Scott and Raegan Gilliland

Many people have shared tributes today in honor of the one-year-anniversary of Rachel Held Evans’ death, so I feel almost a little foolish to add to the pile, but sometimes I think about her kids that will Google her someday and find post after post giving tribute to their incredible mom that they will sadly have no memory of, and I think, it’s worth it. Since being stuck at home for 549 days, I’ve been re-reading some of her work for comfort, for challenge, for inspiration, and so I can pluck out some amazing quotes so my congregation knows I read. I was reading Faith Unraveled (previously called Evolving in Monkey Town) and I openly wept at the end when she gave her acknowledgements to people. What made me so sad was when she thanked her husband, Dan, and made reference to how she was so excited to see what was ahead for them. I wept and was angry that the life they dreamed of together was cut so tragically short. I still don’t understand and it still just isn’t fair. I keep ...

With a special called General Conference coming around the corner in 2019, and knowing that onlookers (pastors, congregants, those outside the UMC) will be watching with varying degrees of knowledge around all it entails, I thought it might be helpful to write up a simple FAQ for those who are not experts in all things United Methodism. This will not be exhaustive and is meant only to give a basic framework for those who are interested in what is happening, but are not familiar with UM structure and jargon. Note: Since I am not an expert on all of these topics, if at any point you are reading and think, "Scott, that is factually incorrect!" please let me know and I'll do my best to update this page to be as accurate as possible. What is a General Conference? General Conference (GC) is a gathering every four years of between 600 - 1,000 delegates (clergy and laity, aka pastors and non-pastors) who vote on issues that effect the global denomination. This includes...

I had the pleasure of being on the host team for the Uniting Methodists “Room for All” Conference held at Lovers Lane UMC in Dallas, TX just a few weeks ago in July.   The pastors, staff, and lay members of LLUMC were incredibly thankful to be able to have such an inspiring and important event on our campus.   Those who attended the conference would have seen the following words printed in large black letters on a wall in our Watson Hall:   Our Vision: To be one diverse community, passionately engaging the Bible, uplifting Jesus in worship and loving service, and challenging in love that which divides. We’re proud of that vision statement here at Lovers Lane, it sums up who we feel like God has called us to be as a community of faith, and we hope it inspires those who walk through our doors. During the past few weeks, as tensions continue to rise with the release of the “One Church” Plan put forth by the Commission on a Way Forward and recommended by the C...

This past week, Lovers Lane played host to the Uniting Methodists Conference, a gathering of those in support of (or seeking to learn more about) the One Church Plan (OCP) as we approach what will hopefully be a historic General Conference in February 2019.  Certainly there will be many reactions posted by those of all theological persuasions, but I wanted to take a moment to offer an insight that became apparent to me in the last few days. During the conference, we offered the ability for attendees, both in-person and online, to submit questions for our leaders to address at the conference.  I was one of the persons privy to those questions, and I found them to be enlightening. The largest number of questions had to deal with the technical implementation of the OCP, as it was finally released to the public on Tuesday late-afternoon.  But next to the "nuts-and-bolts" questions, the second-most type of questions had to do with a common theme.  I would summarize th...

This past week, the local church I serve, Lovers Lane UMC, hosted a gathering of area clergy and lay leaders interested in learning more about a movement called "Uniting Methodists." Leading the presentation and ensuing discussion were Rev. Rachel Baughman of Oak Lawn UMC in Dallas, and Rev. Dr. Stan Copeland of Lovers Lane. I respect both of these leaders immensely; Rachel was actually my children's pastor when I was in the 6th grade at W.C. Martin UMC in Bedford, TX, and Stan has been my boss and mentor for the better part of the last decade. That respect was shared by the room as far as I could tell, and it was their presence together on stage that likely sparked more than a little curiosity amongst those who came.  Rev. Rachel Baughman, left, of Oak Lawn UMC, and Rev. Dr. Stan Copeland, right, of Lovers Lane UMC Photo credit: Rev. Michael Baughman The sight of them sitting together on stage perhaps sums up Uniting Methodists in one image. On the left (lit...

One year ago today, Scott and I woke up on a Sunday, but it wasn't our usual Sunday. Sundays usually are a whirlwind of a day. We wake up early, scramble to get ready in order to get to church for our 7:45 a.m. meeting with the rest of the staff. This Sunday was different though. I hadn't slept well in anticipation for what would happen this Sunday morning. I tried my best to be well rested, but my mind was going. They say to relax because stress isn't good, but by golly, a lot was weighing on this day. We woke up--a little awkward silence as we got ready. We tried our best to act relaxed and cool---while inwardly, stressing out beyond belief, scared, nervous, and feeling like we could cry at any moment. We pulled up to the fertility clinic for our third IUI procedure while praying over and over again, "please let this work, please let this work..." I clung to Psalm 17:6  "I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and liste...

By: Scott Greg Hardy is a bad man. For some people, this only seemed to hit home this past week when we, the general public, were confronted with graphic photos of the bruised back of Hardy's abused then-girlfriend, Nicole Holder.  This came amidst Jerry Jones referring to Hardy as a "true leader" in interviews this past week as well, which anyone with even an ounce of morality should have concerns with.  Bloggers took aim, social media was set ablaze, and now Hardy, the Cowboys organization, and Jerry Jones especially have pariah-status yet again. Let it be said again, Greg Hardy is a bad man.  He is not a "true leader" by any stretch of the imagination.  He has clearly done some evil things in his life, including the physical abuse of at least one woman.  But I'm not sure our righteous indignation is that righteous at all, because I have noticed a pattern emerging in how we treat domestic violence in the public sphere. Back in early 2014, we foun...

I have learned that we often say things that hurt people's feelings without realizing it. We say hurtful things unintentionally and people then get in their car and cry or sit in a bathroom stall and try to hold it together--not that I am speaking from experience.  One of the hardest things about going through infertility were all the things that were said to me that made me angry or cry and people NEVER knew that it made me feel anything. This list is pretty strict and you may think it is too harsh or make you overthink everything you say, but I think we have to become aware of what we say.  So here is my list of things NOT to say or at least ways to maybe rephrase questions... First of all, if you have a girlfriend that you know is NOT trying to get pregnant, then don't feel like you can't say this stuff. For everyone else that you don't know well or you're unsure, try to follow this: 1) "So do you have kids?"  So you've just met someone or y...

By: Raegan Before I begin, I want to say two things: 1) I know our video was light-hearted and humorous, but infertility has hardly been something to laugh about. It has without a doubt been the hardest and most painful thing Scott and I have gone through. Just when we thought we couldn't cry more, we did. Just when we thought we couldn't be more heartbroken, our hearts got broken all over again. Just when we didn't think we could get more tired, more frustrated, or more angry, we felt like we couldn't even think straight. Somedays were just plain hard to even get out of bed. 2) I know many have gone through so much more than us, have waited much longer, and have had far worse experiences. I do not want to make our situation seem bigger than it is.  I have learned everyone's pain is individual and unique in their own way.  I never want to discount someone's hurt or journey. To set the stage, I have always wanted to be a mom. At the age of 8, I was knock...

A new year. I'm not really into resolutions. Never really have been into them. Mainly because I usually am awful at them. Changing my life for Lent is hard enough, but a whole year?! Come on! I keep thinking about where I was at this time last year.  Well, not literally.  I was in the Holy Land so it is kinda hard to top that.  At this time last year, I had a huge prayer. And it wasn't answered in 2014, or 2013, or 2012... Frankly, I've had this prayer for as long as I can remember. What I wanted did not happen. So it begs the question, "Was this past year a waste?" No. Not at all. Some of my highlights this past year included: Traveling the Holy Land Completed another semester of seminary Became a certified candidate for ministry Progressed to the next level of ordination Went on a mission trip with the best middle school students around Visited family and friends Gained more responsibility and opportunities at work Wrote a TON of papers Dr...

Ok, so there's been a lot of hullabaloo surrounding the Osteen Empire following the viral spread of a video  showing Victoria Osteen putting on a clinic of how to insert your foot into your mouth.  Of course, the theological landscape has been ablaze with blogs, articles, and status updates decrying the Osteens as "heretics," "liars," and "probably responsible for all the world's problems."  Okay, maybe that last one is a bit of an overreaction... This got me to thinking, and there's a few things I'd like to address in light of "Happy-gate 2014." 1. This is nothing new for the Osteens. I can only assume from the reactions I've seen that some people have simply never heard of the Osteens before, or if they had heard of them, they have never bothered to look into their theology (or lack thereof) or their practices. If they had bothered to investigate them, if only briefly, they would know that this kind of message is bu...

Scott here.  I've seen a lot of concern over the wasting of water in the now infamous ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  If you don't know what that is, welcome to the internet, you must be new here.  Google it and come back, we'll wait. Anyways, I've seen figures suggesting that around 1.2 million Americans have participated in the Challenge, using approx. 5 gallons of water each, meaning somewhere in the ballpark of 6 million gallons of water have been used so far (as of two days ago, so that number has grown).  Sounds like a staggering number, and it is a significant amount of water, to be sure.   And if you donated to ALSA, but chose to forgo the ice bucket to conserve water, I think that is admirable, and I applaud your decision to use the Challenge as a way to shed light on water scarcity at the same time. But before we begin criticizing an effective fundraising practice by lamenting the waste of water, I wonder if we are willing to examine our own daily...

Yesterday, I celebrated 15 years with Jesus. I know what you’re thinking. Wow, that is cheesy. Hallmark is thinking, how have we not thought of that card line yet?!?! I’ll expect to see my check in the mail, Hallmark.   I remember when it was my 10 year anniversary and I didn’t really think anything of it, but for some reason, this “anniversary” is different. Maybe I’m thinking about it because I’m turning 30 next month ( I mean, 25…yes..25) and I’ve started to super reflect on my life. Maybe it is because I am about to enter into my third year of seminary. Maybe it is because I am about to begin the process of answering a lot of questions on my beliefs as part of my   ordination process. (I’d be okay with it if you prayed for all the papers I have to write by the way. I'm kinda super way stressed out.) Whatever has got my wheels turning I think I know God is pressing on to me to think about those around me that have helped me along the way.    ...