This is the image the United Methodist Church posted on their Twitter feed to celebrate this day of thanks. I love Thanksgiving, but I love it more than just for the special foods and the day off from work.

I love it because it reminds me to be thankful for everything I have in life now, what I have enjoyed in the past and those things, like retirement, that I hope to celebrate in the future.

For me thanksgiving is a life-style more than it is a holiday. I hope however you are spending yours that it is a special day!

Today I bid farewell to one of the teenagers I inspired to be like as I was growing up. Being 7 years younger than the famous actor and singer I marveled at his talent and popularity.

“Partridge Family” star David Cassidy died Tuesday after suffering liver and kidney failure, his publicist confirmed. He was 67.

“David died surrounded by those he loved, with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long,” Jo-Ann Geffen said. “Thank you for the abundance of love and support you have shown him these many years.”

Cassidy was admitted to a Fort Lauderdale, Fla. hospital Wednesday, though his condition was not reported until this past Saturday. Geffen told multiple news outlets over the weekend that Cassidy was suffering from multiple organ failure.

Born into a show business family, Cassidy rocketed to stardom on ABC’s “The Partridge Family,” a sitcom about a widow (played by Cassidy’s real-life stepmother Shirley Jones) and her five children who form a rock band and tour the country. The cast also featured Susan Dey, later of “L.A. Law” fame, as sibling Laurie Partridge and Danny Bonaduce as sibling Danny Partridge.

As eldest son Keith Partridge, Cassidy became a global heartthrob as the face — and voice — of the Partridge Family’s biggest hit, “I Think I Love You.” The song spent three weeks on top of the Billboard chart.

The first thing you’ll see when you walk into Eaton Workshop, a hotel opening in late spring 2018 in Washington, is a custom-commissioned video art installation by AJ Schnack, shown on a series of vintage-style television screens. All day long, it’ll broadcast a montage of footage from the presidential elections of 2012 and 2016 that’s built around one pointed question: How did our country get where it is today?

It’s not a subtle statement, and it’s not meant to be.

In Trump’s Washington, Eaton is planting a clear flag as a haven for Democrats. It’s the world’s first politically motivated hotel, the flagship for a global brand that’s built around social activism and community engagement. And it comes with a pedigree: As the daughter of Ka Shui Lo, the creator and executive chairman of Hong Kong-based Langham Hospitality Group Ltd., founder Katherine Lo knows a thing or two about luxury hotels and world-class service.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am against building a wall between the US and Mexico. The picture and text above show a creative way to protest the wall by demonstrating how impactable the idea is. I love it!

“If you want truth to go around the world you must hire an express train to pull it; but if you want a lie to go around the world, it will fly; it is light as a feather and a breath will carry it.” Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1855).

This picture is of two Veterans who still make positive contributions to their community as they nurture their faith and the faith of others. A Sunday School Class may not sound like life-shaping experience, but these men find it does help shape their lives.

This is how the United Methodist News Service describes the photo above.

In nearly every United Methodist congregation in the United States, veterans are active. They serve as pastors, Sunday School teachers, choir members, committee chairs, and so much more.

Those who have served the nation through the armed forces are “brothers and sisters in Christ who have already demonstrated that they’re going to give you everything,” explains the Rev. Felicia Hopkins, a veteran of the United States Army, and pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Abilene, Texas.

On Sundays, St. Paul offers a special Sunday School Class led by veterans. Charles Rice has found a spiritual home because of the class called Pathfinders. “This class is what keeps me coming back to this church,” he says.

The 2016 General Conference created a “Commission on a Way Forward” to research and bring potential resolutions to our inner conflict over sexual identity and practices with in the United Methodist Church. A special session of General Conference will meet in St. Louis, MO in February of 2019 to take action on the report.

Since loyal people of faith hold positions that are diametrically opposed to each other on this topic; this is a daunting task.

The commission has published an interim report. It does not state what they will propose in detail. It does share their guiding principles and goals for the process. What follows below is my summary of an 18-page report.

Purpose of the Commission

• Simplicity of Proposal
  
• Resolution of Impasse
  

Goal for the Future of the Denomination

• Allow for Contextualization of Structure
  
• Enable people with contradictory convictions to flourish
  
• Concerns and goals related to human sexuality vary widely across the globe.
  
• Conferences are not of one mind on ordination and marriage of LGBTQ persons
  
• Some changes within the U.S. church may pose a potential threat to the vital mission of our Central Conferences
  

Changes to be Made to Allow Implementation

• It may mean multiple versions of the Book of Discipline
  
• Maintain global connection in loosely configured structure
  
• Allowance for those who don’t adopt a revised structure
  
• The way forward cannot be an extension of our path of conflict
  
• We value simpler structure and processes and a thinner Book of Discipline.
  
• We need enough structural freedom so that no one has to compromise their deeply held beliefs
  
• Schism would be a tragic weakening of our mission while the current reality is also harming our mission
  

I will be very interested to read the final report when it is available. I post summaries of the proposals on this Blog as time and space allow. We need to pray for the work of the commission.

The Texas Church Shooting over the weekend is the 2^nd high profile case where the suspect was in possession of an iPhone. In both instances the FBI has tried to break through the encryption that protects the safety of the phone’s data. Investigators have found the security measures in the phone a challenge.

I see this report from 2 different perspectives:

• The iPhone apparently has more security measures in place than other phones, which would make it a logical phone to use if security is important to you.
  
• When a crime has been committed we need a way for law enforcement to fully investigate the suspect. Today much of our life activity is in the memory of our cell phones.
  

We are in a new era of cell phone usage and protection of our civil rights. I hope that common sense prevails as this issue will eventually be addresses in the Courts and/or Congress.

Twenty-six people were killed during the shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Sunday November 5, 2017. The killing was the result of 1 lone shooter who is also deceased. The evening of the shooting people in the community still had more questions than they had answers.

The people did the best thing they could do, they gathered together to support each other. They lit candles as a sign of faith to remember those who were injured or killed, and they prayed. Some will say that prayer is not enough given the frequency of shootings in various public venues. I would agree more needs to be done. In the moments immediately following these crisis situations, prayer gives comfort and is appropriate.

On November 5^th the site of the shooting was in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Any Sunday an event like this could happen anywhere. Should we stop attending church to stop church shootings? NO!! Those who want to kill people would simply find a different venue. Churches will have to examine their location and resources to decide what steps they can take in enhance safety. It appears to me that having an outside sentry to look for early signs of trouble and summon law enforcement might be a reasonable first step.

I have posted images of two US Presidents. One is easily recognized as our current president Donald Trump. The other image is of actor Kevin Spacey who plays Frank Underwood US President in the Netflix series “House of Cards”. The fictional series has been cancelled as allegations of sexual misconduct by Spacey that happened years ago have surfaced. Our current president, Donald Trump, is no stranger to accusations of sexual misconduct. He however continues to govern because the voters in the 2016 election did not see the documented cases of his actions as serious enough to disqualify him for election.

I am amazed we hold a “fake” president to a higher standard of ethics than a president we cast a vote for to elect. Where has our decision-making compass gone? How can we reset it so that ethical behavior determined suitability for holding office?