I’ve promoted myself from the communication evangelist to the unleasher of the awesome. The promotion is well deserved, not because of my awesomeness, but because of yours.
Reflection Roundup: Hospitality
Radical hospitality calls us to ask ourselves what amount of our own preference might we be willing to sacrifice to create space for the perceived need of another.
Did God Give Me COVID?
For the great dis-ease among us and in us may not be the pestilence itself, but the way we react to, ignore, and weaponize the suffering of others.
Five Questions With Stacey Losher
Many children’s ministers are working alone, and this space is designed to give support, encouragement and spark new ideas!
Reflection Roundup: Prolegomena
Does a reluctance to ask for help translate to a theology of prayer? It may. This week, 10 other “first things” take the place of the pride that binds.
What Dying People Want – and Need – to Talk About
I spend a lot of time in hospitals, hospice, and living rooms talking with people about dying. I have noticed that often they worry about things of a spiritual nature.
Five Questions With Austin Wright and Shawn Johnson
Small churches must answer the question, “How can we, as a small church, be faithful to what God has called us to be faithful?”
Reflection Roundup: All Is Prayer
Unity with God means moving through the world in constant communion: every bit of news, each conversation, every gaze met, offered up in prayer.
Praying for People as a Leadership Practice
How much of our leadership practice is prayer – prayer for people who live in our neighborhoods and cities? What of our decision-making?
Integrity Is Integral (Part 1)
People want to follow leaders who present themselves as they truly are, not as they believe others want them to be.
Reflection Roundup: The Many Faces of Empathy
Friday is National Lemonade Day, so buy an extra cup and share it in Jesus’s name, confident that it makes a difference for eternity.
To Those in the Gap
Caregivers are arguably one of the most overlooked segments of the population, which I believe was true even before the challenges of the pandemic.
Partial Fasting for Spiritual Growth
It’s important to take time to reflect on where we stand in our spiritual lives, and assess things that may be distracting us.
Reflection Roundup: It’s a Grace Competition
Let it go. Think the best. Give prayerful time for people to explain, then believe them. Breathe deep and experience the freedom not to flesh out every detail.
Honor to Whom Honor Is Due
Richard Blaisdell just retired after over 40 years of ministry. And we need more preachers like Richard. Here are four things preachers need to learn from his life and ministry.
Reflection Roundup: Integral Digital Connection
One way human nature reflects the imago Dei is in our instinct toward relationality. May we prayerfully and mindfully bridge these spaces in fresh ways.
Diversity of Perspective
A truly multiethnic, multigenerational, and multi-perspective church values, discusses, encourages, supports, and implements ideas and dreams that flow from all echelons of the congregation.
Reflection Roundup: Stormy Bank or the River?
Can anyone else relate to the image of crossing a river, standing on stones you’ve just thrown into the river from the comfort of the riverbank?
Why I Value an Open Mind
I’ve wondered why open-mindedness seems such a rare quality these days. There is little room for nuance or complexity.
Dry
Just as the concept of one single breath is not enough to sustain us, neither is a “one-and-done” idea adequate to establish spiritual rhythms.