One of the hardest jobs in a church these days is that of youth minister. Not just because the schedule of activities can be grueling or the work can be physically demanding. The reason, instead, is ever-increasing demands placed on…
Can we be moderate and judgmental at the same time?
The first clue should have been when the Internet trolls didn’t immediately show up and condemn me as a liberal heretic. And then when some normally affirming voices fell curiously silent, it became obvious something was amiss. This response—or lack…
Think twice before you leave the traditional church
So you’re thinking about leaving the traditional church where you were raised and heading for the big-box megachurch down the way because your kids like the music? You’re not alone. This is happening all across America, not only in major…
Eyes wide open
After Sunday’s service, a friend emailed me a confession: He kept his eyes open during Prayers of the People, which I led this week. It was a Lenten prayer about finding beauty in dry places, the hand of God in…
A museum of the Bible is the wrong kind of monument
The founder of the Hobby Lobby chain is building a Bible museum in Washington, D.C. That’s nice. But building a monument to the Bible runs the risk of compounding the serious problem of Bible worship that has plagued evangelical Christianity…
Does loving my neighbor mean I have to be wrong?
Just the facts, ma’am Driving an automobile has been the source of an ongoing life lesson lately, and I’m pretty much ready to have the lesson learned and move on. Last weekend I had taken my son to Miami for…
Before you criticize your pastor
Something your pastor or a church staff member has done has set you off. You can’t believe he or she had the audacity to do (or not do) or say (or not say) such a thing. Before shipping off a…
More rubato for our faith
Does your faith need a little more rubato and a little less strictness? All of us—and most all of creation—are designed in such a way that we have a solid framework of something behind us, just like a soft sofa…
What pastors value in lay leaders
At a recent staff meeting, a minister assigned to lead our closing segment, which I routinely call “Prayers for the Church,” gave us all a twist. She asked each minister to think of one lay leader in the congregation who…