met's blog
Five Practices, Plus Three More!
By John T. Schwiebert
By now every United Methodist congregation in the Oregon-Idaho Conference has been invited to seek renewal through the rigorous development of “five practices of fruitful congregations,” as first proposed by U.M. Bishop Robert Schnase of Missouri.
Justice: Getting What We Need
God's justice isn't about getting what we deserve, whether reward or punishment.
Instead, it is all about everyone getting what they need to survive and thrive in the world God created for all of us to live in.
Doing justice isn't someone else's job. It's mine.
If my life is a field, then justice lives in the level places. 
Looking out over that field, from where I'm standing, if I see people above me or below me, there's some re-ordering I can work for related to building justice in my own life.
How can I level the field?
Be Reconciled
I stood there dumbfounded.
Moments before, the words had just tumbled from my mouth,
A writhing, twisting cascade of hurtful intention.
My words struck home.
Their intended victim, an erstwhile friend, retreated hastily,
Lines of stress and anger deeply etched into his face.
Suddenly alone, I owned the space in which I stood,
But it was empty now, and I stood there dumbfounded,
Wishing back the moments before when all had been well.
Later. . . much later. . . when anger and hurt and pride allowed it,
There came another profoundly awkward moment,
A moment of healing, when I choked out the words, "I'm sorry."
And now a season of forgiveness has filled the room again.
Hope in a Dark Time
Christians have every reason to have a positive outlook on life. We are a people of hope. If we are to speak peace, live peace and be peace, the hope that underlies all of those must be there first. 
Why is it then that I almost daily speak words full of harsh criticism, acerbic sarcasm, or even downright cynicism? Like many of us, I often abandon my hope and replace it with whatever negative, defeating emotion the world happens to be dishing out that day.
