What is the difference between reasoned encouragement that penetrates the soul and glib phrases that skate off our skin?
Pocket Phrases
When you decide to reach out to someone in the wake of a divorce, death, cancer, addiction, or even if they have skipped a few Sundays, there is a risk that you might say the wrong thing.
Why I Pray The Daily Offices
I had been praying in our worship services and at night with my children, but my daily time in prayer had somehow gone the way of my schedule.
A Whale of a Tale
Nothing "spiritual" today—unless you consider the magnificence of creation something of spiritual wonder.
The Things that Make for Peace: Saying “I’m Sorry”
If the apology becomes about us receiving forgiveness, we’ve lost our focus on the welfare of the other and are just trying to make ourselves feel good.
I Remember - from Rusty Tugman (on His Son's Birthday)
How could I forget the one who made known to me a kind of love that runs so deep it cannot be explained?
I Saw a Captain in Action
The purpose of vision is to lead us on a journey of lessons more than it is about reaching a destination. May we as leaders see a vision for ourselves first.
South from Alaska (bummer)
Alaska was everything and more than I ever expected it to be.
An Update and Reflections on the Church Health Assessment
When church leaders seek a meaningful place to assess the health of their congregation, where do they turn?
Foundations for Worship: Jewish Feasts
Foundations provide support for structures, but that does not mean that the structures will look like the foundation. A house does not look like a basement.
Shabbat and Learning to Let Go
God, creator of the universe, stopped to rest. Not because he had to but because he chose to. God took a day off, then he called it holy!
When Ministers Behave Badly: Why Facebook Forums Will Not Determine the Future of the Movement
We objectify truth, rather than participate in it. We grab onto what we believe is true, and with a white-knuckled grip we wield it as a powerful weapon.
Fixer Upper, Shiplap, and the Importance of Greeting
Greeting others when we gather for worship may seem unimportant, but it participates in the substance of who we are as God’s family.
North to Alaska
I will be back to the blog soon, but for now just imagine me on the deck of a majestic ship waving good bye
The Heart of the Matter
When your heart hurts, to whom will you turn? When this isn’t working anymore (whatever this is), to whom will your heart lead you?
Did I Hear What I Think I Read?
Do we look at the text, recognize and comprehend the writing, then proceed to vocally proclaim it, modernizing the practice of differentiating how we read the text from how we vocalize it?
For London and Britain
Lord, it’s true you have been our help,
generation after generation.
Before you gave birth to mountains,
to the earth or inhabited world,
The Blessing of Challenge
What opportunities has God put in front of you that would allow you to get outside of your own set of norms, to be challenged in what you think to be true or best?
Haters Gonna Hate
Exploring what the Gospel has to say about the world has caused me to rethink how I view the world, what I expect from the world, and what I should see as my purpose in the world.
Making Disciples Is Not Like Selling Ads, But Still ...
I talk to everybody about Jesus. So sometimes I talk to people who are not interested. But I notice that the more people I share Jesus with, the more disciples I make.