The study of the book of Acts continues with a lesson about how we sometimes make following Christ more difficult than it needs to be. Love God, love others, and make disciples. A story about a Dallas-area pastor augments the scripture about Peter and Cornelius.

After a longer-than-expected hiatus, the podcast returns, and we resume our study of the book of Acts, the sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Saying we believe is fine, but actions speak louder than word. Ananias teaches us that lesson.

The story of the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip teaches another lesson from the book of Acts. It's important for us to act on our faith by remaining curious and embracing the questions we ask about our faith.

As we explore what the book of Acts has to teach the church today, we explore what it means to speak boldly for Jesus in the world today. And, yes, we are all capable of speaking up for Christ.

We begin a multi-week series on the book of Acts. We'll look at the book as a sequel to the Gospel of Luke and a continuation of Jesus teaching how to lift up the lowly, engage the outcast, and embrace the outlaw. In this first episode we look at 3 lessons Jesus taught during his ascension to Heaven.

On the 100th day of Bishop David Wilson's tenure as bishop of the Great Plains Conference, he shares in a discussion with Todd what he's been up to so far in Kansas and Nebraska, as well as plans for the weeks and months ahead.

One of the biggest disruptions in the life of the church in the past few decades was clearly the COVID-19 pandemic. I suppose you could make an argument that it’s still causing disruption.

The Congregational Excellence team of the Great Plains Conference wants to help clergy and laity process what has happened, come to grips with our current reality and, — and this is most important — realize there is hope for the future. So in late April and early May, author Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter will be making a book tour with workshops in five Great Plains cities — North Platte and Columbus in Nebraska, and Ottawa, McPherson and Hays in Kansas. She is chief visionary for Rebekah Simon-Peter Coaching and Consulting Incorporated, which has a flagship program titled “Creating a Culture of Renewal.”

The event she is facilitating with us in the Great Plains is Lessons from Pandemics Past.

CCLI and similar licensing services allow for churches to make song sheets, project lyrics and use other tools to enhance worship. Their efforts support the composers whose work we use while also protecting churches from copyright concerns. Todd talks with two representatives from CCLI, who explain how they work and what CCLI and other similar organizations do.

One of the newer traditions in the Great Plains Conference is our annual Laity Summit. Guests in this episode include Lisa Maupin, conference lay leader, and Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter, our keynote speaker for this day dedicated to training and education specifically for laity. The 2023 edition is scheduled for March 18. And it’s completely online, using Zoom, so you can participate from anywhere in Kansas or Nebraska — or the world for that matter.

The theme this year is “And They Dreamed.”

You can learn more and register by going to www.greatplainsumc.org/laity-summit.

Our world today is filled with anxiety, and the church is not immune. The Rev. Bill Selby recognized that long ago and launched what is known as the Center for Pastoral Effectiveness. He has made it his ministry to help pastors better navigate anxiety and improve connections with congregants and their communities.