Pete Best was the drummer for the Beatles in their early, formative years, while they were playing in the Cavern in Liverpool and playing 8 hour sets, 7 days a week in Hamburg, Germany. He was fired by the band and their manager Brian Epstein in 1962, when they were signed to a recording contract. The far more inventive Ringo Starr was his replacement. Pete Best labored in obscurity while the Beatles went on to worldwide stardom and acclaim.I'm happy to say that Pete Best's ship finally came in the in mid-1990s, when The Beatles Anthology series of CDs was released, featuring several recordings the band made in the early 1960s with their old drummer. As a result of those recordings, and the success of the Anthology project (all three double CD sets topped the charts upon their release in 1995 and 1996), Pete Best became a millionaire, and now tours the world with his band.
First, the concert was slightly marred because Pete's opening act was scheduled to be Denny Laine, former guitarist for both Wings and the Moody Blues, but Denny was a no show. But when the Pete Best Band took the stage, it was clear they were there to have fun and give a good show. Essentially, as my brother and I quickly noticed, they are a good oldies band with a gimmick...Pete Best being their gimmick.
Pete was one of two drummers and seemed to do a fine job, playing rock and roll classics (such as "Twist and Shout", "Besame Mucho", and "What'd I Say") and a few very early Beatles numbers ("I Saw Her Standing There", "P.S. I Love You", "Hello Little Girl"). He spoke a few times, recalling the early days with "John, Paul, George, and Stuart" (Stuart Sutcliffe being the Beatles' original bassist, who left the group and died before their fame), and the Liverpudlian band gave the audience a good show.
Surprisingly, thousands of people turned out for the concert on the lawn, and a good time was had by all. It's probably the closest I'll ever get to seeing an actual Beatle.
It's a beautiful amusement park and an excellent place for families to spend a day. We took Christian and Kate when they were just wee McIlwains, but this will be the first trip for Claire and Elliot.
There, in the summer of 1988, I played a dual role of Muffin the Dog in a walking puppet show and Captain Candy on the Good Ship Lollipop. A heatwave that summer made it pretty miserable at times. The highlight, I suppose, was that I dated Goldilocks. Everything you've heard about her is true.
He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'" (John 6:35, NRSV)
Some time later, when consulted about theological concerns over her church and her program, Shamblin famously said, "People don't care about the Trinity; they just want to lose weight." (Incidentally, she still denies the Doctrine of the Trinity on her website!) So...Shamblin's program can result in weight loss, but is still not perfect!
C.S. Lewis portayed Jesus as a lion, but reminded us also that he is not a tame lion. Jesus calls for a complete rejection of "self". Our old ideas need to be tossed out in favor of Jesus' radical call. The Church needs to spend more time with Jesus, more time contemplating and acting upon the demands that faithfulness entails, more time in deep prayer and confession of sins, more time seeking the face of Jesus in our neighbors and in "the least of these" in our midst.
The article, found 
Why do so many of us play the numbers game? Why are we at times seemingly unable to focus on people?
excellent players don't always make it into the Hall. Players need that certain "something extra" to enjoy induction.
I feel like we're officially moved now, though there are still a few boxes around. Robyn did a TREMENDOUS job packing and unpacking. Sure, the rest of us helped, but she did the bulk of it all. All that ability, and she's easy on the eyes...I'm blessed!
From time to time on my blog, I may mention some who could be candidates. Today it's Oprah Winfrey. She is a very powerful, very wealthy talk-show host who "earned" her money like talk-show hosts generally do...by exploiting the pain of other people. So many folks just adore Oprah, clinging to her every word (and, yes, I know she gives to a lot of charities). She has a definite spiritual side, though it seems to me to be very syncretistic and vague, not specifically Christian. For more on her spirituality, see 
The article also features a picture of Jefferson United Methodist Church. You can read the online article 
The past two weeks we have been packing (well, Robyn's doing most of that) and recovering from my ankle injury. The three oldest kids are at camp all week. Sunday, it's my first sermon at Jefferson UMC. Thursday, July 6...our anniversary...is the day we move to the new parsonage. We ask for prayers!
The Holiness movement is a revivalistic offshoot of Methodism, and is generally more focused on sanctification than most United Methodists. They claim (correctly) spiritual descent from John Wesley; many of the finest Wesleyan scholars and theologians in recent years have come not from United Methodism, but from Holiness denominations. Generally, they are part of the "conservative" wing of the Wesleyan movement, even as United Methodism is the "centrist" or "left" wing. Holiness groups include the Church of the Nazarene, the Free Methodist Church, and the Salvation Army.
The manifesto begins by recognizing the decline of the American Church and that many have grasped at the latest trends as potential ways to not only stop the decline but to more faithfully execute our mission. The document calls us to clarity, hoping that we might recommit to mission as opposed to maintenance, survival, or trendiness.
We are excited about the opportunities for ministry God is bringing our way in the beautiful Jefferson Hills area, a southern suburb of Pittsburgh. To the right is an exterior view of the church. The lovely steeple is a relatively new addition. The church sits on the third highest elevation in Allegheny County. A few years ago, the Sprint telephone company asked to place a phone tower on the church, building a steeple around the tower. So, the steeple was built at no cost to the congregation! That's the way to do it!
To the left is a picture of the front of the church sanctuary. It has been completely remodeled in the last five years; it reminds me of a beautiful Episcopalian chapel. Relatively small, it seats only about 135 people, which means the church has had to move to two Sunday morning worship services and are looking to possibly add a Saturday evening service.
The Bishop opened Conference this year by urging us to be less pessimistic, more joyful (you can read a news article about this 
a wonderful job all the way around by guest preacher Bishop Violet Fisher, and the passing of a very ambitious strategic plan, designed to "jump start" our ministry attempts here in western Pennsylvania. Of course, a personal highlight for me is always reconnecting with sisters and brothers in Christ, spending some time with them, catching up, and lovingly making fun of a few of them. One evening of Conference for me and a few friends was spent heading north to Edinboro, PA, where we had a great dinner at John's Wildwood Pizza and spent some time together away from the busy-ness of Annual Conference. There are times throughout the year when I cling to these "light" moments, when we can relax, exhale, and just be the family of God. We - certainly I - need more moments like this! This is what, for me, makes Conference a 
A few years ago, Rev. Sharon Schwab, a leader of our Conference, asked for volunteers to help plan this celebration. Shockingly, I was the only male who responded to her request...evidence that we still have a 
It was a fine Annual Conference...some headaches, sure...but overall very positive. Our Conference adopted a new strategic plan creating exciting opportunities, we were united in some quality worship, and, most importantly, Bishop Thomas Bickerton continued his joyful, forward-thinking leadership, inspiring and challenging us all. I'll give more details in the days ahead, as I am now quite tired. In the meantime, stories and pictures of Annual Conference 2006 can be enjoyed 
The news is sketchy right now. The 
Tomorrow (Tuesday), I'll be taking our son Christian to Grove City, where he will enjoy the week as a youth delegate / page. Wednesday, my wife Robyn (a lay equalization member from our district) and I will head up for the day of prayer and preparation. I'm looking forward to connecting with friends and spending some time in worship and prayer. I'm really not very excited for the legislative end of things this year, but do hope that we give our proposed Strategic Plan a shot; I think Bishop Bickerton has earned the opportunity to make a go at transforming our Conference for Christ and God's mission.
It was a joint service of the Dawson Charge. It was packed, everything went well, a very moving Eucharist celebrated, and there were lots of tears. It has been a blessing in these last few months to see some of the fruit of our ministry here. There are wonderful people here and I will miss them mightily. May God bless David Bell, their new pastor, who begins July 1.
Written by Rev. Bruce Robbins, senior pastor of Hennepin Avenue UMC in 
Rev. Stover correctly points out the severe theological and connectional problems with the proposal made by Rev. Robbins, saying that, "...there is a future reality beyond homosexual practice that represents God's fullest measure of grace." Thank God for Rev. Stover's words.
What a wonderful night! Folks from the United Methodist churches I have served for four years, plus dear friends from the other area churches, and all the pastors of our ministerium, who are true brothers in Christ. After the party, we held a worship service and I preached for the final time at Cochran Memorial United Methodist Church, one of the three I have served in my current appointment. It is a beautiful Gothic-style cathedral, located on the National Registry of Historic Places. An emotional evening. This Sunday will be our final Sunday here.
Mr. Winkler believes it to be an issue of "equal rights" for homosexuals.
I've never heard of Rev. Kuan, but he teaches at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. A quick search on Amazon.com shows that he has published in the fields of Ancient Israel and Neo-Assyrian language. What his qualifications are regarding Biblical sexual ethics, I'm uncertain; we need to remember that not every Biblical scholar is an expert in every field. As a United Methodist, Rev. Kuan has every right to hold an opinion, providing that he doesn't violate the Discipline. But when he goes on to state that, "...Christian opposition to homosexuality is based often on selective biblical interpretation that takes the few verses of Scripture that may or may not refer to sexual intercourse between people (of the) same gender out of its socio-cultural and historical contexts. Moreover, such a stance often refuses to acknowledge that our modern understanding of sexuality is worlds apart from the understanding of sexuality in ancient times...", his opinion is no more valid than that of any UM pastor, since (again, as far as I know) he is no expert on Biblical sexual ethics and hasn't published any scholarly work in the field. So why quote him?
In the book, which is available 
He died today after a long illness. Billy was a phenomenal musician who wrote great songs like "Nothing from Nothing" and "You Are So Beautiful" and played piano and/or organ with a multitude of great artists, including Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, George Harrison, the Jackson 5, John Lennon, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Rolling Stones, Sly & the Family Stone, Ringo Starr, and, most notably, the Beatles; that's Billy playing organ on "Let It Be", "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", and "Something", and those great electric piano riffs on "Get Back". He has been long overdue for consideration as a sideman in the 
Easily the greatest, most important U.S. president of my lifetime, Ronald Reagan changed the world as well as American life in several ways. Historians credit him with being the person primarily responsbile for Western victory in the Cold War (though Reagan himself surely would claim that communism was doomed from its inception) as well as being the onlt president since FDR to have a lasting impact on the American economy (Reagan favored "supply side" theory, which helped spur amazing economic growth during difficult world times; his economic policies are essentailly still the dominant force in the U.S. economy).
Every year in Dawson, the area holds what's called the "Tri-Town Homecoming", aka "Dawson Days", a community festival that is lots of fun. We had a great time...tasty food, wonderful music, good friends. We were acutely aware that it was our final Homecoming, so everything felt bittersweet. Today, 
One of the greatest strengths of the Methodist movement has been its hymns. Charles Wesley, the premiere poet of Methodism, is one of the finest hymn writers in the history of Christianity (many would say the finest).
If I had the influence and money, I'd take that 3/4 and put it together with about 1/2 of The Faith We Sing, the companion to the hymnal (published in 2000) featuring many new hymns and a few truly forgotten classics. While half of this new edition is fabulous, the other half is weak, at best.
A silly character to begin with, the fact that she wasn't a functioning part of the DC Universe for decades was merciful. Now, as part of the year-long project 
Without question, it is the most influential album of the rock and roll era, and arguably the most significant piece of Western music since Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. 
While the Beatles toyed with their studio masterpiece,