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"When we celebrate Jesus’ birth only as a “Jesus sweet and mild” newborn, we unconsciously dismiss the radically prophetic message his birth and whole life embodied." Rev. Paul Graves challenges us to see the birth of Christ as the bold unmerited gift of grace that it is.

In his latest post, Rev. Paul Graves tackles a topic that many wrestle with particularly as they approach the holidays: grief. When we are ready, Graves encourages us to resist our fear of grief and instead to sit with it and learn what it can teach.

In his latest commentary, Older Adult Ministries chair Rev. Paul Graves wrestles with questions and feelings stemming from General Conference 2019. "So what do we do now?" Graves writes. "One fundamental task our whole church might undertake is to humbly admit we revel in taking sides."

When United Methodists gather in St. Louis next month, Rev. Paul Graves is expecting something akin to a "wresting match". According to Graves, the story of Jacob could provide some helpful insights to delegates and observers of the General Conference.

Considering the contemporary argument that severe immigration enforcement is the "law of the land," Rev. Paul Graves looks to how Jesus engaged his contemporaries and their rigid application of Jewish laws. "[Jesus] knew unconditional love is the unexplored territory between those laws and the deeper meaning of those laws."

In a post for Nurturing Elders on the PNW News Blog, Rev. Paul Graves explores what it takes to keep the brain healthy as we age. While he wasn't surprised to find that that those who kept active through volunteering were rewarded with better brain health, he was to discover the primary importance of motivation. According to one study those who regularly volunteered lived longer "but only if their intentions were truly altruistic."

Last Saturday’s Table Talk conversation at Spokane Valley UMC was the largest so far with 166 United Methodists coming together to discuss differing understandings of human sexuality and the Way Forward for the Church. Rosalee Mohney and the Revs. Alissa Bertsch, Geoff Helton, and Paul Graves answer some questions about the event.

"Could it be that God invented the Resurrection of Jesus as a dramatic reminder for us that death, for all of its power to imprison us in our fears, will not be the end of Life? " In a letter to his grandchildren reflecting on the odd occasion of Easter and April Fool's day sharing a date on the calendar, Rev. Paul Graves makes the case that it is perfectly appropriate.

By the Rev. Paul Graves | Photo courtesy of Fabrice Florin/Wikipedia, whitehouse.gov As it happened, I was sitting in front of the TV as the...

By The Rev. Paul Graves | Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Note to readers: This column is unlike any past column I’ve written in this space....