Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32 NRSV We often look to Paul’s letters for our theology. This particular verse is about our praxis. It… Continue reading Cost of Community
Public Privacy
It’s not that I have something to hide; I just have nothing I want you to see. The Girl (played by Amanda Seyfried) in the movie Anon Privacy is a nebulous topic. The so-called Constitutional “privacy” of the United States is far more fluid than most people will acknowledge. In fact, based upon recent cultural… Continue reading Public Privacy
167 Hours Remain
If I’m talking for an hour a week, and they’re feeding their souls with something else 15 hours a week,” Bezner said, “I simply can’t win.” A pastor’s life depends on a coronavirus vaccine. Now he faces skeptics in his church. Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Washington Post. Dec. 11, 2020 (web). One of the reality checks… Continue reading 167 Hours Remain
Building Delusion
Has our definition of ministry become so focused on the building that we can’t change lives outside of it? Nona Jones, From Social Media to Social Ministry Noah Jones is concerned that the church is overly focused on the plane. And everything it does , is concerned with building. I think she is correct in… Continue reading Building Delusion
Church and Kids Ministry Online
One of the big struggles with the current church online scenario is what to do with kids. Churches are struggling with it. In many ways the problem can be summarized this way… Don’t try to digitize the past or the present. We need to invent the industry of tomorrow. Erik Swedberg The quote is actually… Continue reading Church and Kids Ministry Online
Spacing Out
We’re all basically in a place right now where we have so many attentional drains, because we don’t have place to focus us. You know, going to a place focuses our effort, because we’re here to do a thing, but when you’re working out of your home, it’s very different. How to Channel Your Attention,… Continue reading Spacing Out
Let’s NOT Go Back?
Just like so many people, I’ve been overwhelmed as of late. You’d think I’d be really happy that all the churches are going online. I am. It’s just that I’ve found that it now means a lot more voices in this conversation that I, as an introvert, find hard to manage. That being said, I’ve… Continue reading Let’s NOT Go Back?
Is Love the Most USELESS Word in the US English Lexicon?
Seth Godin recently wrote: Caring is free In the short run, of course, not caring can save you some money. Don’t bother making the facilities quite so clean. Save time and hassle and let the display get a little messy. Don’t worry so much about one particular customer, because you’re busy and hiring more people… Continue reading Is Love the Most USELESS Word in the US English Lexicon?
#Purple for Royalty
Not #Red. Not #Blue. #Purple for royalty. I, like much of the country, am grieving. However, it is not about the election result that I am grieving, but people’s responses to it. I am particularly saddened by people of the church, and truly devastated by the people who provide spiritual leadership in the church…the pastors.… Continue reading #Purple for Royalty
Differing Views on Marriage Versus Importance
In the recent article Here Comes Wedding Season: How Consumers Will Pay for Others’ Big Day in 2016, the amount of money spent by people attending weddings as guests or wedding party members was predicted to increase significantly. The prevalent Christian meme is that secular society is demeaning or devaluing the institution of marriage, yet by… Continue reading Differing Views on Marriage Versus Importance