For forty years, this little box has appeared in two different newspapers—twenty of them in the Star-Telegram. The world has changed in those decades, and this newspaper has changed with it. What once reached thousands now reaches far fewer, and the time has come to bring this long chapter to a close.

This decision is significant. This little box played a part in saving a church. Without this outreach, St. Matthew might not have survived. Through it, God gathered a community of people who longed for grace, who weren’t drawn to fundamentalism, and who believed in the wideness of God’s love.

From this space, we have proclaimed the Gospel truth that God loves all of us equally—gay or straight, male or female, Black or white, immigrant or native-born. We have spoken against the harm caused by power misused. And through it all, I have simply shared the truth I know through Jesus Christ.

And let me be clear—I’m not going anywhere.

I’ll still be preaching.

This box, under a new name, will soon appear on several online platforms. I will also begin a weekly podcast of my Discovering God class. And in 2026, I intend to complete the book I have been working on for many years and send it out into the world.

I hope you’ll stay connected.

You can read these articles every week through the church’s online newsletter—just visit the link below and subscribe.

But you don’t have to remain anonymous.

You are always welcome to join us for worship.

If St. Matthew, or anything in my ministry, has mattered to you, come sit with us. Let me see your face. Let us thank God together.

saintmatthewumc.com
[email protected]

Christ the King Sunday

This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday. And yes—I know it’s also the Sunday before Thanksgiving. And yes—we’ll feast together with a big Thanksgiving meal after worship. (A very good Sunday to visit us!)

But my sermon will lift up Christ the King. This is the big shoutin’ day before the quiet beauty of Advent. Everything from Easter forward builds to this moment. It’s as big as Christmas!

It’s just that… nobody really knows it.
So I’m here to tell you.

This is the day we declare who Jesus is:

King of the universe.
Lord of lords.
Savior of this world—and any others that may exist.

And here’s something interesting—about time, right?
This exalted status I assign to Jesus is backed up by human experience.

Some people meet Jesus—literally, personally, unmistakably. And when they do, he is exactly the Exalted One the church proclaims.

Heidi Barr was a 16-year-old Jewish girl whose heart stopped when she was thrown from a horse. Suddenly, Jesus was there. He took her to see “the Father.”

The singer “Maya,” known worldwide as M.I.A., was raised Hindu. In a moment of deep crisis in 2017, Jesus appeared to her in a vision. She said simply, “He saved me.”

Jesus has been appearing to people for 2,000 years. I know thousands of these stories.
Why do people keep seeing him?

Because he is the Christ.

Christ the King Sunday.
Come sing Majesty with us.
Worship at 11:00 AM.

saintmatthewumc.com
[email protected]

At age 19, I had an experience that pushed my life toward ministry.

We lived on a farm just outside Kemp, TX. In the country, we had a night sky that was glorious with stars.

Before going to bed, I often stepped outside to gaze into the starry sky and pray. One of those nights changed my life.

When I glanced up to pray, I was hit by joy.

I say hit. I could say seized. It was a joy so strong it shook me.

It was so much joy I couldn’t hold it. I thought I might die! I thought I might stop breathing.

I told God so.

I said, “Thank you, Lord. But I can’t take any more joy.”

And it slowly subsided. It had lasted, I think, less than a minute.

Overwhelming as it was, it was joy—ecstasy beyond anything I ever imagined.

It was a “God thing.” I knew that.

I just didn’t know what it was, exactly.

So, I headed for the library when I got to my junior college the next morning. It was there I found William James’ masterpiece, The Varieties of Religious Experience.

That’s what I had—

a “religious experience.”

I knew that joy was not from me. It came from some realm beyond this one.

And I knew that realm, that sacred realm, was available to us.

God is available to us.

We live our lives on the verge of glory. And even when life is hard, that joy is never far away.

If we ask for it, we will receive it. I believe that.

But I must add—you’ll want a lower dose of it than I got.

(Worship is at 11:00. Look for us online.)

saintmatthewumc.com
[email protected]