The Church, Individuals’ Gifts and a Fear of Being Seen

I had a strange experience over the weekend. After worship yesterday morning an individual came up and wanted to talk for a few minutes. I love talking and meeting with people, and there is nothing unusual about this. What was a bit strange though was the way he talked about what he wanted to mention. This gentleman came up to me and shared a little … Continue reading The Church, Individuals’ Gifts and a Fear of Being Seen

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 course of the past week with all of you. In doing so, 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 and Miscellaneous. I hope you enjoy these … Continue reading This Week’s Links

Forming and Reforming

This weekend many Christians in Protestant faith communities remember or acknowledge the Reformation. This is particularly true among most Lutherans. In remembering this, many sanctuaries may be dressed in red this weekend and Psalm 46 might be used in worship as well. In the spirit of Reformation and with all this in mind, I want to add six observations this year for ways the church … Continue reading Forming and Reforming

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

Why and How: Things to Remember for Funding Ministry

Earlier this week, I was asked to share some thoughts about funding ministry over on the LEAD blog. I wanted to share a sampling with you here to invite you into the conversation. Here’s some of what I wrote: Ministry is not free. If you are a leader in a congregation or faith community, you already know this. Chances are that many participants or members … Continue reading Why and How: Things to Remember for Funding Ministry

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

This Week’s Links

Tuesday on the blog means that I get to share some links to what I have found interesting with all of you from the past week. 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 and Miscellaneous. I hope you enjoy these links! Church and Ministry Thought & … Continue reading This Week’s Links

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