Wishing you blessings and newness of life in 2026. With a benediction from Bishop Michael Curry.
A New Year's Message from Bishop Ken Carter: Blessings for 2026!
YouTube video by Western NC Conference of the UMC
youtube.com
Bishop +Ken Carter, WNC United Methodist
@bishopkencarter.bsky.social
Grinding The Beans (Substack), Unrelenting Grace (Abingdon Press), Baseball, Bluegrass, BBQ + Cartoons.
Let it be our care and delight...a few minutes of reflection on the Bidding Prayer from the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Merry Christmas!
A Christmas Message from Bishop Carter
In a Christmas message to the Western North Carolina Conference, Bishop Ken Carter reflects on the enduring tradition of the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols and invites the conference to enter more...
wnccumc.org
Chicago, Memphis and Portland are not war zones—you knew that—but they do have amazing deep dish pizza, soul food and donuts, respectively. Maybe that is the common thread.
I collaborated on this with a colleague, Rev. Kim Ingram. How do we sustain ourselves and our ministries while living through a natural disaster? This is a part of our story. Thanks for reading, sharing and being on the journey together. #wncstrong #hurricanehelene #compassionfatigue
How a clergy respite helped spiritual leaders weather the storm of Hurricane Helene
When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in 2024, pastors were on the front lines of the recovery efforts. A retreat offered by the United Methodist Church helped them rest and recover.
faithandleadership.com
Thoughts for a week of loss, violence and remembrance. Join us at Grinding the Beans on Substack.
Amid the toxic stew that is Xn Nationalism, we must strengthen the clarity of our core—Jesus was non-violent, a healer, he had compassion for the multitudes and came to elevate the poor, Jesus transcends the nation-state. All of this is the antithesis of Xn nationalism.
Not as easy as it reads. From Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart’📚🙏❤️
A prayer of gratitude, for the changing seasons and an unchanging God who loves and sustains us through it all. (Two minutes)
A Summer Prayer from Bishop Carter
YouTube video by Western NC Conference of the UMC
youtu.be
Yes, at our worst this has been and is true, and is at the core of how people of faith do harm. When the image of God is love, there can be a different outcome.
Nancy Rhodes@nancydrhodes.bsky.social · last yr.Because believers make god in their image, that image reflects their soul. This is why so much of Christendom is and has always been corrupt. Corrupt souls create a corrupt god.
Join us at Grinding the Beans.
A gift to listen to Brian McLaren preach this morning at Lake Junaluska Assembly (near #AVL). From now on all human activity will be judged in accordance with how it is mutually beneficial to the human-earth relationship. See his book, Life After Doom (St. Martin’s).
(Senator) Kay Hagan was a personal friend, a wonderful person and an effective and selfless leader.
Senator Angus King@senangusking.bsky.social · last yr.Maine has been battling Lyme disease for decades. By reauthorizing the bipartisan Kay Hagan Tick Act, we can keep fighting this disease by funding critical research and testing. It’s one small way we can work together to keep Maine people safe and healthy.
I’m an expert on ageing. Here’s what I know about thriving in later life | Kerry Burnight
I’m an expert on ageing. Here’s what I know about thriving in later life | Kerry Burnight
I scoured longevity research on wellbeing – and the deeper I dug, the more I recognized a profound underlying pattern
theguardian.com
Grinding the Beans on Substack-Creekside Blend at Panacea in Waynesville, NC; A Case of You, Herbie Hancock interprets Joni Mitchell; and thoughts on public witness in a summertime when the living is (not) easy.
Summertime (Saturday Morning, July 12, 2025)
A Case of You, the Creekside Blend, and the Meaning of Public Witness
open.substack.com
More Evolved Ways to Handle Fish. “Let’s get real. People want photos of fish. I’m also not going to stop taking photos of fish. But I’m just not going to take five minutes to stage dopey photos with the rod and reel balanced delicately on my shoulder..." #keepfishwet
More Evolved Ways to Handle Fish
“How we approach, fight and release our fish is in and of itself a conservation issue.” – Kirk Deeter
flylab.substack.com
Yes. And this is why our image of God is so important. And why training programs in spiritual direction begin with image of God. If we get this wrong, nothing good follows.
On the record. I called Chuck Edwards’ office, twice. We need the healthcare in Franklin and Spruce Pine. And in Florida, FEMA $ is shifted to building a concentration camp in the Everglades. Many people in the WNC mountains and immigrant communities voted to place this administration in office.
NC Budget & Tax Center@ncbudget.bsky.social · last yr.The Republican budget bill would harm Western NC’s economy and threaten Helene recovery. Cuts to #Medicaid and #SNAP mean hospitals and grocery stores will close, and massive new costs for NC mean less funding for recovery. Tell Rep. Chuck Edwards to vote NO! edwards.house.gov/co...
Thank you to a respected spiritual voice in the United States.
James Martin, SJ@jamesmartinsj.bsky.social · last yr.Laughing in front of cages designed to hold migrants and refugees, many of whom came to this country fleeing extreme violence and poverty, and hoping to raise their children in a more compassionate country. And many of whom followed all the legal procedures to enter the country.
Tragic. Excellent reporting on the dismantling of vital institutions.
Cory Vaillancourt@coryvaillancourt.bsky.social · last yr.BREAKING: After 81 years, Jackson County has voted to leave the Fontana Regional Library system over LGBTQ+ content. Critics warn of higher costs, legal risks and diminished service.
I have so much respect for public school teachers and administrators.
Brandon Kingdollar@kingdollar.bsky.social · last yr.“We should not argue about whether children eat lunch or not,” said Kim Morrison, the former superintendent of Mount Airy City Schools. A panel of rural educators urged Sen. Tillis to vote against the “big beautiful bill” on Tuesday.
A sad reality in the assassination of Speaker Melissa Hortman: I was not surprised that the suspected killer a) had attended MAGA rallies and b) was active in an evangelical church. If I am wrong in this I will retract. If Jesus is relevant, read Matthew 5-7. #nonviolence #peace #Minnesota #Jesus
Today in @giveusthisdaylp.bsky.social, a remembrance of non-violent teacher and practioner James Lawson, who was a @unitedmethodist.bsky.social pastor in #losangeles. May his courage and wisdom guide us today. #immigration #donoharm #resistance
100%. and watch the word choices they all use to describe the protestors.
Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social · last yr.The LA protests will trigger a drumbeat of "law and order" messaging from the White House and their media allies as a prelude to invoking the Insurrection Act. This is entirely predictable, and any Dem or media outlet that facilitates this narrative will be aiding Trump's authoritarian project.