Bishop +Ken Carter, WNC United Methodist
@bishopkencarter.bsky.social
Grinding The Beans (Substack), Unrelenting Grace (Abingdon Press), Baseball, Bluegrass, BBQ + Cartoons.
Chicago, Memphis and Portland are not war zones—you knew that—but they do have amazing deep dish pizza, soul food and donuts, respectively. Maybe that is the common thread.
October 9, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Chicago, Memphis and Portland are not war zones—you knew that—but they do have amazing deep dish pizza, soul food and donuts, respectively. Maybe that is the common thread.
I collaborated on this with a colleague, Rev. Kim Ingram. How do we sustain ourselves and our ministries while living through a natural disaster? This is a part of our story. Thanks for reading, sharing and being on the journey together. #wncstrong #hurricanehelene #compassionfatigue
How a clergy respite helped spiritual leaders weather the storm of Hurricane Helene
When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in 2024, pastors were on the front lines of the recovery efforts. A retreat offered by the United Methodist Church helped them rest and recover.
faithandleadership.com
September 30, 2025 at 8:31 PM
I collaborated on this with a colleague, Rev. Kim Ingram. How do we sustain ourselves and our ministries while living through a natural disaster? This is a part of our story. Thanks for reading, sharing and being on the journey together. #wncstrong #hurricanehelene #compassionfatigue
Thoughts for a week of loss, violence and remembrance. Join us at Grinding the Beans on Substack.
September 13, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Thoughts for a week of loss, violence and remembrance. Join us at Grinding the Beans on Substack.
Amid the toxic stew that is Xn Nationalism, we must strengthen the clarity of our core—Jesus was non-violent, a healer, he had compassion for the multitudes and came to elevate the poor, Jesus transcends the nation-state. All of this is the antithesis of Xn nationalism.
September 7, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Amid the toxic stew that is Xn Nationalism, we must strengthen the clarity of our core—Jesus was non-violent, a healer, he had compassion for the multitudes and came to elevate the poor, Jesus transcends the nation-state. All of this is the antithesis of Xn nationalism.
Reposted by Bishop +Ken Carter, WNC United Methodist
Not as easy as it reads.
From Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart’📚🙏❤️
From Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart’📚🙏❤️
September 7, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Not as easy as it reads.
From Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart’📚🙏❤️
From Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart’📚🙏❤️
A prayer of gratitude, for the changing seasons and an unchanging God who loves and sustains us through it all. (Two minutes)
A Summer Prayer from Bishop Carter
YouTube video by Western NC Conference of the UMC
youtu.be
August 23, 2025 at 12:02 AM
A prayer of gratitude, for the changing seasons and an unchanging God who loves and sustains us through it all. (Two minutes)
Yes, at our worst this has been and is true, and is at the core of how people of faith do harm. When the image of God is love, there can be a different outcome.
Because believers make god in their image, that image reflects their soul. This is why so much of Christendom is and has always been corrupt. Corrupt souls create a corrupt god.
August 19, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Yes, at our worst this has been and is true, and is at the core of how people of faith do harm. When the image of God is love, there can be a different outcome.
Join us at Grinding the Beans.
August 16, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Join us at Grinding the Beans.
A gift to listen to Brian McLaren preach this morning at Lake Junaluska Assembly (near #AVL). From now on all human activity will be judged in accordance with how it is mutually beneficial to the human-earth relationship. See his book, Life After Doom (St. Martin’s).
August 10, 2025 at 5:59 PM
A gift to listen to Brian McLaren preach this morning at Lake Junaluska Assembly (near #AVL). From now on all human activity will be judged in accordance with how it is mutually beneficial to the human-earth relationship. See his book, Life After Doom (St. Martin’s).
Join me at Grinding the Beans.
Ken Carter | Substack
I’m a UMC bishop in Western North Carolina. I’m for a generous orthodoxy that leads to inclusion and reconciliation through the creation of new forms of church. And I grind the beans.
substack.com
July 26, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Join me at Grinding the Beans.
(Senator) Kay Hagan was a personal friend, a wonderful person and an effective and selfless leader.
Maine has been battling Lyme disease for decades. By reauthorizing the bipartisan Kay Hagan Tick Act, we can keep fighting this disease by funding critical research and testing. It’s one small way we can work together to keep Maine people safe and healthy.
Maine Senators Support Reauthorization of Bill Targeting Tick-Borne Diseases
Maine’s U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King are backing legislation aimed at strengthening the nation’s response to tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease.
www.wagmtv.com
July 19, 2025 at 3:47 PM
(Senator) Kay Hagan was a personal friend, a wonderful person and an effective and selfless leader.
Reposted by Bishop +Ken Carter, WNC United Methodist
I’m an expert on ageing. Here’s what I know about thriving in later life | Kerry Burnight
I’m an expert on ageing. Here’s what I know about thriving in later life | Kerry Burnight
I scoured longevity research on wellbeing – and the deeper I dug, the more I recognized a profound underlying pattern
www.theguardian.com
July 18, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I’m an expert on ageing. Here’s what I know about thriving in later life | Kerry Burnight
The morning office @ Waynesville, NC. Altitude affects Attitude. @giveusthisdaylp.bsky.social
July 15, 2025 at 3:45 PM
The morning office @ Waynesville, NC. Altitude affects Attitude. @giveusthisdaylp.bsky.social
Grinding the Beans on Substack-Creekside Blend at Panacea in Waynesville, NC; A Case of You, Herbie Hancock interprets Joni Mitchell; and thoughts on public witness in a summertime when the living is (not) easy.
Summertime (Saturday Morning, July 12, 2025)
A Case of You, the Creekside Blend, and the Meaning of Public Witness
open.substack.com
July 12, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Grinding the Beans on Substack-Creekside Blend at Panacea in Waynesville, NC; A Case of You, Herbie Hancock interprets Joni Mitchell; and thoughts on public witness in a summertime when the living is (not) easy.
Reposted by Bishop +Ken Carter, WNC United Methodist
More Evolved Ways to Handle Fish. “Let’s get real. People want photos of fish. I’m also not going to stop taking photos of fish. But I’m just not going to take five minutes to stage dopey photos with the rod and reel balanced delicately on my shoulder..."
#keepfishwet
#keepfishwet
More Evolved Ways to Handle Fish
“How we approach, fight and release our fish is in and of itself a conservation issue.” – Kirk Deeter
flylab.substack.com
July 12, 2025 at 6:19 PM
More Evolved Ways to Handle Fish. “Let’s get real. People want photos of fish. I’m also not going to stop taking photos of fish. But I’m just not going to take five minutes to stage dopey photos with the rod and reel balanced delicately on my shoulder..."
#keepfishwet
#keepfishwet
Yes. And this is why our image of God is so important. And why training programs in spiritual direction begin with image of God. If we get this wrong, nothing good follows.
July 5, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Yes. And this is why our image of God is so important. And why training programs in spiritual direction begin with image of God. If we get this wrong, nothing good follows.
Reposted by Bishop +Ken Carter, WNC United Methodist
July 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Reposted by Bishop +Ken Carter, WNC United Methodist
Maga: voting against MOST of their own interests.
July 2, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Maga: voting against MOST of their own interests.
Reposted by Bishop +Ken Carter, WNC United Methodist
On the record. I called Chuck Edwards’ office, twice. We need the healthcare in Franklin and Spruce Pine. And in Florida, FEMA $ is shifted to building a concentration camp in the Everglades. Many people in the WNC mountains and immigrant communities voted to place this administration in office.
The Republican budget bill would harm Western NC’s economy and threaten Helene recovery. Cuts to #Medicaid and #SNAP mean hospitals and grocery stores will close, and massive new costs for NC mean less funding for recovery. Tell Rep. Chuck Edwards to vote NO! edwards.house.gov/co...
July 2, 2025 at 6:25 PM
On the record. I called Chuck Edwards’ office, twice. We need the healthcare in Franklin and Spruce Pine. And in Florida, FEMA $ is shifted to building a concentration camp in the Everglades. Many people in the WNC mountains and immigrant communities voted to place this administration in office.
Thank you to a respected spiritual voice in the United States.
Laughing in front of cages designed to hold migrants and refugees, many of whom came to this country fleeing extreme violence and poverty, and hoping to raise their children in a more compassionate country. And many of whom followed all the legal procedures to enter the country.
July 2, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Thank you to a respected spiritual voice in the United States.
Tragic. Excellent reporting on the dismantling of vital institutions.
BREAKING: After 81 years, Jackson County has voted to leave the Fontana Regional Library system over LGBTQ+ content. Critics warn of higher costs, legal risks and diminished service.
Jackson County votes to leave Fontana Regional Library system
In a historic decision that will reshape the future of public library services in Jackson County, commissioners voted Tuesday night to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library system after months of...
smokymountainnews.com
June 24, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Tragic. Excellent reporting on the dismantling of vital institutions.
I have so much respect for public school teachers and administrators.
“We should not argue about whether children eat lunch or not,” said Kim Morrison, the former superintendent of Mount Airy City Schools.
A panel of rural educators urged Sen. Tillis to vote against the “big beautiful bill” on Tuesday.
A panel of rural educators urged Sen. Tillis to vote against the “big beautiful bill” on Tuesday.
Rural educators call on Tillis to block ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ citing Medicaid and education cuts • NC Newsline
A group of educators and health advocates urged Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) to vote against the Republican-led “big beautiful bill.”
ncnewsline.com
June 24, 2025 at 10:33 PM
I have so much respect for public school teachers and administrators.