Category Archives: Spirituality

Covenant Renewal in the Wesleyan Tradition, 2

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

The service begins with an affirmation of God’s temporal ubiquity: Leader: Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. People: From everlasting to everlasting, You are God. This God who calls us into covenant has already been active in … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, John Wesley, Spirituality, United Methodism | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Covenant Renewal in the Wesleyan Tradition, 1

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

Since the days of John Wesley, Methodists have sought to renew their covenant with God at the turn of the new year. Our church followed in this tradition this morning. I framed the covenant renewal with a message from Joshua … Continue reading →

Posted in Jesus, Spirituality | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Vision or Memory

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Richard Heyduck

This morning’s preacher worked from Philippians 3 and urged us to “press on.” In his message he used a “preacher story” about a man who was faced with a major medical crisis. If he had the risky surgery, he might … Continue reading →

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Individual vs. Collective

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Listening to Peter Harrison’s fifth Gifford Lecture as I drove to Marshall today, I heard his description of a shift from natural philosophy to science in the early modern period. Under the old paradigm (and I use Kuhn’s term intentionally), … Continue reading →

Posted in church growth, Discipleship, Leadership, Spirituality, Theology, United Methodism, Will Willimon | Leave a comment

Join the Conspiracy

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Richard Heyduck

In his book The Divine Conspiracy Dallas Willard says that when people are connected with Jesus through faith, “their union with Jesus allows them now to be a part of his conspiracy to undermine the structures of evil, which continue … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Spirituality | Leave a comment

Christian Perfection

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Richard Heyduck

Christian Perfection is something John Wesley taught. It has been retained in the current United Methodist Church in the question asked of those being ordained Elder: “Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?” The expected … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Perfectionism, Sin, Spirituality | 1 Comment

Grades in Church?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Richard Heyduck

Back in the olden days, I did fairly well at school (in spite of avoiding my homework as often as possible). I valued making good grades. I set high standards for myself and tried to keep them, though high school … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Discipline, Spirituality | 4 Comments

Pursuing Holiness

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

One of the defining convictions of the Methodist movement is that it is possible to live a holy life, a life pleasing to God. Methodists have at least given lip service to this conviction since the days of John Wesley … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Spirituality, United Methodism | 3 Comments

Predictable?

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

We’re just back from a trip to our 2010 family reunion. With a family of five, this means lots of driving to get there and back, staying in hotels, and eating out. Come mealtime while on the road, we tend … Continue reading →

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Learning from North Point, part 9

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

(Picking up from an old series) North Point’s fifth “Principle for Effective Ministry” is “Listen to Outsiders.” Pretty strange idea, isn’t it? After all, what can we expect outsiders to know? If we want to know what to do as … Continue reading →

Posted in church growth, Evangelism, North Point Church, Spirituality | 2 Comments