Every day, I walk a fine line between servant leadership and people-pleasing. Some days, I get it right. Other days, I can’t even see the line. Let’s face it — pastors are human. We like to help people and fix…
The power of ‘and’
Our culture seems to have shelved “and” in favor of “or.” Liberal or conservative. Prolife or pro-choice. Gun rights or gun control. Let’s be honest. Polarization sells more news (and more politics) than consensus. Elton Trueblood once wrote that the…
It’s easy to pretend we’ve forgiven, when the hurt is merely buried
During this past Lenten season, our congregation journeyed together around the theme of forgiveness — God’s forgiveness of us, as well as our forgiveness of ourselves and others. Here are some takeaways. 1. Believe it or not, a lack of…
Remaining curious
Developmental psychologist Susan Engel has written a book entitled The Hungry Mind: The Origins of Curiosity in Childhood. She claims that children’s curiosity is triggered when they experience “natural, complicated and messy places to play.” Natural, complicated and messy? That…
The aging of grief
Death doesn’t just rob us of a sibling, spouse or child right now; the loss is permanent. Last week marked the 46th anniversary of the death of my 16-year-old brother, Dennis, in a car accident. Forty-six years. If you think…
The Incarnation matters all year long
By Doyle Sager Not very many weeks ago, many of us sang the words of Charles Wesley’s familiar Christmas carol, “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate deity ….” We likely also heard the powerful witness of John’s…
Learning from faith’s circumference
By Doyle Sager My acting experience is pretty limited. Besides a couple of high school plays, my only claim to fame is the role of a wise man during Maple Grove Baptist Church’s Christmas pageant (and I’m not sure I…
World religions, up close and personal
By Doyle Sager Remember when studies of world religions were abstract and theoretical? No more. The world has come to us. And it is messier than we imagined. While seminary courses and numerous websites are helpful in providing academic knowledge,…
World religions, up close and personal
By Doyle Sager Remember when studies of world religions were abstract and theoretical? No more. The world has come to us. And it is messier than we imagined. While seminary courses and numerous websites are helpful in providing academic knowledge,…