https://broadwayunited.org/pathway/

Broadway UMC - Pathway, 1323 Melrose Street, Bowling Green, KY (2026)

06/01/2026

Difficult People

When it comes to not-fun-life, the disproportionate slice on the pie chart goes to difficult people. No getting around this one, they're everywhere. At work. In our family. Across the street. In the book club. Sitting next to us at church.

We have some choices here. Hunt the exit. Get in their face. Let them walk all over us. Go along to get along. Hope they change. Try to fix them. Talk about them behind their backs. Shut down around them. Fake it 'til you make it. These are certainly some options. None seem solid or healthy.

There are a few truly evil humans in this world. Mostly, people live out of their trauma pain. Their inner chaos leaks out into whatever room they enter. Gas lighting. Belittling. Bragging. Craving attention. Controlling. Deceiving. Ignoring. Whining. Domineering. Recognizing this in someone does not make us better than them. Nor does it give us license to fix them. It does provide perspective.

Jesus got this. Doing life on this planet guarantees face slappers, demanding Roman soldiers and those who sue on a whim. His “turn the other cheek, walk a second mile, give them your wardrobe” advice, is he telling us to be door mats? This level of self-dehumanization doesn't feel like Jesus.

Maybe he is actually talking about taking control by forcing the difficult person to take a good look in the mirror. They got away with the first face-slap. Now everybody is watching. You carried the soldier's stuff the first mile as his pack mule. The second mile, he has to deal with you as a human. The person who sued you over a trivial piece of clothing now has your outfit draped across their arm, leaving you in your un**es. You've pushed things past the habitual agenda.

Why these three examples? They don't address all human dysfunction. They do highlight some pretty crucial areas: out of control emotions, misuse of power and selfishness on steroids. We have a choice. Do we enable or ignore these behaviors? Or, given the opportunity, do we introduce them to the light of day?

Jesus habitually pushed things to the extreme. This triad is no exception. He's talking about forcing the issue by bringing unhealthy behavior out into the light. Problem is, when we take action it's easy to slide over into correcting, fixing or even fighting back. Jesus is much more creative. And helpful. We are neither attacking or demeaning difficult people. We are loving them enough to help them see themselves … maybe for the first time.

Warning: Never try this on your own. ALWAYS partner with the Holy Spirit.

05/26/2026

Happy Birthday Church

This past Sunday we celebrated the birth of the Church when God's Spirit exploded in that second story room. Fire. Wind. Unknown tongues. God's Spirit had always been with us. This event made his presence obvious to everybody. The uproar was such it caused onlookers to assume intoxication was in the mix.

Every year we celebrate Christmas and Easter. We believe and live as if these events actually happened. We weren't there. So we exercise faith and settle in. Pentecost is different. If it actually happened, Jesus' promise comes true. “I will never leave you. My Spirit will be in you.” This is the reality we live in today.

Way back at the beginning, this same Spirit hovered over the face of the deep. With a word, the Spirit took empty chaos and created the world we live in. We get to watch the power and creativity. The scene blows us away. God is huge. But just a few paragraphs later, this enormous God is walking with us in a garden. These walks never stop. Jump ahead to Exodus. Forty years, God is in a pillar walking with his children through the desert. Then in the NT God's Son is walking our streets, breathing our air and swapping tales with us.

Jesus dropped a bombshell toward the end of John's gospel, that it was better if he left. In a physical body, he could only be one place at a time. Through his Spirit, he could be in all of us, all the time. Don't miss his word choice, Paraclete. Over and over God's Spirit is called “the one who comes (walks) alongside.”

English translations go with helper, comforter, counselor, advocate. Secular Greek used it to describe a legal representative. Feels a little intimidating and cold. That is until we tag along with Jesus in the gospels. No courtroom vibe going on here. Jesus saw us. Heard us. Held us. Healed us. Helped us in every way. This must be what he was thinking when he used the word Paraclete.

Most of my life, I believed God had a master blueprint I had to memorize and obey in order to stay in his good graces. He was the boss. I was the employee. Basically, I worked for God. As Jesus' promise of the Paraclete has grown in me, I'm leaning another direction. I don't work for God as much as I do life with him.

All through scripture, God has been inviting us to partner with him. As senior partner, the buck always stops with him. We're not responsible FOR any of it. Rather, we're responsible IN it. We don't have to be in charge. We're participants in what God is already doing. This opens up the room. Gives us air to breathe. This is a truth that sets us free. Pentecost was not just an historical event. If we let it, it can still be alive in us right now.

05/18/2026

God's grace doesn't make sense

Only a couple of pages into scripture's big story, we're scratching our heads. “God, what were you thinking? The fruit incident in Eden, you knew beforehand. The Tower of Babel, you had to see that one coming. Rebellion in the desert, no blindside there. Where Israel went with their kings, you even warned them about that one. The ex*****on of your Son, it appears you had that one planned out.”

This reckless God, he's always going with grace. We break his heart. He forgives. We wander off. He comes looking for us. We go silent. He rings us up. We forget him. He remembers us. We might mistakenly assume God can't help himself. Like his grace-response is robotic. A bit programmed. But that can't be right! So what's with God's grace?

Remember, God is not codependent. He's not trying to prove anything. Not out to gain our favor. Not manipulating us into doing what he wants. Not stacking the odds in his favor. God simply chooses over and over to give himself to you and me without reserve. If we're going to explore grace, this is a good place to start.

But what about when bad stuff happens? Doesn't grace owe us an explanation here? Lottery win, now there's some grace. Car crash, not much grace going on here. Grace rarely overrides the laws of nature. Gravity still works every time. Disease still destroys life. And when it comes to our free will, grace may heal, but don't expect it to nullify the outcomes of our unhealthy choices.

The pain of all this grips God's heart. But he doesn't wring his hands in panic. He just keeps coming our direction with, “I saw what happened there. Now let me show you what grace can do.” For certain, grace can make life pleasant. The extra good news is how grace works its magic when life gets painful.

From the tiny atom to the massive galaxy, God's empathetic, compassionate generosity holds everything together. He is our source of light and life. The solid center of our hope. His grace is our constant.

Where do we go with all this? We can try to box grace up in religious concepts and traditions. Dumb it down to some formula. Have a go at measuring and/or metering it out. We can go the skeptical route. We'll likely keep trying to earn it.

If God has a “master plan” for humanity, it is for us to walk away from that last paragraph so we can partner with grace. Link arms with him. Soak grace in, then leak it out. Look for grace, then point it out. Celebrate it every chance we get. Grace starts to make sense when we're living it.

05/11/2026

God is all in with us

It's hard to imagine any other version of God than the one we grew up with. Driving through the countryside of adulthood, what version sits next to us in the car? The default answer would be, “Well, it's the biblical version.” But let's get real. Our biblical version of God was handpicked by someone else.

Chances are somewhere in the mix we heard that God loved us. This is what we were taught. We caught something different. “Behave if you want to be in the same room. - I'll give you a hug when you bring home better grades. - I don't have time for you. Got more pressing matters. - You'll never amount to much.”

God might let us stay in the room, but only if we sit in the back corner. What they called love felt conditional. Tolerant. Luke warm. Hesitant. Nothing about this version of God pulls us in closer. We're left wanting. Unseen. Unheard.

Even if there's no religion involved, we still piece together our own version of God. He's distant. Preoccupied. Unconcerned. Unfair. Unavailable. Arbitrary. Harsh. Unreasonable. We're left to figure this out on our own. If there is to be any divine connection, we have to make it happen. Or maybe just give up.

All we've been saying about God doing the heavy lifting, inviting us into intimacy, leaving his fingerprints … this is all for our sake. None of this points to a God who meets his own needs. He has no hidden agenda. No micro-managed master plan that uses us like cogs in a machine. He simply wants to love us.

We're not baby birds in a nest begging for God's attention. It's not like we wait at the back of some lineup of projects, priorities or preoccupations. Everywhere we look in the big story of scripture, God keeps showing up for us. He creates a world for us. He walks with us. He parents us. Pursues us. Encourages us. Empowers us. Invites us to work alongside him.

We're not one of the hobbies God dabbles in on the side for boredom relief. We're not God's experimental lab rats in a maze. We're not a project God will one day complete. We're not a battlefield on which God wars against the powers of darkness. We are his chosen first love. And he's crazy about us.

All this biblical precedent … what does it awaken in you? John's account of Jesus calling his disciples uses “come and see” language. Our childhood likely programmed a bogus version of God into us. What if we walked away from that version and followed a God who is all in with us. Know what … we'll just have to come and see.

05/04/2026

God leaves fingerprints

Remember Elijah's story? He'd been zealous for the Lord, facing down wicked kings, dueling with pagan prophets, running for his life. Utterly depleted, he sat down under a tree to die. Angels fed him. He then set out for a God-meeting at a remote cave. The way it's told, he encountered wind, earthquakes and fire. None were the voice of God. Clarity came in the form of a faint whisper.

Scenes of devastation from hurricanes to earthquakes to forest fires grab our attention on the evening news. No need for a microscope to see the obvious and widespread aftermath. If God is going to show up, we'd assume he'd leave this kind of heavy footprint. With Elijah, it was more like a fingerprint.

If we're looking for it, we can see a fingerprint as clearly as a tornado's path. Because of this, professional criminals wear gloves. God may be mysterious and covert. He's not very professional. We have a God who leaves fingerprints on purpose. Like he wants us to catch him in the act.

What about the rest of the O.T? We are intimidated by a God who comes off like a series of big weather events. We conclude this must be his way. Mind you, the O.T. was written by and to folks in the early learning stages of how to relate to divinity. This might explain why Jesus showed up repeating stuff like, “You have heard it said. But I say.” It was as if he was correcting church leaders who had been using a hurricane God to control the people.

Jesus' parables were more like fingerprints than storm damage. You had to be as empty as Elijah if you wanted to hear their whisper. Explains why the “poor in spirit” heard and pressed in for more. Those looking to confirm what they already believed, rejected his parables as confusing and inflammatory.

Weak assumptions are drawn when we look for God only in the obvious. Like. “God gave me a raise.” or “God protected me from that disaster.” Plus, toxic religion tells us we can only see God at a church function, in private prayer or in bible study. Oh, and it helps if we've had an impressive string of good behavior.

God does occasionally thunder from the mountain. Not so much day-in-day-out. Does this mean God steps away? What if he's whispering to us in the checkout line, in a scene from a movie, in a bird's song? What if we're not seeing God's fingerprints because our senses are focused exclusively on the big and in-your-face? God is present and active everywhere all the time. He is never not with us. He never turns his face away. We don't have to be professionally trained to read between his lines. Just sit. Breathe. Listen. Look for fingerprints.

04/27/2026

God comes close

Way back, God had an idea. “Let's make man in our own image.” Science can't tell us how far or deep this God image thing goes. Suffice it to say, in some form or fashion we share God's DNA. Jesus does call him our Father. Over and over. Is all this metaphorical or actual? You tell me.

This gets even crazier when we factor in the virgin birth, when God took up residency for nine months in a human womb. Takes this DNA thing to a whole new level. Smarter brains than ours claim Jesus was all God and all human. (Defies the calculator.) But then in John's account of the last supper, Jesus told his guys it was better if he left so he could send his Spirit to live inside them. God with us. God one of us. God in us. Could God come any closer?

Track the big story in scripture. Genesis – God makes us in his image. Exodus – God is our pillar in the desert. Gospels – God is one of us. Acts 2 - God lives in us. Revelation – God gathers us to himself. Is there a pattern here? (wink)

Let's revisit a question we've been asking. How does God feel about me? Well according to scripture, he's not one to keep his distance. Still, our growing up years convince us otherwise. “Don't come out of your room until you can behave.” We assume God must feel the same way.

When I'm isolating in my cave, God is standing outside, arms folded, tapping his foot, waiting for me to get over myself. Or when I'm out sowing wild oats, trying to find myself, God is raging at home over my selfish ingratitude. Either way, he stays far away until I get my act together.

If the big story of scripture is real, God is more likely to be sitting next to me in my cave. Or he's standing by the garden gate looking for me to appear on the horizon. For months, years, even decades he's longed to hold me in his arms, give me a fresh set of clothes and throw a party for me. Just hang out.

Our world lies to us. Tells us God maintains his distance. Keeps score from afar. We catch this early at home. It gets reinforced by toxic religion. Takes up residence in our brains until … like David, we discover otherwise. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Read Psalm 139.

What would you do if God called and said he was coming over in a few minutes for a visit? Would you grab a broom and start throwing stuff in the closet? Or would you put the kettle on so you could share a cup and have a chat? Where are you with a God who wants to be close to you?

04/20/2026

God is not ...

God made us in his image. Plus he became one of us in Jesus. But when it comes to our brand of craziness, he's nothing like us. That would be unhealthy theology. Still, it happens when our early caregivers mold our opinion of God, one who is typically as messed up as we are. Explains why most of us go through life with a humanized god. Maybe it's time to take a closer look.

God is not selfish. He never puts his needs before ours. Isn't out to get something from us. Doesn't use us to suit his purposes. He only offers himself to us. And his offer stands whether our response is yes or no.

God is not insecure. He doesn't need us to tell him he's good. Doesn't crave recognition. Doesn't wait around for our gratitude or some sort of payback. Not driven by a fragile ego. He is solid with who he is without any input from us.

God isn't a control freak. He doesn't force his authority. Life is better with him taking the lead. But he leaves that up to us. He could pout, shout or bully to get his way. Maybe micromanage or manipulate. Instead, he invites us to follow him.

God doesn't have anger issues. The way we've been told, God created us. Gave us a list of rules he knew we'd never keep. Got so angry when we messed up he wanted to kill us. Then took out his wrath on his Son. This is a small, petty god.

God never ghosts us. Walking away is not in his repertoire. Like, “I'll come back when you learn how to act right.” He sits with us in our pain, confusion and bad attitudes. If we don't sense his presence, it's not because he's waiting outside.

God doesn't need anything from us to make him feel better about himself. He only wants to share his beauty, goodness and grace with us. And he relentlessly does so with no strings attached. He walks with us, knowing all along we will be troublesome partners. (This would be God's brand of craziness.)

We push back against this kind of God because we don't get him. We've grown used to one who is only slightly better than we are. Moody. Demanding. Over-reactive. Unpredictable. Possessive. Distant when it suits him. All cloaked in religious holiness.

For most of us a God who loves up close and without conditions calls for a radical pivot. Imagine adjoining rooms. The door on God's side swings wide and free. On our side, we've installed safety locks and barricades. What if we let our side swing open like God's? What if we let God be who he is instead of who we've mistakenly assumed he was?

04/13/2026

God does the heavy lifting

Read Genesis. Check your watch. Significant time ticks off with God working solo before we show up. He scoops out oceans, piles up mountains, creates critters, introduces vegetation. And we're nowhere to be seen. God is like an expectant parent getting a nursery ready for their new arrival.

God never stops taking the first step in our direction. Delivers us from Egyptian slavery. Provides a survival handbook with Moses' law. Sets us up with order and safety through kings like David. Pursues us with prophets. Some railing. Some weeping. Some courting. But all speaking of God's work on our behalf.

Then, Jesus shows up. God in person. Isaiah gives hints beforehand. Israel waits. In Matthew and Luke's telling of the story, we see God scurrying around getting things ready. Angelic dreams for handpicked couple who birth and raise his son. Heavenly choirs informing and inviting shepherds. Special star to guide eastern travelers. Warning about Herod's deadly intentions. Cousin John, bulldozing the way for Jesus' ministry.

The entire Jesus event is God working overtime to make it abundantly clear that this is no casual, sideshow event. God is yet again taking a huge step in our direction. He speaks it from heaven at Jesus' baptism, then confirms it toward the end at Jesus' transfiguration. Jesus marches with meticulous purpose to his ex*****on in Jerusalem where he pokes his killers with a stick. Then twists the plot with an empty tomb. God forever moving big rocks!

We might assume God is finished. He's just getting started. In the second chapter of Acts, we see Jesus making good on his promise of the Comforter in John's gospel. God's Spirit mounts a holy invasion. Wind and fire translate into clarity and courage. Thousands of changed lives. More big rocks moved.

God does the heavy lifting all through scripture. So, who started the rumor that if this thing with God is going to work, I have to make it happen? You know, pray harder, read more, stay longer, behave better. Like my diligence is the essential component. Sure, God's grace saves me initially. But keeping it going falls on me. God provides the wheelbarrow. But I have to push it up the hill.

Jesus' vine and branches metaphor helps here. He is the vine. We are the branches. Our calling as branches is to stay fastened to the vine. Fruit comes naturally. More heavy lifting by God. Maybe I'd be wise to stop stressing over my next “righteous” move and instead check my radar for what God's up to.

04/06/2026

A theology we can live with

Something was missing. Years ago I sat through college and seminary theology classes where they listed God's attributes: Omniscience. Omnipresence. Omnipotence. With every omni I memorized, the more omni-distant God felt. My academic training reduced him to a concept … a faraway concept. So, what was missing? Maybe a theology I could live with.

Concepts won't wash in the valley of the shadow. In my darkest times, I don't need an omni-God. If he isn't present and invested, I'm left to work this out on my own … “with fear and trembling.” Thanks Uncle Paul! In his letters, we get to watch the apostle Paul transition from conceptual theology to one he could live with. Like he's shifting back and forth between the classroom and the living room. Mind you, he's a recovering Pharisee. So, let's cut him some slack.

Takes me back to sitting in a small group listening to a wannabe Pharisee fist-pound it out. “God gave us a document. We're supposed to study it and then live it. And we'd best get it right or there will be consequences.” Wow! This is the good news of the gospel? Figuring it out may improve performance. It certainly doesn't comfort or transform my heart.

Over the centuries mystics, monks and martyrs have sat in this, asking what lies beneath all the omni-stuff. They've practiced the presence. Come to know God. Allowed trials, testing and time open a channel from their brain to their gut. They graduated from doing God-math to experiencing him in every breath.

It's like they risked asking better questions. What is God up to right now? How does he feel about me? Does God see and hear me? Does he like me? Can I trust him? Not, can I trust the omni-stuff from seminary days. More like, can I trust that God is all in with me and that he won't bail when I screw up?

Openness to asking these questions charts the course for the next steps in our journey. They open our eyes to a God who shows up at our ballgames, sits with us while we obsess, walks with us through the ripples and wrinkles of our humanity … a God who actively wants to help us live our best life.

If you prefer something you can organize and keep a lid on, stick with concepts. They have convenient handles you can grip. Plus, they're clearly labeled so you know what you're getting. But if you're ready for adventure, you're invited to join the likes of Peter, James and John who found out in real time who God was and how he felt about them. This generally happens when we look for God beyond a book or a pew to where we live right here and right now.

03/30/2026

Monday

Life is an endless series of Mondays. We burn our brakes up trying to stop the relentless advance of time. Like the force of gravity, the sun comes up every morning. The older we get, the faster all this races across our horizon. Can you believe it? We're already a quarter of the way through 2026.

We cut time up in chunks as if we feel compelled to arrange it all into seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months. We blow this all the way up to centuries and millenniums. Does this give us some sense of closure? “Phew, I survived.” or “What was that?” or “Time to move on to something new.”

We also use time to measure success or failure. How long can you hold your breath? There's only 30 seconds left in the game. I fasted 5 days straight. You're older than me. How long have we been waiting? When does that store open? Will this meeting last over an hour? Are we giving time more power than is due?

So, every Monday morning we start our work week all over again. Some Mondays feel like Christmas. Some just sit there like a stale biscuit. These first days-of-the-week can feel like a curse or a blessing. I'm wondering if we get to make the call on which way it goes? If we do get to vote, does it even count?

This all feels like the weather to me. You never know for sure how it's going to play out. You just deal with it when it gets here. Life is Monday over and over. A strange brew of what we endure and what we explore. Very hard. Very beautiful. Some Mondays we survive. Some Mondays we celebrate.

We have memories of past Mondays, plus dreams for Mondays yet to come. And here we sit sandwiched between these two in this moment. Take a look inside yourself right now. What's going on? Are you in a mood? Are you trying to figure something out? Processing what someone said? Are you looking forward to an event? Are you fixing something? Slowing down? Speeding up?

How about we live as if this Monday is the only one we'll get? If you need to rest, rest on purpose. If it's time to reconcile, walk into it with humble honesty. If you're inclined to create, be you with all your might. If you feel like being lazy, sit down and kick up your feet. Life isn't something we have to get right or else. Just be real, right now in this moment, on this Monday.

How about you finish today's blog. Today is important because … Today I need to talk to … Today I feel … Today my goal is to … Today is special because … Today I will celebrate … Today's focus is … Welcome to Monday.

Broadway UMC - Pathway

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