Micah 6:8

A few weeks ago I received a stole in church from Chaplain Van Vanderlan: Here is what Chaplain Vanderlan said about the gift,"This stole was with the first Army Chaplain's Kit I received in 1964.  It was the old, heavy metal kit and it once fell out of a helicopter flying back from a hospital ship stationed in the waters outside of Viet Nam.  I had the stole on, so it was not in the kit.  It had 20+ years of service an was retired in 1984 with me. This stole was used for services held at such places as the DMZ, Rock Pile, Hamburger Hill, The A Shau valley and Khe Sahn.  It was used to deliver Holy Communion along the highway from the Rock Pile to Quan Tri, where armored vehicles were situated about every 100 yards, protecting the highway.  Numerous memorial services were held with this stole in RVN (Republic of Vietnam). About 25 to 30 services for men of all branches of our military were held for victims of RVN while I was stationed near Pittsburgh, PA....

This Sunday Skip (the senior pastor at FUMC Killeen for those who are not Killeeners) preached eloquently about passionate worship.  Then Sunday evening I witnessed it: The youth of this church are truly teach me (teaching us) what it means to devote their hearts to God and like Psalm 150 says, Praise the LORD (Yahweh)! What is it about us adults that makes us hesitate to let go and worship God with our whole being? Why do we hold back and not commit ourselves to the moment in worship?  It is within us: Video from 2010 World Cup after Landon Donovan's goal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w Video from the other night, Texas Ranger defeat Oakland As (I was on the phone with a friend when this happened and I was in the same room with Sophie.  It was all I could to keep from jumping up and down :) ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YL81dSj8s4 in these videos we see that adults have no problem exhibiting their passion for sports...but for some reason we are ...

I have to say that I am tired. Probably more tired than I have ever been in my life.  It is totally worth it! As you may know, Sophie Isabel McMinn was born on June 20, 2011 at 11:29am.  She was 7lbs 11oz and 21 inches long! I spent two glorious weeks at home with the love of my life, Michelle and my other love-Sophie.  I can't tell you how amazing it has been (losing sleep and changing poopy diapers included) to have the opportunity to share this time with my two girls.  Every smile that Sophie makes (even if it is just gas!), every noise and every wiggle has been an incredible joy.  To top it off I have gotten to experience it with Michelle which just magnifies my happiness. This new life that is so wonderful has me reflecting on one of Jesus' most important tenants-to live in the moment.  We spend so much time worrying about the past or the future that we forget to live today and share the joy of life with God and others!  Jesus teaches us in hi...

I haven't posted a blog in quite sometime because...well I have been busy. Between ordination, new job and baby on the way its been wild in the McMinn household. I am going to start blogging weekly and I hope that you find something meaningful for you in what I write. I do not claim to be overly wise and I do not claim to have world shattering insight each week. I will just be blogging on things that catch my eye and might help you live out a life of faith. Sometimes is will be full of theology and sometimes it might be my joy that the Dallas Mavericks just won the NBA Championship (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?). I look forward to dialoging with you about this crazy, mixed up, tragic, beautiful world. Until next time, David

This past week we have had some exciting news erupt around the world. It started in Tunisia in January, then spread to Egypt. Now we are seeing it shoot up in Yemen and Iran; who knows where else the cry for freedom will come. It is exciting days indeed to see people standing up for human rights and dignity. Democracy and freedom are fragile things and often one oppressive regime is replaced by another, but we can hope that progress is being made. Maybe just maybe the extremist will be balanced out by the moderates and the world can make another step toward peace. Our holy scriptures teach us about peace. They teach us that we must move away from violence an toward loving our enemies. They teach us that we must turn the other cheek, not responding with violence but also not allowing human dignity to be crushed. They tell us that we should confront those with whom we have a problem, but in a way that seeks reconciliation. True peace is possible if we all would seek to love our...

This week Round Rock high school lost one of their students Kennedy Obilum. Unfortunately in this beautiful tragic life, we all experience loss. That loss is especially felt when a life is taken at a young age. Many of you may be feeling angry at others or even God. If that is you, know that it is ok to be grieving in that way. But do not keep your grief to yourself, find someone you can share it with. Most importantly share your anguish with God. There is an old Hebrew tradition found in the scriptures of sharing your feelings honestly with God, trust me God can handle it. Perhaps you are not directly affected by tragic death of Kennedy Obilum, but your friends are hurting and you don't know how to respond. Here are a few basic ways you can help: 1. Be present. Plan on being there for your grieving friend. 2. Let pain be pain. It is not your job too take away their pain or to try and minimize it. You don't even have to talk, just be there. 3. Listen. Really listen. ...

People every year ask me why I am crazy enough to participate in not eating for 30 hours. I tell them a few answers. First, it is a good (and healthy!) spiritual practice to deny substance to ourselves, even things we need like food. It helps remind us that we are not ultimately in control of our destiny. Fasting connects us with God in a unique way. I would recommend that each of fast on a regular basis. Another reason that we fast in this particular way is that it teaches us that hunger is a reality to many people in our world. One of the great organizations that is fighting world hunger is World Vision. This particular event allows our youth (and you!) to make a difference by participating in the fast. Each student raises money, where one dollar will feed a person for a day. If you would like to participate in the fast, please do so. You can find one of our students and donate; you can fast yourself or you can help out! With you help we can do our part to make sure the n...