Category: photo/video

2026.01.25 Prayers for the World

Here are the Prayers of the People I offered in worship on Sunday January 25th, 2026 at Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Decatur, GA, USA.

God of love, compassion, and justice,

We thank you for people and technology that helps us to remain connected in the unity of worship today. 

We ask that you would keep us safe and warm this day and help us to remember our un-housed neighbors and friends. 

We pray for the many needs of our community and for all those on our prayer lists. At the church and for those we are remembering in our personal prayers today.

We come to you today with much on our minds and hearts as there is so much turmoil and animosity in our world. 

We pray for all those experiencing violence in the world remembering the people of Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Venezuela, Ukraine, in our nation in Minneapolis, and here at home.

Keep us safe from harm and keep us safe from doing harm by our actions or inactions, by our words spoken or not spoken. 

We lament the injustices of the world and in our own nation. We pray for the families and friends of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — whose lives should not have been ended.  

We pray for little children and families who have been separated in ways that lessen their humanity and lessen our own humanity. 

We pray too for the officers, political leaders, and all those who would use words and actions to justify or cause the inhuman treatment of people, citizens or not. 

May your Spirit convict their hearts and minds -and ours -and help us all to see the humanity of others. 

Teach us to lament the actions and language of violence and the Dehumanization of people who are made in your image. Help us to honor the dignity and worth of all people. 

May we not grow cynical or numb to the realities of others and may you help us to not simply turn away because things are too difficult to look at —create in us clean hearts that seek understanding, honesty, and compassion. 

May we not give in to the temptation to worship the idolatry of power, but, as Jesus teaches us, may we seek to care for the weak, the downtrodden, and the outcast as our actors of worship by loving our others and you O God. 

Remind us that we are called to be part of the good in the world — help us to know that we are not alone and that together, we can work for your beloved community to be made here on earth as it is in heaven.

Help us to live into the prayer your son taught us, saying:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.

PODCAST at Oak Grove UMC

Hey there y’all — in the last season of life there have been several exciting projects going on: the main one at Oak Grove has been creating the Oak Grove UMC Podcast!

It was created as an asynchronous way for folks to access meaningful spiritual and community content outside of Sunday morning worship.

It’s been a fun and meaningful project as a video-based podcast (on YouTube, Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts too). Many of our church and community members became accustomed to using YouTube to access online worship during the pandemic and so it made sense to create a video-based podcast as I/we already had the expertise and equipment AND our audience(s) also had a delivery platform that worked well for them.

Since the launch of the Podcast in 2023, we have created 45+ episodes and it has streamed over 2000 hours of audio/video and had nearly 7,500 views/listens!

Pastor of Connection and Digital Ministry // My New Job Title

“Pastor of Connection and Digital Ministry” at Oak Grove UMC!

My new official title came about as a result of the work of the Vision Team at Oak Grove United Methodist Church who heard from our community and church numbers that they wanted additional emphasis on #digitalministry & digital content [like the new podcast we are working on!] for church and community folks.

I’m grateful for our staff and lay people working together to reorganize parts of my portfolio to allow for additional time & focus on increasing our digital ministry through video, photography, online content, podcasts, and more.

(Also, you know it’s officially official when you get the new name tag!!)

Short Films released // Reparations Task Force

Here’s a vlog from Athens, GA, USA a few weeks ago reflecting on the release of 3 short films commissioned by the North Ga United Methodist Church Reparations Task Force. More info at https://ngumc.org/reparations or view the videos (or podcasts) on https://www.ngumc.org/newsdetail/reparations-task-force-shares-video-series-17444213 (I’ll be posting the videos on this channel later on).

This remarkable project has been a wonderful opportunity to help tell 3 amazing stories and create 3 short films. One of the trailers was shown to the 2600+ attendees who applauded the work of the task force and the trailer.

My gratitude to Rev. Dr. Brian Tillman and the Reparations Task Force for this opportunity to document and share these amazing stories. And, many thanks to my mom for being there in Athens with me as a delegate from her church community.

The Lives We Actually Have (2023 Lent book study) // Dr. Kate Bowler

a little backstory on the study “Bless the Lent a little video backstory on “The Lives We Actually Have: A Midweek Lenten Study” at Oak Grove UMC in Atlanta GA, USA.

Wednesdays 6-7 p.m. in Room 101 with facilitator Dr. Joseph McBrayer each Weds during Lent 2023.

This Midweek study will explore the themes of Lent using a guide from author and speaker Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie of Duke Divinity School.

from their book “The Lives We Actually Have” // https://amzn.to/3JfFZ4c
(an affiliate link that I may receive a small commission if you purchase through the link)

Mar 1 – Blessed are the Imperfect
Mar 8- Blessed are the Curious
Mar 15 – Blessed are Those Who Suffer
Mar 22 – Blessed are Those Who Feel Alone
Mar 29 – Blessed are Those Who Mourn

City on a Hill // a cinematic sermon

This cinematic sermon was created as a part of the “Peaceable Kingdom” online worship series for Oak Grove UMC on Sunday Oct. 11, 2020.

The idea for doing this sermon in this way came from a conversation with Atticus Hicks about how preaching online during Covid19 can be (should be?) more like a 1-on-1 conversation and a cinematic experience — more like what youtubers and creatives @petermckinnon or @mattdavella create.

So, here was my first shot at it — exploring themes of our interconnectedness to the earth/mountains, the city on a hill motif, God/people of faith inviting the marginalized to the feast (& centering their experiences), using our privilege for the good of others, fighting zero-sum bias, and living out the peaceable kingdom.

Thanks to my spouse and our church staff for helping make this happen.

The [not so] crowded ways of life

“Where cross the [not so] crowded ways of life…”

“Where cross the crowded ways of life,
Where sound the cries of race and clan,
Above the noise of selfish strife,
We hear your voice, O Son of man.”

“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life”
by Frank Mason North
The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 427

The text for this hymn first appeared as “A Prayer for the Multitudes” in the June 1903 and later was made into the hymn that it is today. New York City served as the backdrop for the writing of this hymn and its text showed the concern for people in poverty, workers rights, and the plight of women and children.

Rev. North was the co-author of the Methodist Social Creed (1908)* which came about as a part of the Social Gospel movement led by Walter Rauschenbusch, whose “A Theology of the Social Gospel” (1917) later codified.

Though this hymn was written over a 100 years ago, it feels as salient and needed as ever.

May we continue to hear the Voice of Christ above the noise of our day.

*historical info and details from C. Michael Hawn who is University Distinguished Professor of Church Music, Perkins School of Theology, SMU—in his article for UMCDiscipleship.org.

church #music #drone #atlanta #covid19 #atl #ngumc #umc #hymns #socialcreed

social distancing + social media

social distancing + social media // Week 2 // Lent Digital Declutter 2020

Week 2 of my Lenten Digital Declutter with some thoughts on social distancing, the difficulties of this week given the COVID19 pandemic, live streaming online church @ogumc, & our innate desire to connect with others.

#socialdistancing #digitalminimalism #digitaldeclutter #lent #ngumc #umc #atlanta

Less, But Better // a Lenten Digital De-clutter 2020

In order to have a more meaningful Lent I am resolving to do “less, but better” through a Lenten Digital De-clutter using concepts from Greg McKeown’s “Essentialism” school of thought and Cal Newport‘s writings on “Digital Minimalism.”

In what may seem strange, I’ll be writing and vlogging about it in order to keep me honest in an accountable way and to share my attempt to have a more meaningful Lent through this Lenten Digital De-clutter in order that I might do “less, but better.”