5 Church Words I’m No Longer Using
Stewardship. Outreach. Committee. Volunteer. Livestream. At the beginning of the year, I made a resolution for my ministry. I was thinking about reimagining ministry – how so many things about church are not working like they used to. So I decided to reexamine some of the programs and systems that almost every church has, and…
Read MoreGood News: God calls us beyond what divides us
In the Acts of the Apostles we read a story of Peter having a vision and when she sees all sorts of food and hears God’s voice saying, ‘Get up Peter kill and eat.’ As someone has been a vegetarian for about 40 years this is not seem like good news to me at first…
Read MoreI Almost Quit Ministry
I was well-prepared for the church of the 20th Century – and serving in the 21st!
Read MoreGood News: We Can Witness to God’s Miracles
Miracles are definitely Good News! In the Acts of the Apostles, Tabitha (also known as Dorcas) has died an her friends are mourning. Peter goes up to where she has been laid, he prays, and she rises from the dead! It’s a very early church miracle. And it’s easy to believe that these things only…
Read MoreGood News: Conversion is for us all
We read the story of Paul (then called Saul) encountering Jesus and being struck blind, then completely amending his life. We don’t all have such dramatic conversion stories! Saul was also a major persecutor of the early Christians. In fact, he was on his way to round up more Christians when he had this life-changing…
Read MoreClergy Burnout: the Truth our Souls are Telling us
Our pain is a warning sign that something is wrong. It’s time to listen.
Read MoreGood News: Resurrection is the light by which we see everything
The Sunday after Easter is when we always read the story of ‘doubting Thomas’. Thomas refuses to believe that the other disciples saw the risen Jesus until he can see Jesus himself, and touch his wounds. Jesus grants this request. We often frame this story as one that says it’s ok to doubt. But I…
Read MoreGood News: Resurrection is the light by which we see everything
I believe it was CS Lewis who said, ‘I believe in Christianity as I believe in the sunrise. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.’ During the Easter season (the next 50 days!) we remember that is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that provides that light – which…
Read MoreGood News: It’s the most important week of the year
It’s Holy Week. We’re walking through every last moment of our salvation. Resource: Luke 19:28-40
Read MoreWhat if there were no clergy?
If we stop paying – and stop ordaining – those set apart to bear the Scripture, sacraments, and traditions of the Christian faith, we will lose the faith.
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