Faith Stories
Stories and conversations on living faith
Beyond Words
By Denise Fischer I was headed to Lebh Shomea for my first silent retreat. I was new to silence and just learning about contemplative practices. For our first meal in the dining hall with the large round community tables, I avoided eye contact with the other people...
Let's Start at the Finish
By Ben Thoma This Spring, I experienced the joy of participating in the Hill Country Ride for AIDS. A ton of people ride bikes in races and tours every day. I am not special, but this ride is special. Here is why you should know about it, even if you are not a...
Trust Fall
By Lara Greene Director of Children's Ministry Have you ever done a trust fall? It's a team building exercise where you stand on a platform, close your eyes and fall back, praying that the teammates behind you will catch your helpless body that is quickly descending...
Hospitality – Behind the Scenes
By Terri Purdy In January, FUMC hosted CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) for Texas Muslim Capitol Day. The event brought over 600 Muslims and supporters from all over Texas, to learn about civic advocacy and meet their elected officials. Numerous FUMC folks...
District Mid-Winter Youth Retreat
By Suzanne Black If you want to see faith in action, watch a bunch of middle school kids feel moved by the Holy Spirit. That's what we did at the at this year's District Mid-Winter Retreat. The kids were initially excited about zip lining, the mud pit, and...
Dipping Your Toes in Grace
By Tim Deschner I was the "fat kid with braces" to the other 7th graders at Baker Junior High school. Outwardly I took it with humor and even sass, but inwardly that rejection cut deep. Then one Sunday my youth pastor invited me to go on a youth retreat to the HEB...
Why We March
By Whitney Thurman, Darcy Hamre, and Terri Purdy The Women’s March on Washington is taking place on Saturday, January 21st, and sister marches are happening in cities across the country on that same day. As United Methodist Women, we will be proud to march alongside...
Christmas is Serious Business
By Kathy Tullos Christmas is serious business at our house. Follow us home from the tree lot the day after Thanksgiving and you'll see our usual nine-foot tree hanging out the back of our Prius. Frosty and Santa, here we come! At the same time, we all know that...
A Holy Habit
By Lara Greene A colleague of mine described ritual as a “holy habit.” I can credit one such habit to my mom. I have vivid memories of my family having an Advent wreath in our home every year before Christmas. Often, it was beautifully set in our dining room with...
Thoughts from the Tuesday Thursday Breakfast
By Randy Teich Looking behind the labels, Randy Teich offers us a different way of seeing each other when we look through the eyes of faith in action. There are many truths in our society's perception of our homeless and near homeless populations. Many suffer from...