The following is the majority of the sermon I preached at American Lutheran Church in Filley, Nebraska on Sunday February 12, 2017. The passages appointed for the day by the revised common lectionary (Epiphany 6A) included Deuteronomy 30:15-20, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, and Matthew 5:21-37. Grace and peace to you this day, and greetings from your 100,000 sisters and brothers across the Nebraska Synod. I know … Continue reading Choosing Life and Living Abundantly
About a year ago, there were a series of posts and articles written about Millennials and the church. Many times they were titled, ‘Why I Stayed.” Though this post might be related to that conversation, this isn’t my focus. A few months ago I was asked a simple but profound question by another ministry leader. He knew of my story and the patience needed to … Continue reading Why I Stayed
In my relatively young life I have been lucky enough to have many amazing mentors, leaders, supervisors, and collaborators. They have all been different, but one common trait that the best ones have had is that they are great at giving affirmation. This affirmation has looked different depending on the person, context, and experience. Some of the ways that I have seen and experienced it … Continue reading Affirmation in Leadership
Each week on the blog I get to share some of what I have seen, read, and found interesting and thought provoking over the past week. To help make sense of all of these links, I have grouped them by the following categories: Church and Ministry Thought & Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought & Practice; Millennials; Neighbor Love; Social Media & Blogging; Stewardship; Vocation; and Miscellaneous. … Continue reading This Week’s Links
Last week I shared another reflection on the COMPASS blog as part of its “Christmas in July” series, focused on sharing reflections and ideas about gifts and giving. The following is an excerpt of that post, and I hope you will want to check out the whole reflection here. I currently find myself in the midst of more boxes than anything else. My wife Allison … Continue reading Meaningful Gifts- Stories Remembered While Packing
A couple of weekends ago, many of my peers and colleagues from high school gathered together for a reunion. If I lived closer, I would probably have been there with them. It was a little sad to not be there to gather, catch-up and hear about all of the awesome things my friends have been up to these past few years. At the same time, I … Continue reading Reunions, Memories and Social Media
If you follow this blog with any regularity, you know that I occasionally share thoughts, ideas and questions about stewardship. Today I am sharing about an in-progress idea with all of you. I am currently serving a congregation as its Intentional Interim Director of Worship, Music and Stewardship. This is basically a nice way of saying that I am doing a lot of work cultivating … Continue reading Taking a Congregation’s Stewardship Temperature
Continuing this 5-day exercise in gratitude and positivity which I began yesterday, here are three positives for today: 1) Last night Allison and I met our friends Rebecca and Trip Sullivan at Izzy’s Ice-Cream. The ice-cream was amazing, as always. But even more than that, spending time with friends there and then hanging out with them and Carrie into the evening was wonderful. I’m so … Continue reading Positive Things- Day 2
Maybe you have seen it, floating around your different social media channels. There seems to be a trend to share three positive things daily you have experienced, for a five day period. Some have viewed this as a challenge. I see this more as an invitation to gratitude. So with that in mind, I invite you to list three positive things, attributes or experiences you are … Continue reading Positive Things- Day 1: “An Invitation to Gratitude”
Timothy Siburg 