Reflection Roundup: Pandemic Realities
Each week we gather news stories, notable pieces, and other important items for Christian leaders today. As always, listening broadly draws together differing perspectives from which we can learn but may not concur. Here are 10 things worth sharing this week.
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Scott Sauls writes, “Christians possess resources in Christ to pursue harmony between individuals and groups who could not possibly come together, let alone love one another, outside of Christ.”
1. In “Ted Lasso, Mr. Rogers, and Christian Leaders in an Unhinged World,” Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, reminds the reader to live from a place of rest. “If you are a Christian leader, please recognize that Jesus’s invitation for you to come TO him comes a full seventeen chapters before Jesus asks you to go and do FOR him. His great invitation is extended to you long before his great commission.” Don’t miss the opening of this piece, in which he likens 2020 to a scented candle. First accessed here.
2. Consultant Chuck Lawless writes “Ten ‘10-Minute Refreshers’ for Busy and Weary Church Leaders” for the Church Answers blog featuring Thom Rainer. Here, Lawless presents practical ways to carry the blessings of Sabbath into the week. These simple pauses make a great deal of difference, extending beyond the solitary life of the practitioner.
3. Richard Beck posts Saint Augustine’s words, “Tiny Sins,” on his blog, Experimental Theology, offering the reader a poignant reminder.
4. Does your level of tolerance seem different in some way? Jason Locke, preaching minister for the College Church of Christ in Fresno, California, writes, “People are angry with one another over the most basic issues” in “Needing the Eyes of Elisha” for Mosaic. “It is our duty to learn how to listen and see how God is at work,” to be heartened by the Spirit as was Elisha’s servant when his eyes were opened to the fact that it was the Arameans themselves who were threatened even as they bore down on the Israelites in Dothan in 2 Kings 6.
5. In his book, I Was Hungry: Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis, Jeremy Everett writes of the funding available for communities to utilize to address food insecurity. If not accessed – if left unspent – the money becomes tax breaks for companies in other areas (132). Visit the Alliance to End Hunger’s website for a clickable map detailing what various entities are advocating for and enacting to end hunger across America, where God is already at work and where we might join.
6. Amid the present challenges, one of the most important things we can remember in our churches is that together we are allies to one another. Our struggle is not with flesh and blood. Though there are plenty of problems to solve, David L. Odom’s “Where is the measuring tape?” reminds us of our focus. Writing for Faith & Leadership, Duke Divinity’s learning resource for Christian leaders, Odom acknowledges that the tools on which we used to rely to assess and align don’t give the answers they used to. Our challenges are new. Odom encourages leaders to look toward how our present experiences connect with those of others outside our local entity, and to remember our mutuality and community as we seek to problem solve together in new ways.
7. Remember the movie Back to the Future? Doc Brown tells Marty McFly about his discovery of the flux capacitor. While traveling back to pre-pandemic time may not be the most plausible option, Brené Brown and Amy Cuddy share a conversation about “Pandemic Flux Syndrome” on Brown’s Dare to Lead podcast. These two women share transcendent moments in which they’ve chosen a different path than expected. They acknowledge transcendence in both the way music moves a crowd and the way the pandemic has moved the world. Maybe the creatives behind the 1985 movie were prophetic in their silliness because, as it turns out, one of the things that makes the future survivable is our capacity to compassionately remain in a state of flux. Mercy fuels our nimble capacities.
8. If you’re looking for study materials for Bible classes, small groups, elder-minister teams, or personal growth, check out this link from the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry. There you’ll find topics ranging from anti-racism to church governance and elder covenants as well as interpretive, Scripture-driven explorations of both the Old and New Testaments. Authors and curators include Steven Moore, Mark Hamilton, Rodney Ashlock, Tim Sensing, James Thompson, Royce Money, and David Wray, to name a few. This treasure trove is a no-miss; set aside some time to explore.
9. This past spring, ACU welcomed J. Omar Palafox to the College of Biblical Studies faculty. Palafox is “a Mexican missionary from Guadalajara. He currently serves as the vice-chair with the GST Governing Board, encouraging the conversation about ACU’s Hispanic initiatives. He is an advocate for Hispanic theological education and an influencer for change in Latino theological thought. His vision is to create a community for contributing, collaborating, and conversing among the churches and ministers in the United States as well as in Latin America with ACU’s legacy.” Check out Palafox’s dedication to forming leaders to serve the Hispanic-Latino community, and commit to join in prayer for these efforts.
10. Corella Roberts writes “The Feast of Sukkot and the God Who Tabernacles With Us.” As this week-long celebration of God’s presence and provision concludes, may we not miss the opportunity to join our Jewish brothers and sisters in refocusing on our dwelling within God and all the truths this indicates, as well as God’s miraculous dwelling within all of us, the people of God.
