pastor frank

"The end of things." - Ila (Noah's adopted daughter) "The beginning." "The beginning of things." - Noah
This brief conversation happens just before the flood waters begin pouring out upon the earth in the Noah movie, which I saw today. I had intentionally waited to see the movie until I literally had two hours of free time with nothing to else to do-- and this morning was a very quiet Good Friday morning. The movie has had mostly mixed reactions from Christians-- mixed in the sense of "not good enough" to "not biblical enough." Jon Stewart on The Daily Show recently poked fun at us, saying we want Hollywood to produce more biblical movies, but when we do our reactions are often hostile.
He's right. It's a fair criticism. There is a Moses movie  coming out near the end of the year, and I can guess our reaction will be mostly the same. The thing is: it's not Hollywood's business to share biblical stories word-for-wor…

News broke yesterday that the great Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman when the legend retires next year. CBS was quick to reach out to Colbert to fill this huge vacancy, and you know executives are thrilled with the possibility of Colbert's large under 30s demographic following him. I have not watched "late night TV" (Johnny Carson/David Letterman/Jay Leno/Arsenio/Conan/etc.) regularly since I was in high school, and yes, I've been out of the under 30s demographic for a handful of years. That being said, I am a devoted follower of The Daily Showand The Colbert Report. You'll know by now that Colbert spun off the Daily Show in '05.

Enough history.

Stephen Colbert is a unique talent, and CBS is right to be thrilled at the hire. He will do well, and I will almost certainly follow Stephen. But I am concerned for the move. The switch from cable to mainstream will certainly impact the content on the show. What I love about The Colbert Report is not its …

Easter is only 10 days away-- April 20! Our theme at Custer Road UMC this year is, "The Resurrection Changes Everything." I am very excited to celebrate Easter for the first time at Custer Road: 6:30, 8:30, 9:45, 11:00. I know Miles (9) will be excited for Easter-- he voluntarily gave up chocolate during Lent. Maybe you gave up something for Lent too, and are anxious to indulge again. I am not one for giving up things during Lent-- I am more interested in how Lent and Easter change people in their faith journey going forward.

So let me invite you to explore a new path after Easter.

We're offering a new study on Sunday nights beginning April 27, 5:00-7:00 p.m. (six weeks). It's a spiritual gifts study, but takes you much deeper than simply finding out your gifts. The study we'll use has been one of my favorites for many years: Equipped for Every Good Work, by Dan and Barbara Miller. Here's some background on spiritual gifts:

When we are baptized we receive gift…