be in mission at annual conference:

Stop Hunger Now initiative June 16-17 | Athens Classic Center
Because 25,000 persons die of starvation and malnutrition every day,
the North Georgia Conference is committed to this packaging project
that provides basic meals to the world’s nutritionally deprived poor.
Volunteers must be at least 12 years of age. You will be able to
indicate the times you will help package food when registering. It
would be great to have lots of young adults sign up with the youth
delegates on that Thursday evening shift.

4th Annual 5K Run/Walk June 17 | 6:30am | Athens Classic Center
Pre-registration Fee: $20 before race day
Come join us in downtown Athens for the 4th Annual North Georgia
Conference 5K Run/Walk. The start/finish will be the Classic Center,
located at 300 N Thomas Street, Athens, GA 30601. The entire course
will be run on paved streets in and around downtown Athens, GA.
Proceeds from the race will benefit The North Georgia Housing and
Homeless Council. Participants are encouraged to pre-register prior
to the day of the race at $20. Registration fee on race day is $25.
Help is also needed during the race.

A Medical Perspective on The Crucifixion

February 22, 2010

As we are now in the lenten season, consider the points made by the doctor in this video. Truly amazing what Jesus did for us. Remember, Jesus was fully man as he experienced this.

My Denarius

January 23, 2010

Denarius dating from 222-235 AD

I am a historian, so I thought it was pretty cool to get this denarius coin that was used in imperial Rome, under Severus Alexander, 222-235 AD. The most memorable passage of scripture involving the denarius is when Jesus compared The Kingdom of Heaven with The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16. While clearly it is a message that the last will be first and the first will be last, I also look at this denarius as a message for me to just be a good steward over what God has given me, and not to worry about comparing that to what others receive for their works.

The other scriptures involving the denarius are when Jesus talks about Paying Taxes to Caesar in Matthew 22:15-22 and Luke 20:20-26, and Revelation 6.

Denarius - "Tails"

Turning Missions on their head – Missions Part 2

January 22, 2010

Binyavanga Wainaina

I have heard it said that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once spoke, “The only reason to look down on someone is if you are going to lift them up.” Today, I wanted to highlight an interview I heard on the radio with Binyavanga Wainaina, who is described as “one among a rising generation of African voices who bring a cautionary perspective to the morality and efficacy behind many Western initiatives to abolish poverty and speed development in Africa.” I was really impacted by his perspective on aid, and it caused me to really take a look at my own motives in missions and in being a Christian in general when reaching out to others.

A lot of people arrive in Africa to assume that it’s a blank empty space and their goodwill and desire and guilt will fix it. And that to me is not any different from the first people who arrived and colonized us. This power, this power to help, is just about as dangerous as hard power, because very often it arrives with a kind of zeal that is assuming ‘I will do it. I will solve it for you. I will fix it for you,’ and it rides roughshod over your own best efforts.      -Binyavanga Wainaina

Anyone doing missions will certainly be able to take something away from this interview, which was on the program “Speaking of Faith” with host Krista Tippet. Click here to listen to the program, “The Ethics of Aid.”


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