iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Lutheran Potluck @lutheranpotluck.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

“Diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion” and “accessibility” are reflections of justice when it is fulfilled. Like many saints before us have said, justice is the form love takes in society. —Bishop Yehiel Curry #ELCA #Lutheran #DEI #DEIA www.elca.org/news/all-tog...

elca.org

All Together in One Place: Celebrating Our Diversity

All Together in One Place: Celebrating Our Diversity provides information and news from the ELCA.

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I remember you sharing about this when you were here. Having lived my entire life in one of the parts of the U.S. "known" for its cold weather and longer winter nights, it was interesting (and humbling) to be reminded how different it can be elsewhere.

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

...and also I am starting to wonder what role near-constant communication (and relative ease of transportation) has played in shaping parent-adult child relationships where there might have been a bit more space, recognition, or independence in the past.

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Praying with those whom we, the church, have repeatedly harmed by trying to prevent them from living their fullest lives in the love and grace of God. 🙏

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I was thinking something similar as I was reading through. How is it that we've not taken what has been successful with UWiF and encouraged something similar?

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

We need to stop reporting/posting/sharing claims made by this administration and its surrogates as if they were unequivocal fact (without question, without investigation), especially when there are so many documented cases of it not being so.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Tranquility Press @tranquilitypress.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Star Trek represents many things, but it is at heart about exploration - not just of the stars themselves, but of ourselves and the world around us. Storytelling is at the heart of that exploration, whether it come from the pen of Benny Russell or from one of our many, many contributors.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jenna DeWitt (she/her) @jennadewitt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

You're actually wanted here. Love is a verb, not a weapon. Gentleness is a strength. And Jesus is a Gardner, not a cop. Hands, minds, hearts, and doors are open. You can come on in. No murdering experience required.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dylan @dyl057.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

United Methodists really have some grit to their social witness overseas (the Philippines come to mind as well)

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Like, if you don't fix the pendulum speed, the clock will be right for a handful of seconds about once or twice a year or something. That's the real clock maintenance experience. Not stopped. Just broken and wildly unpredictable.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

People say "a stopped clock is right twice a day", but I care for a church tower clock and I gotta tell you, clocks don't tend to stop, they just start going at weird speeds, so mostly you're gonna be encountering broken clocks that are only right when you don't expect it. That's the real metaphor.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Bishop Karen Oliveto @bishopkarenoliveto.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

“When we refuse to see the image of God in others, we prepare our hearts for violence. Racism and genocide begin not with weapons, but with a failure to love.” — Henri Nouwen

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Can't stop thinking about this friend of mine who got off heroin around 30 years ago, but is finding his new addiction to social media (Facebook in particular) impossible to kick, despite it destroying his marriage... And I just think we need to reckon with what's happening to our brains every day.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Yeah sure I could answer my emails, or I could lay down on the floor and stare at the ceiling while feeling incredibly overwhelmed, you know?

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dylan @dyl057.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I did a pastor transition/onboarding this evening, and a few member of the congregation said their dream is for the church to be known in their area as a place that loves God and their neighbors. If they end up collectively putting their energy toward that, I think it'll work for them.

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Was just thinking about this the other day. Thank you for putting it into words. Makes me wonder how much of our stress and anxiety these days comes from feeling like we have to keep up with such constant communication.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dylan @dyl057.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

My parishioners probably think I love drawing up bylaws and figuring out investment strategies. I do not. My hope is infrastructure, as it did in early Methodism, can equip mission, even if I'd rather have jumpstarted the social holiness component instead.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

My friend is moving house soon, and her husband had me print a load of these for everyone who's helping them, so when it gets a bit much, we can just hand one to her, and honestly? To be loved is to be known.

A pile of little coloured paper cards that say 'time out! You look stressed, overwhelmed, or agitated. Take a moment to yourself. Have a walk. A cup of tea. A sit down. I love you."

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dan Schwerin @danschwerin.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

In Ps. 40:11 today: 'Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me.' Too many have been talked out of mercy and compassion by fear and hate. Violence creates ripples of revenge. Immigrants are not our ruin. Build social capital. Love your neighbor. Mercy is my work today.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Don't do rhyme that often in work I write for publication, but I do love to sit on a hillside and write a little ditty on occasion...

A short untitled poem:
I eat the bread, I drink the wine,
I enter into life divine,
and after all that holiness
I find that I love sinning less.

But bread is bread six days in seven,
and earth seems very far from heaven,
so oft I fall, and fail to see
that I was born with God in me.

By Jay Hulme

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Praying with all of our transgender brothers, sisters, and siblings as they face continued efforts to deny their humanity. You are God's beloved, and with you God is well-pleased! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

That's helpful. I wonder if, in addition to developing those skills, such conversations might also create a culture/atmosphere of mutual support (i.e. you're not alone, and you aren't going to be thrown under the bus, if you move to address it faithfully).

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

How do we model and practice this sort of accountability in our own ministry settings? My experience has been that the fear of conflict (and lack of knowing how) tends to keep us from doing so.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dan Schwerin @danschwerin.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

In Ps.56:11 today: 'I trust in God; I won't be afraid.' King's 4th principle of nonviolence: 'accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve the goal.' Despite the suffering, we must not succumb to fear. Love wins. Trust is my work today.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dan Schwerin @danschwerin.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

In Ps.60:11 today: 'O grant us help against the foe, for human help is worthless.' We can show up where God is helping: UMCOR for quake relief, making mission hygiene kits, or flood buckets. Multiply God's help by joining it. Neighborliness is a third way. Help is my work today.

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

It has been precisely the folks denigrated and despised by conservatives as "outside the scope of God's love and grace" who have taught me the most about having faith in God (and, especially, living with hope in the resurrection of Christ).

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Grab a friend. Go on an adventure. Be reminded that the world is so big and so beautiful and we are but very small parts of it.

Jay runs along a rocky path with his arms held out to the side like an aeroplane

Jays friend stands by a trig point marking the highest point and looks out over the landscape

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dan Schwerin @danschwerin.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

In Ps.69:18 today: 'Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies.' Unequal treatment under the law does not create flourishing or freedom. God, free us of our capacity to be divided by fear. Our Exodus God is with us. To be free is my prayer and work today.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

B. @bcentz.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

For all those Christians who have so much to say about the sex lives of others (especially LGBTQIA+ folk), but have little to nothing to say about wealth inequality and the existence of billionaires and now one trillionaire, it’s time for you to go reread the Gospels with fresh minds.

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Reading up on expressions of hospitality (or lack thereof) from Genesis 18 and following in preparation for worship this week, and it has further highlighted the blasphemy of trying to pass off what we are doing to the least of these as "faithful living".

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

It's Joan of Arc's feast day today. Here's a poem for everyone who needs to remember that there's more to life than the fight.

from 'The Vanishing Song' by Jay Hulme

'What rage or madness drives you?'

Joan of Arc, March 1430

You will not find Joan of Arc in the Bible, she is something stranger than scripture. Her sword rattles among the saints, arms aching for another fight.

When she arrived she found Heaven more difficult than expected -a place of pure justice; her steel unnecessary. Hands unbloodied. Speeches unspoken.

Joan waits for the prayers of wronged women. Her hands grasp the pommel of a blade. When God asks what she is doing in this place of peace, she says:

Lord, you have made me for war, and I have no idea what to do with the gift of all I was fighting for.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

David Simmons @frdavid.org · 14/05/2026

Christians, don’t stand around staring at heaven. Love and work to heal the world around you. As Jesus body was transformed, transform the creation in the name of Gods love for it.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Jenna DeWitt (she/her) @jennadewitt.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

"I became as convinced as ever that if the church continues to marginalize and stigmatize LGBTQ+ Christians, then the church as a whole will suffer." - Rachel Held Evans in 2014

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Bishop Karen Oliveto @bishopkarenoliveto.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of removing anti‑LGBTQ language from The UMC Book of Discipline. I hold gratitude for liberation—and grief for those who didn’t live to see it. May no child of God ever doubt their belovedness because of the Church’s—or society’s—myopia

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

KidzBoptotenlieder @theodramatist.com · 30/04/2026

I think paying taxes is good for you and even if we *could* pay for everything we want now through taxing billionaires out of existence (we can’t) we should all still pay a properly progressive tax to have even more robust social services

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

...and how many they need to do. As DS's are expected to have responsibility for more and more congregations (over larger and larger areas), there is pressure to tighten up the agenda (so that they can get to all of them in a reasonable amount of time).

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

I've noticed this with church conferences, too. Why should we expect folks to give up time out of their busy schedules, just to tick off a few boxes by voting on things that have (largely) been approved and implemented already?

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Andrea Junker @strandjunker.com · 19/04/2026

Just a thought: How about we stop shaming the poor for buying things that may not be essential, and start shaming the rich for making a profit off things that are essential?

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

conrad 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈✝️📿 @conradelliot.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

But here is the thing: the Gospel *is* political, in that in the Gospel the bare truth is that all kings, presidents, militaries, every and all power is nothing compared to God, who always chooses solidarity with the poor, the oppressed, the crucified. Before God, all riches are rot.

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Thank you for sharing this. Doesn't feel like we talk about these things all that much, and so our 'solutions' don't seem to really address them. Helps to name them aloud, at least...

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

KidzBoptotenlieder @theodramatist.com · 07/04/2026

There is absolutely no grounds for civilizational genocide ever, most especially when the one threatening has access to nuclear weapons. But it is a special kind of depraved, a special kind of Antichrist that threatens this for saving face because of a poorly planned war of aggression.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

KidzBoptotenlieder @theodramatist.com · 07/04/2026

...Fill him with the love of truth and righteousness, and make him ever mindful of their calling to serve this (and all) people in your fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. 🕯️

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

KidzBoptotenlieder @theodramatist.com · 07/04/2026

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend this nation to thy merciful care, that, being guided by your Providence, we may dwell secure in your peace. Grant to the President of the United States wisdom and strength to know and to do your will...

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

"Cure thy children's warring madness, bend our pride to thy control; shame our wanton, selfish gladness, rich in things and poor in soul. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, lest we miss thy kingdom's goal, lest we miss thy kingdom's goal." -- (United Methodist Hymnal, 577)

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dan Schwerin @danschwerin.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

In Ps. 139:5 today: 'You surround me front & back.' The Good Shepherd's care encompasses all of us. Jesus' authority is concerned with the common good. May this day not hold escalation and death, may it hold prayer for God's encompassing love. Surround is my prayer today.

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

When a world leader threatens that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again", that is genocide. Praying for those who suffer for the sake of the ego of men and nations.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dan Schwerin @danschwerin.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

In Ps. 140:1-2 today: 'Guard me from violent people who plot evil things in their hearts.' War crime level violence is battering Iran. Innocents are being brutalized & detained. Remember King's principle: 'attack forces of evil not persons doing evil.' Guard is my work today.

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Doug Clement (he/him) @dclement06.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

I hear you! The congregation I serve went through the trouble of buying and installing battery-operated clocks that are supposed to adjust themselves for Daylight Savings, and yet we still end up adjusting most of them ourselves, anyway.

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Reposted by Doug Clement (he/him)

Dr Jo Kershaw @mthrjo.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

The world is in a very bad state and I don’t have any clever solutions. But I can do my best to be faithful - which includes being decent, honest, and not throwing the vulnerable under the bus for the sake of expediency. And it also means trying to not get swept up in bullshit and lies.

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