This Week’s Links

It’s Tuesday.  That means its time for this weeks links. Unlike last week, they aren’t so extensive. That is to be expected though when the United States observed the Thanksgiving holiday for much of the second half of last week and weekend.  That said, there has still been a great deal of good and thought provoking things shared in the past week that I now … Continue reading This Week’s Links

Why Do You Do, What You Do? (A Sermon for Advent 1A)

You may have noticed on this blog that I have been posting a few sermons recently.  This will be the final sermon posted here for a little while, as its the last sermon I am scheduled to preach in the immediate future.  I have been covering for the congregation’s pastor (for the congregation I am on staff for) who has been recovering from surgery.  This … Continue reading Why Do You Do, What You Do? (A Sermon for Advent 1A)

An Abundance of Blessings (A Sermon of sorts for Thanksgiving Eve)

Tonight I provided the following reflections as part of the message in my congregation’s Thanksgiving Eve worship service.  As is the custom on this blog, I include my sermons that I share. However, I remove most pieces that are dependent upon the context so what follows is fairly close to what I preached without some of the contextual particulars.  This sermon was crafted based on … Continue reading An Abundance of Blessings (A Sermon of sorts for Thanksgiving Eve)

This Week’s Links

Tuesday means its time for the weekly installment on this blog of the links. I share and entrust some of what I have read or seen in the past week with you for your reading and thought-provoking pleasure. This week’s categories are:  Church & Ministry Thought and Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought and Practice; Neighbor Love; Social Media & Blogging; Stewardship; Vocation; Worship; and Miscellaneous. … Continue reading This Week’s Links

This Week’s Links

It’s Tuesday.  That means its time to share with you a sampling of some of the things I have been reading and thinking about in the past week.  This week’s categories are:  Church & Ministry Thought and Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership; Neighbor Love; Stewardship; Vocation; and Miscellaneous.  I entrust these to you now and hope you find them helpful and thought-provoking. Church & Ministry Thought … Continue reading This Week’s Links

Words in Our Mouths- An Introduction

Have you ever thought that there are words that the church and congregations use which aren’t helpful? Perhaps they are misunderstood?  Perhaps over time they have lost their meaning, or their meaning has been drastically altered? There was a helpful post in the Washington Post last week by Addie Zierman.  She offered, “5 churchy phrases that are scaring off millennials.”  I encourage you to please … Continue reading Words in Our Mouths- An Introduction

This Week’s Links

It’s Tuesday.  By now you know that Tuesday means links here on this blog.  This week’s categories are:  Church and Ministry Thought and Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought and Practice; Neighbor Love; Social Media and Blogging; Stewardship; Worship; and Miscellaneous.  I entrust these stories and links to you, and hope that they will be interesting topics to read and reflect upon. Enjoy! Church and Ministry … Continue reading This Week’s Links

This Week’s Links

As is the normal practice on this blog, Tuesday means its time to share what I have been reading and thinking about in the past week.  I entrust these links to you for your reading and hopefully thought-provoking joy.  This week’s categories in order are:  Church and Ministry Thought and Leadership; Leadership Thought and Practice; Neighbor Love; Stewardship; Worship; and Miscellaneous. Enjoy! Church and Ministry … Continue reading This Week’s Links

This Week’s Links

Tuesday means, its time for the links.  As always the case, I entrust to you different things I have read or found in the past week for your reading, thinking, and reflecting pleasure.  This week’s categories are:  Church and Ministry Thought and Leadership; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought, Practice and Theory; Neighbor Love; and Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reads. Church and Ministry Thought and Leadership Pastor Keith Anderson … Continue reading This Week’s Links

A response to “Hello, My Name is Church” with more thoughts on the congregation as a place of welcome, sought, and accompaniment

Following up on yesterday’s discussion and pondering about the implications on the congregation, a friend of mine shared this poem from the Huffington Post on Sunday. Here is an excerpt: My name is church.  I welcome the: Hypocrite Dry Self-Righteous Shallow I welcome the: Sincere Passionate Forgiving Selfless I cannot shut my doors to the people who make you: Angry Uncomfortable Impatient Self-conscious I encourage … Continue reading A response to “Hello, My Name is Church” with more thoughts on the congregation as a place of welcome, sought, and accompaniment