Thanks for all who have been supportive during my recent foray into the world of Course of Study. And thank you, Steve Richardson, for giving me a break to “reboot” after the classes. With just three classes remaining, I am seeing a Summer 2020 graduation.

One of the things my classes have taught me is that I enjoy learning. I hope there will never come the day when I am not up for new information or additional insights into why people do what they do or why things work – or don’t work – as they should.

As this year’s Night to Shine event approaches (more quickly than I had imagined!) here is what may be my biggest lesson learned…When the mission is the main thing, differences in people make very little difference.  

These past couple of months, I have sat at a fairly diverse table – age, religion, economic, education – for the purpose of sharing faith, hope, and love with a segment of society oftentimes not really seen or considered. I have spoken of this mission to civic organizations, businesses, and school boards. Never did anyone ask my position on ‘hot button’ issues? Why? Because there was a bigger mission in front of us; one on which we could all reach a high level of agreement.

My prayer for St. Andrew’s UMC – really all United Methodists – is that 2019 will be the year the issue of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world will be our biggest mission; and that all the differences we see or feel or hear about will be filtered through that one mission. That, I believe, will be the difference that will make a difference. God’s blessings.