Catching Meddlers

My wife and I went out for our anniversary (8 years today!) to the new Cheesecake Factory in OKC. We then went to Saint Luke’s UMC downtown for the opening worship service of Annual Conference.

We had a great opening service for Annual Conference. The Africa University choir sang, and the Bishop Greg Palmer of the Iowa Annual Conference delivered the message. He preached on the Prodigal Son and the necessity of celebration.

This is such a small world. Today, I read that Dr. Jim Holsinger, a United Methodist physician from Kentucky and former chairperson of Asbury Theologial Seminary’s board of trustees, has been nominated to be the next Surgeon General!

Dr. Holsinger often took biblical studies classes at the seminary, and I had the opportunity to take Minor Prophets as a January term intensive course with him. I don’t know anything about his politics, but I know this. He is, in my estimation, an incredibly gracious, intelligent, genuine, and humble Christian. You would have never known the kind of influence this man had from meeting him for the first time. He introduced himself as “Jim,” and carried himself as a fellow student. I loved getting to know him during the shared pain of this inductive bible study class, and I pray that he rises yet again to the challenge of this appointment.