October 29th: Saints, Smiles and Journeys

Each Wednesday morning the congregation I am currently serving on staff of, has a Morning Prayer or “Matins” service. I regularly lead the music for that service. This week I also provided the short reflection and devotion. What follows in this post is much of what I said in that reflection, which followed a reading of 2 Timothy 4:6-8.  It’s probably a bit unusual to … Continue reading October 29th: Saints, Smiles and Journeys

Empowerment

I heard an interesting podcast recently about millennials and the workforce. One of the topics central to the discussion was the idea of empowerment. Millennials desire empowerment. I would argue though that empowerment is not a desire limited to millennials. If this is true, what might this mean? First, let’s define empowerment. What is it? Empowerment is the act or feeling of giving power, authority, responsibility, … Continue reading Empowerment

This Week’s Links

Tuesday on the blog means that I get to share links to things that I have found interesting or thought provoking over the past week with all of you. I must have done more than my usual amount of reading judging by the length of this post. There’s a lot of good stuff this week, even if I say so myself. To help you navigate … Continue reading This Week’s Links

Unexpected Grounding

Some days I have “ah-ha” moments. You know, that realization or point of epiphany where suddenly you stop for a second and everything just seems to make sense. One such moment happened yesterday morning. Among the different hats I am currently wearing, I am serving in a local congregation as their interim worship and music director. When I began this role, I wasn’t quite sure … Continue reading Unexpected Grounding

The Importance of Giving Space in Leadership

When I started this blog, I never claimed that I was an expert. I still don’t. I view this more as a vehicle and means to join the larger conversation here, across social media, and in other settings. What I share in this blog are ideas, questions, and observations. Today, is another such example. In serving in my different leadership roles I have discovered something … Continue reading The Importance of Giving Space in Leadership

I Love to Tell this Story

Gracious and giving God, we give you thanks. We know your love and promises, and love to tell the story about how your love and promise is true. We love to tell the story, even to those who know it best because they hunger and thirst for it like the rest. The story of You is old and new, because we are part of your … Continue reading I Love to Tell this Story

This Week’s Links

Tuesday on the blog means that I get to share some of what I have found interesting and thought provoking from the past week with all of you. In doing this, this week’s topic categories are: Church and Ministry Thought & Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought & Practice; Millennials; Neighbor Love; Social Media & Blogging; Stewardship; Vocation; Worship and Miscellaneous. I hope you enjoy these … Continue reading This Week’s Links

Consumerism Run Amok?

We have all heard it. Whether its in daily life and the “I am a Pepsi drinker” statement or “only Diet Coke for me please.” Or, perhaps you have said or heard, “I’m happy to go to McDonalds, but please not Burger King” or vice-versa. Or, perhaps the most common one, “I love my smart phone,” or “I couldn’t function without my I-Phone.” Or, “I’m … Continue reading Consumerism Run Amok?

This Week’s Links

Tuesday on the blog means that I get to share some of what I have read and found interesting over the past week with all of you. This week’s topic categories are: Church and Ministry Thought & Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought & Practice; Millennials; Neighbor Love; Social Media & Blogging; Stewardship; Vocation; Worship and Miscellaneous. I hope you enjoy these links! Church and Ministry Thought … Continue reading This Week’s Links

Some Days are Funny

Change abounds. Life flows. You can either smile and laugh, or weep and fear. Today I want to offer a post that doesn’t fit nicely in the normal theme of this blog. This isn’t a reflection about leadership, or the church. This really isn’t about neighbor love either. It might fit under an umbrella of “vocation,” but that would be a stretch. This post is … Continue reading Some Days are Funny