For the past month and a half… probably actually since before Christmas… my schedule has been chaotic. You are told things when you start out in ministry about how pastors sometimes work 80+ hour weeks and how you are on-call 24/7 and how your life just might get sucked up into a vortex of ministry.…
Bible and Newspaper #1
Coming home from a recent conference in Washington, D.C., I’m trying to be more courageous. But I’m also faced with the reality that being a pastor, and ministering to a diverse group of folks… I can’t always link and share and say everything that I want to… So, here is what I am going to…
the disarming power of a story
Social Justice. General Board of Church and Society. Social Principles. In some circles… those are swear words. To take a stand, to say that the Bible speaks to our world today, to speak truth to power is DANGEROUS. But it is also what we are called to do. I found out about the GBCS Young…
a few bytes of inspiration
I took copious notes at the recent GBCS forum I attended in Washington, D.C. And then I came home and had hoped to decipher and debrief, but ran smack into four funerals and piles of mail and pastoral visitation needs, and a husband who missed me, and family gatherings… you get the picture. But remember,…
Clearing the Clutter
Look at what I’ve done for you today: I’ve placed in front of you Life and Good Death and Evil… I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love GOD, your God,…
youth group and hitler
I don’t have the energy or discipline required for 6-9th grade boys and girls. It is exhausting. But I love them, so every Wednesday night, we gather. Tonight, with Valentine’s Day coming up I found this cheesy game in an email about collecting hearts and whoever gets the most wins and then some even more…
Ezra and Nehemiah… rewriting history
In my local emergent cohort, we have been reading Phyllis Tickle’s Prayer Is a Place: America’s Religious Landscape Observed. As this book has been in the back of my mind, I have been thinking about how we look back and view history. As my carpool buddy Tim put it, we are always rewriting history and…
Narrowing our Focus
This week, we continue our journey with the Corinthians. As we learn together from their mistakes, we can overcome some of the roadblocks and realities we face as a church. Last week, we talked about how mishandled conflict can divide the church and even in seasons of peace… like we are experiencing now… past conflict…