Andy Bryan

I can't wait to explain this image to my grandchildren.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel committee praised her as a key unifying figure in the opposition, advocating for free elections and...

"This is something that the Venezuelan people deserve. I am just part of a huge movement. ... I’m humbled, I’m grateful and I’m honored not only by this recognition, but I’m honored to be part of what’s going on in Venezuela today.”
- Maria Corina Machado

YouTube video by Maplewood UMC "In the Name of Jesus" Rev. Andy Bryan

"Acting in the name of Jesus is not transactional, or selfish, or harmful. If an action or a word is one of those things it cannot be true that it is being done in the name of Jesus.
You can put those fries back in the bag!"
My sermon: "In the Name of Jesus" ...
#MakeItMaplewood #TheVeryFirstChurch

The Power of One | TIME share.google/XKF6Rx8fU2aA...

"The greatest danger to our future is apathy." - Jane Goodall

YouTube video by Maplewood UMC "The Beauty of Simplicity" - Rev. Andy Bryan

The early church did four simple things. And clearly that simplicity was appealing, since God was adding to their numbers every single day. There was an appealing simplicity in the life of the very first church, and it may be something the modern church can reclaim.

My sermon from Sunday...

So, what do we do?

- Be smart enough to know that you don't know everything.
- Be bold enough to share honestly what you do know.
- Be humble enough to listen to other people as they do the same.

Yes, things are in turmoil, but there is hope. Don't lose heart, friends.
4/4

When it seems like we are living in different worlds, it's because we are. Worlds defined by the algorithms that determine what information we know.
3/4

None of us are actually "doing our own research." Our online interactions are not neutral. Each of us is fed a particular set of information, the boundaries of which are defined by our previous online activity. Those boundaries become narrower over time, until there is no overlap at all.
2/4

For what it's worth...

Please, do not let your algorithms do your thinking for you.
1/4

YouTube video by Maplewood UMC "Nevertheless She Persisted"

The turmoil in the world knocks us out of alignment with God. Prayer is a nudge from the Holy Spirit, re-aligning us with God's love, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the peace and power of the Holy Spirit.

My sermon from Sunday...

It's the guns.

When empathy is sin
War is the norm.
Bludgeon of fist
rather
Caress of palm.
Oh how I long for
gentleness.

YouTube video by Andy Bryan #ISeeYou #WereGonnaBeOK

#ISeeYou #WereGonnaBeOK

Please call your rep today and let them know this plan does not represent this state.

Trump-approved congressional redistricting gets Missouri House committee approval The move sets up the new map, which targets U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, for debate next week.

Missouri voted 60-40 for Trump last time.

The proposed map would be 7-1. (That's 88-12 as a percentage.)

Now I'm no math major, but 60-40 is way different than 88-12. So actually, NO the proposed map does NOT more accurately represent the people of Missouri.

I don't know. Call me crazy but it just seems to me that gerrymandering is not something you do because your policies are just so darn popular.

Epstein survivors implore Congress to act as push for disclosure builds Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse have gathered on Capitol Hill to demand the release of the sex trafficking investigation into the late financier.

Believe women.

Kehoe weighs tapping Missouri National Guard to help ICE The request for help with federal immigration clerical, transportation and logistical tasks came from the Trump administration — notably the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense.

No thank you.

YouTube video by Nine PBS Rebuilding North St. Louis After the EF3 Tornado | Tornado Town Hall: Your Voice. Our Future.

I highly commend this video to you. Thank you, Nine PBS, for putting this together. It is so important to document and to remember, so that we can build from here.

YouTube video by Maplewood UMC 'The Lion King' - A Study of Call - Rev. Andy Bryan

"It isn’t someone else’s job; it is the job of each and every one of us doing what we can, like dripping millions of individual drops of our work onto the great boulder of injustice until it is eventually eroded away."

Simba, Esther, and the call to find our place.
My sermon from Sunday...

Trump defends the US economy with charts after job reports showed warning signs President Donald Trump has summoned reporters to the Oval Office to present charts that he says shows the economy is solid.

“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
-George Orwell
Dr. Erika McEntarfer told the truth, and it got her fired. I don't know what part she will play in the histories written of this era, but she is a revolutionary. At least by today's Orwellian standards.

“Instead of clearing his own heart the zealot tries to clear the world.”
- Joseph Campbell, Hero With a Thousand Faces

I am not beholden to the whims of the current political climate. I am beholden to the love of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is these I choose to amplify, not the chaos of the day.
2/2

For what it's worth:

As a pastor, my motivation for not endorsing political candidates has never been to avoid losing my congregation's tax-exempt status. My motivation is and always has been theological. As such, my practice will not now change in response to the IRS lifting that rule.
1/2

I'm celebrating today by taking this informal poll.

What is your current favorite form of government?
A) Plutocracy
B) Oligarchy
C) Kakistocracy
D) Kleptocracy
E) All of the above

Thanks for playing, and stay safe out there!

Because my rep (Wagner) does not reflect my values, I consider you to be my rep by proxy. Thank you, and please keep resisting. We need you strong and sharp.