Krister White, member of White Rock UMC and Director, Spiritual Care at Parkland Hospital, joined Rev. Phil Dieke for this week's Sunday Sit Down. Krister shares how he became a Chaplain, how he made his way to Parkland, and how he, and his department, are dealing with the overwhelming nature of Covid-19. This is an honest, and eye opening, conversation.

White Rock UMC we have been raising money to provided meals for the Chaplains at Parkland. You can support this effort at:

If you prefer to see the video version of this episode you can do so here:

This week we continued our series Love, Local focusing on how worship plays a role in our discipleship. Rev. Phil Dieke preached on John 4:5-42, inviting us to learn from the Samaritan Woman at the Well. She was invited to a moment of deep vulnerability, and this vulnerability led her to worship in spirit and truth.

If you have thoughts on this text, or the sermon, don't hesitate to reach out.

If you'd prefer to watch this sermon, you can find the video on our YouTube Channel:

Dexter Evans joins Rev. Keith Boone and Rev. Phil Dieke on the podcast today. They discuss yesterday's worship gathering and share what to "worship in spirit and truth" means to each of them. They also give commentary on Kevin Costner... you never know what you'll get on TDAS (shout out to Waterworld).

If you'd prefer to watch this episode you can find it on our YouTube Channel here:

Mike McKee, Bishop of the North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, sat down with Phil again this weekend to share how he became a United Methodist, and why he continues to be a United Methodist. They discuss the future of the denomination and how this pandemic has pulled back the curtain on values and priorities. 

As a church we are grateful for Bishop McKee's leadership and his willingness to join us for the Sit Down. Let us know if you have questions for us, or the Bishop.

If you'd prefer to watch this episode of the Sunday Sit Down, you can find it on our YouTube Channel:

At White Rock UMC we view discipleship through the lens of four quadrants: Live, Worship, Serve, Study. Much of our programming is done through these lenses and throughout this series we will take a deeper look into each quadrant. This Sunday we experienced worship through the lens of "Live." Rev. Mitchell Boone approached "live" by inviting us to consider Jesus and the feeding of the 5,000 (men) in Luke 9:10-17. He focuses on generosity, rather than scarcity, and asks, "what if the true miracle was in the generosity of all who were gathered sharing what they already have."

Generosity has the ability to drastically change how we "live" together. After you listen to the sermon, let us know how you plan to live more generously with those around you.

If you prefer to watch this sermon you can find it on our YouTube Channel:

This week we switched things up a bit. Mitchell and Rebecca are out, so Phil was joined by Rev. Keith Boone and Rev. Linda Roby to discuss yesterday's worship which focused on the "Live" portion of our discipleship plan. They talked through the challenge of saying you are "welcoming" as a church and actually being welcome, both pre-pandemic, but even more so now. Similarly, they discussed how we can focus on "living" together more generously, even when we feel restricted by current Covid-19 protocols. 

Rev. Keith Boone is a retired clergyperson in the North Texas Conference and is currently serving as the Associate Pastor of Pastoral Care and Senior Adult Ministry at White Rock UMC.

Rev. Linda Roby is also a retired clergyperson in the North Texas Conference having served at Highland Park UMC and First UMC Dallas she now attends White Rock UMC with her husband, Frank.

If you prefer to watch this episode of the TDAS, you can do so on our YouTube Channel:

Bishop Mike McKee joined Rev. Phil Dieke to discuss his hopes and aspirations for the United Methodist Church, specifically the North Texas Conference of the UMC. They talk about what it means to be United Methodist, how churches are innovating during this global pandemic, and hope for the year to come.

Rev. Mitchell Boone weaves together the events of January 6th at the Capitol in DC, the Baptism of the Lord Sunday, and a look at Paul's understanding of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 11. Mitchell concludes by inviting us all and whatever gifts we bring, we need your gifts, gifts that serve the common good of all.

If you prefer the video version of this sermon you can find it on our YouTube Channel here:

Rebecca, Mitchell, and Phil reflect on a challenging week that led to a meaningful Sunday. From the Sunday Sit Down, to the liturgy around baptismal renewal, the discussion of our Spring discipleship plan, and Mitchell's sermon on spiritual gifts, we made a few adjustments, but much of what we had planned was easily adaptable. It was adaptable because much of discipleship revolves around community involvement and Love, Local! 

If you missed yesterday's Sunday Sit Down or worship, you can find both of those and the video version of this podcast on our YouTube Channel:

Today's episode of the Sunday Sit Down is a special edition. Following the insurrection that took place at the Capitol on Wednesday, January 6th Rev. Phil Dieke was joined by Bishop Mike McKee, of the North Texas Conference, Rev. Joshua Manning, Senior Pastor at Warren UMC, and our very own Rev. Mitchell Boone.

The four discuss the events that took place, how those events have affected their respective faith communities, what do we do (as a faith community, and faith leaders) to address the use of religious symbols during such events, and ultimately how do we continue to call out racism and white supremacy - ideologies that are anti-Christian and antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 

This has been a difficult few days. We welcome your comments, questions, and feedback. More than anything, we want to know how to support you as you process all that has taken place. You can always email us at [email protected].

If you'd prefer to watch this episode, you can do so on our YouTube Channel here: