Blog Posts
Appointments for the week of June 28, 2021
6/21/2021
Greg Boyd from Kellyville UMC to Kellyville UMC/Bristow UMC, effective July 1, 2021
You can get there
2/23/2007
"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord; though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow."-Isaiah 1:18 By BISHOP ROBERT E. HAYES JR. When I was a teenager in Houston, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO) developed an advertising slogan that I still recall. To convince citizens the bus could take them anywhere they needed to go, the company declared, "You can get there from here! "Mind you, the slogan didn't say how long it would take to get to that destination. ...
The covenant by which we live
2/9/2007
"In the name of God, Amen!"-Opening line of the Mayflower Compact By BISHOP ROBERT E. HAYES JR. As the Mayflower was about to anchor at Cape Cod on Nov. 11, 1620, the loyal subjects of King James huddled together to put into writing the laws that would govern their lives in the New World. The document became known as the Mayflower Compact, and for more than 386 years it has stood as proof that human beings can develop sound rules and principles by which to live. Of that document, John Quincy ...
What does the future hold?
1/26/2007
"Jesus answered them: Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah!' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet." -Matthew 24:4-6 By Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr. Our society's obsession with the future amazes me. Only a few weeks into 2007, one of the most-asked questions is: "What does the future hold?' Apparently many Americans are ...
Hope that never dies
1/5/2007
"Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.-Luke 2:25-26 By Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr. Again we find ourselves thrust into a new year, and I want to share with you what I believe is the one thing most well-intentioned Christians will search for in 2007: ...
Taking a spiritual inventory
12/15/2006
Bishop Hayes listens at the first-ever Council of Bishops meeting in Africa. (United Methodist Reporter photo by Art Russell) "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13b-14 By Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr. Every reader needs to know about the part of me being poured into this last article for 2006. The editor has already ...
True Thanksgiving
11/24/2006
"Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor the fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls-yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." -Habakkuk 3:17-18 By BISHOP ROBERT E. HAYES JR. When the Hayes family gathers around the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day, we will face the first holiday without my mother, Dorothy, present with us. I know ...
The great invitation
11/3/2006
EDITOR'S NOTE: Portions of this article are excerpts from an address by Bishop Hayes at the Building Disciples conferences, held in Tulsa and Oklahoma City on Oct. 13 and 20. "Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them,' Come with me. I' ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I' ll show you how to catch men and women instead of ...
Seasons of the soul
10/20/2006
"Do your best to come before winter." -Timothy 4:21a By BISHOP ROBERT E. HAYES JR. One thing that has fascinated me since I was a little boy is the ability of meteorologists and other scientists to predict the arrival of the seasons. You may not have given much thought to this feat, but to me it's simply amazing how they know the exact days and times that spring, summer, autumn, and winter will arrive. Just weeks ago, watching the evening news, I heard the TV weatherman comment: "Fall will ...
Hide and seek
10/6/2006
"Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me."-Psalm 139:7, 9, 10 By BISHOP ROBERT E. HAYES JR. I stand amazed at the number of people who -for one reason or another-think they can hide from God. Just like in the games of childhood, there are well-intentioned Christians who run and hide from duty, responsibility, and commitment, hoping God won't ...
Being cheated out of summer
9/22/2006
"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." -John 10:10 By Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr. If I seem somewhat dazed today, the truth is I am! You see, I've had almost a month to work myself into a deep pit of despair, and I'm determined to work through it before I finish writing this article. Glancing yet again at my scheduling calendar, open on my desk, I am pained afresh by the knowledge that summer is gone. And as that poignancy gives way to misery, I find...