Heading to Walnut Ridge, AR to share #NeverAlone with United Women in Faith, honoring the women who shaped my faith, from my grandmother to countless mentors. UWF has lived “love in action” since 1869, changing the world for women, children & youth. Please keep us in prayer!

For 15 years we’ve been being church in tattoo parlors. Here’s our gathering today in Ocala. Many in our community may never step inside a conventional sanctuary, but here we circle around the Risen Jesus. What people group in your community will remain unreached if church stays attractional-only?

“Lord, fill these seats with students, and fill the students who sit in them with your Spirit. Amen. This morning begins a journey with a new group of learners. I’ll share with them that no matter their major or career path, once they encounter the sociological perspective, they’ll never see the

So excited to discover Rooted in the Wild is a #1 New Release! I’m deeply grateful for each of you who have supported my writing. Thank you 😊 The book is available on Amazon today, check it out 👇🏽 #ReleaseDay #RootedInTheWild www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0FF...

Ferguson is learning Koine Greek this summer 😊

Have you tried to start something new only to hear, "tried that, didn't work"? You are not alone! Here’s some thoughts on why that becomes the organizational default and how we might move the needle in an environment shaped by that kind of skepticism... open.substack.com/pub/passiona...

How is it that two people can interpret the same situation in such profoundly different ways? Americans increasingly inhabit non-overlapping plausibility structures. One person’s trusted journalist is another’s “enemy of the people.” passionalchurch.substack.com/p/war-of-the...

Not exactly what I said but close enough! “Who do you say I am?” www.youtube.com/live/BKJuhCQ...

🧵We are living in dangerous times. We have a president who is profoundly ignorant of history, law, and social theory, yet skillful in co-opting Christian language to baptize violence, exclusion, racism, and American exceptionalism. (1)

Angel and I stopped by the local bookstore yesterday. It’s always special to see your own work on the shelf. We’re having a picnic and book signing Wednesday afternoon, and I’d love for any Lakesiders to join us. Come say hello, grab a book, and share some good conversation under the summer sky!

Angel, Alexander, & I are heading up to Ohio. Excited to share this sacred space & make new memories. I’m the resident theologian at the Lakeside Chautauqua this week. The theme of my sermons & lectures is “sharing the gift of community in a lonely world.” If you’re in the area let’s connect!

🧵Today we honor Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of justice. While we celebrate, we must also name the truth: the current administration has emboldened efforts to roll back civil rights, suppress voting access, and whitewash history.

Writing has always been a spiritual discipline for me. It’s a bonus if others read with me. This week I became a Substack Bestseller and hit #4 on the Rising Contributors list in Faith & Spirituality. 🙏 Join the conversation! open.substack.com/pub/passiona...

Fascism playbook, “fascinate fools and muzzle the intelligent.” Russell, Bertrand. Freedom and Organization: 1814–1914. London: Allen & Unwin, 1934. open.substack.com/pub/passiona...

Lord, fill this space with people, fill the people who gather here with your Spirit, amen!

Our nation is once again erupting with civil disobedience. As citizens protest with courage and conviction, they are met with vulgar displays of militarized power. Foolishness saturates our feeds, broadcast through black mirrors, 24/7. And wisdom? Increasingly rare open.substack.com/pub/passiona...

Current mood.

This morning our Fresh Expressions Cultivators presented a report on the 200+ new faith communities across our conference! #FLUMC25

👇🏽 open.substack.com/pub/passiona...

🧵The Board of Governors’ rejection of UF’s unanimous trustee decision to appoint Dr. Santa Ono as our next president is deeply troubling. Ono is a respected, uncontroversial, accomplished leader, and we were excited to welcome him to our university. 1/

Back in Boston ❤️ Tir na nÓg, as the Irish ancestors say, “Land of the Young,” the “city of neighborhoods.”

Heading up to join folks from across New England for a Rainforest Day. We are going to learn from laity and clergy who have been starting new faith communities around mental health walks, Pokémon go, tabletop gaming, jazz and coffee, and so much more! michaeladambeck.com/fresh-expres...

Are church planters just a rare breed of “super Christian”? Jill & I are thrilled to share our first co-authored ebook! It’s a simple, step-by-step guide designed to help everyday saints cultivate churches in everyday spaces. Subscribe, message us, we’ll send it: open.substack.com/pub/passiona...

My forever beach buddy 😍

Sunrise beach runs 🌞🌅☀️ No playlist like the home playlist music.apple.com/us/playlist/...

It only takes a small group of losers, vagrants, and misfits to start a movement, revitalize a congregation, or plant a church.

Ever felt chained—mentally, emotionally, spiritually? You're not alone. This morning, we explore Jesus' healing power in our isolated places. Join us: 9am Fresh @ StMarksUMC 10am @ Recovery Church 11am @ Compassion UMC Livestream: m.youtube.com/@st.marksoca... #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

This morning, I’m laying to rest my father. Grateful for the chance to hear stories about his life and to connect with family members I’m meeting for the first time.

New sermon series this Sunday. Struggling with anxiety, burnout, or loneliness? Right Minded Spirituality confronts the stigma often associated with mental health in spiritual communities and reclaims the biblical witness as a source of healing, hope, and wholeness.

Why do you think early Methodism was seen as “big with mischief” by the religious establishment? Could we be charged with this today 👇🏽 open.substack.com/pub/passiona...

To my Canadian friends, I am so sorry @donaldjtrump-maga.bsky.social rambled on about disaster and the most shameful moments in U.S. history, while he himself is the biggest disaster and most shameful part of American history. Please know that he makes many of us ashamed to be Americans.

When the first Methodists "offered Christ" it was an invitation to a community.

Today I’m celebrating 17 years of continuous sobriety, one day at a time, by the grace of God, & the support of a 12-step fellowship. 17 years ago I woke up in a jail cell in withdrawal. Today I will worship with my church & rejoice over my grandson Jaxon for his bday. May the 4th be with you.

It’s been a Holy Spirit filled day in Texas!

Started the week in Mobile, AL with pastors passionate about church planting. Next, Dcom interviewing candidates for ministry, we popped white smoke. Then said “later gators” to a group of students I’ve spent the last 3 months with (& grading 63 papers). Now, heading to join Fx teams from across TX🙏🏽

Awake. Prayed up. Grateful. Ready for the day. Let’s get it Alabama! music.apple.com/us/playlist/...

Heading over to join pastors from across West Florida and Alabama for a clergy retreat! I’ll be training on #neveralone and relational evangelism centered in an ecclesiology of gift. Please cover us in prayer 🙏🏽

Year five… let’s go! Today, UM congregations in Florida announce clergy appointments. Excited to continue to serve Ocala & the surrounding area alongside the devoted teams who lead our network of churches. We love this “world that is our parish” & we are just getting started!

3 days of connection, collaboration, & plotting holy mischief with the missional metrics cohort. I conducted 9 focus groups with developers, clergy & laity. Thousands of datapoints that our research team will now analyze through thematic analysis. I’ll share key results along the way 👇🏽

🧵What we measure matters. The indicators an organization uses programs the behaviors of the actors in the social system (Sally Engle Merry, 2011). Early in the fresh expressions work I started to realize that our current metrics didn’t really capture the essence of vitality for

Tomb Time: Sitting With Holy Saturday In today’s America, it’s easier for a 20-year-old to access a firearm and take lives than for a U.S. citizen with brown skin and valid ID to prove their right to freedom. In this world where students are shot in… passionalchurch.substack.com/p/tomb-time-...

We had a good day in Lincoln, NE! #freshexpressions #greenhouse

Awake. Prayed up. Grateful. Ready for the day. Let’s get it Nebraska! music.apple.com/us/playlist/...

This is the obituary for my biologial father, Scott Morgan. It’s the first public acknowledgement that I was his son. I’ve learned so much about him in the last couple weeks. Lots about me finally makes sense. www.ocala.com/obituaries/p...