…but what a horrific hurricane. It is so surreal to see the images that are coming across the television screen: New Orleans under water, Biloxi devastated.

I was in New Orleans for a short vacation with my family just two months ago. Many of the images from the TV are all too familiar – images of places I walked by with my brother and father, now covered in water or ripped into debris. The human cost is of course the most painful. Over seventy reported dead so far – and the numbers will surely climb.

The insurance industry used to call such events “acts of God.” Perhaps they still do. But I prefer to see God acting in the amazing efforts to rescue people stranded on rooftops. I am hopeful that we will see a wonderful response of generosity and kindness as people attempt to help out those victimized by this hurricane. And I pray that people bond together to face the challenges ahead in the strength of human companionship. The burden is lighter when we share it together.

Evil has also presented its face. The stories of looting and violence remind us that evil must be taken seriously. No one can consider “sin” to be a quaint concept in light of the news reports of rioting and looting. Evil is a reality, as is our need for God’s grace and healing.

Disasters bring out our best, and our worst.

Natural disasters are part of what it means to live on earth. I suspect that storms of such magnitude are the earth’s way of letting off some steam and restoring ecological balance. When we humans get in the way of that process, the effects are tragic. But we are earthlings, after all. It is a mistake to perceive ourselves as radically separate from the planet that gives us life and sustenance. I like to think that the earth grieves with us – that somehow, the planet that feeds us, nurtures us, and provides for us is saddened when the planet must unleash such destructive forces in the interest of ecological balance.

But I’m one of those people who isn’t afraid to anthropomorphosize things from time to time. Bringing a human face to this tragedy isn’t a pointless endeavor, however. The face of a man I saw on TV grieving the loss of his wife in the floods is indeed the face of Christ – it is our face to respond to, to care for, to reach out to. It is the human face that emerges when we allow our eyes to focus on tragedy. It is a face that can’t help but break your heart – and inspire you to respond.

You can respond through the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Just click here for more info.

Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper
Matthew 16: 21-28

When I moved to New York City from Texas, I moved into the dorms at Union Theological Seminary on the far Upper West Side of Manhattan near Columbia. The dorm room I moved into was just above a room that was designated the Dietrich Bonhoeffer room – it was basically a memorial room with pictures and artifacts from Bonhoeffer’s life. Bonhoeffer had attended Union in 1930 before returning to Germany to participate in the underground resistance of the Nazis. (more…)

Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper
Romans 12: 1-8

Once a while back I went over to a friend’s house to help him remove the branches of some trees that we hanging dangerously over his house. He had this long tall ladder, and my job at first was to offer moral support from the ground. As he was up there with his saw, swinging away at branches, a large chunk of tree broke away and came crashing right towards me. In that moment, I had to make a very quick decision- I had to move out of the path of that tree or I was going to die. So, in a split second I reacted and darted furiously out from under the branch just in time. The branch crashed down, and I yelled up at my idiot friend to get down and we later agreed the professional tree crew we hired was well worth the money. (more…)

This group of adults meets after worship at 11:30 a.m. in Wesley Hall each Sunday.  Normally led by laity, the group studies books of the Bible and other topics of interest. Following a summer break, Adult Forum resumed on September 16 with Pastor Bryan facilitating a series on the book of Jeremiah. Please join us for lively conversation and warm fellowship. All are welcome. 

I shared with the Church Council and Trustees a list of my personal values. They recommended that I share them with the rest of the congregation, so here they are. Please bear in mind that these are my values – not me! I strive to live by this values, but I am keenly aware that I have much to learn. The point is, these are the things at the present moment that I value.

Bryan Hooper’s Vision

First of all, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I intend to embody Jesus’ teaching in my life, most basically expressed as “love of God and neighbor.” I am called to serve the United Methodist Church in the ministry of word, service, sacrament and order. My goal is to be the most effective local pastor.

Bryan Hooper’s Values

Excellence: In all that I do, I strive to be the best. I carefully define goals, and I measure my results. I believe that details are important, and that they must conform to ambitious visions. I will never be satisfied with how things are, but I will constantly strive for perfection.

People: I will not place process ahead of people. I will not place institution ahead of people. Process and institution are servants of people. Excellence will always be measured primarily in terms of people.

Effectiveness: I focus on results. My loyalty to a particular project is secondary to the effectiveness of that project. No institution, structure or program is more valuable than the results it achieves. My eye will be kept on the ball.

Fairness: I respect all people regardless of the categories society places them in. I am open to ideas, thoughts and dreams without discrimination. I judge people’s actions based on their effects, but I never judge people.

Ambition: I value the ambitious plan over the secure plan. In the contemporary culture of change, risk taking is essential. Bold plans generate the best results. Ambition, tempered by humility, is the engine that drives us to greatness.

Balance: I value all areas of my life. I will be attentive to my personal needs as much as my professional goals. I will take time off from work to rejuvenate my mind, body and spirit. I will spend time in prayer to connect with God. Most importantly, I will develop and strengthen my primary personal relationships as my prime priority.

Peace: Peace is the state of living in right relationship with all of creation. Peace is not simply the absence of violence. Peace is connected directly with justice. It is the condition in which we are most creative, effective and graceful. I will make choices that further peace and justice in my community, relationships and self.

Grace: All that I do and am is a gift from God. Each breath, each moment, each day is an opportunity to be fully aware of God’s amazing grace. In all things, I try to be aware of God’s love and grace in my life, and I try to exhibit God’s grace in my actions.

So, basically, I try to be good at what I do, and I try to be just in what I do. If I do those things, I have peace!

You can get involved!

There are numerous opportunities for you to get involved in the life of our church. Below are some of the ways you can participate. Don’t see anything that grabs you? Help us create the opportunity you are looking for! We are eager to support you as you strive to live out your faith. Please share your ideas for ministry with Rev. Hooper. Together, we can deepen our faith, energize our spirits, change our communities and live out our passions.
(more…)

Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper
Matthew 15: 21-28

Some people just won’t leave you alone.

My little brother is a good example. Every time I had something really great to do, like go see a new movie or go to an amusement park with my buddies – he would always want to tag along. He was shameless about this. After I would tell him several times that he absolutely could not go anywhere with me ever, and after I would punch him a few times just to make the point clear, he would run over to mom and ask her. Mom usually had a different opinion on these matters. (more…)

Change comes in all kinds of forms. Despite the serious difficulty and challenge of institutional change – a form of change that the church desperately needs – it is perhaps an easier form of change than personal change.

When we have to change together, there is a strength that we can draw upon in each other. But when we are confronted with our own personal weaknesses and failures, change feels much more like condemnation. We don’t wan to believe, for one minute, that we are wrong, that we are bad, that we need to change. And that allows us to go on in our foolishness, blind to our own imperfections.

The irony, I think, is that we can’t really change well, unless we believe we are accepted in our brokenness. We need to know that God has embraced us as we are, and that our eternal fate is not determined by our present condition. With that conviction, change becomes opportunity: a chance to live better, to be better. The fear and uncertainty can fade away, and we can pursue our perfection in the freedom offered by God’s grace.

Bob Carlton keeps a website up called The Corner. There is a really good post there this week dealing with change – and the powerful personal costs of change. Check it out.

_Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper_
Matthew 14:22-33

When I was a kid, my family built a second home out on a lake. It was about an hour and a half drive from our house, so we spent many weekends out at the lakehouse. A few of my friends had houses in the same area we did, so we had a lot of fun there – fishing, running around, eating hot dogs. But the main attraction was water skiing on the lake. I remember getting up at the crack of dawn, when the lake was quiet and the water was smooth, and heading out to be pulled around behind our boat on a water ski. It was, I reckon, the closest I have ever come to walking on water. (more…)

I came home last evening to a bat.

Flying around in confused circles around my dining room was a bat that had found its way into my house. It was a disturbing site! The bat eerily flapped its fleshy wings as it circled around energetically.

I was tired. I called some folks for advice – recommendations included tennis rackets and grocery bags and bath towels. I opted for the only reasonable response: I ran and hid. I realized that bats are nocturnal creatures – so though I was quite tired, the bat was just getting started. The bat had the advantage. So, I figured, I would wait until the morning, when the bat is going to sleep. Then, I will have the advantage.

So I spent the night in my office. Not comfortable at all, and I barely caught a wink. I woke up with multiple aches and pains from my improvised bed. I returned to my home and found the bat perched, upside down, hanging from the screen in a window that was open. I seized this opportunity to shut the window, trapping the bat between the window and the screen. The grainy picture I’ve included with this post shows the bat trapped there.

I then cleverly opened the window just a crack, and then opened the screen widely. Then I closed the window. When the bat awoke, he flew out past the screen and off to freedom.

Obviously, the bat freaked me out. However, I have learned that bats are fairly harmless creatures. In fact, they can be quite useful. The huge bat colony in Austin, Texas, eats 10,000 – 30,000 pounds of insects each night! If I have a bunch of insects around, I might wish for the bat back.