It was awful. It was embarrassing. I couldn’t watch it anymore. My team, the Washington Redskins had started a good fight against the Seattle Seahawks on a recent Sunday night football. The Redskins came out strong and scored 14 points…
MLK and Mrs. Robertson
By Roger Lovette When any of us move from one place to another we take with us memories that don’t always fit into a suitcase. As we come to remember Dr. King on his birthday, I recall a Birmingham memory…
Reject conflict. Skip compromise. Embrace collaboration.
I grow tired of hearing politicians talk about achieving common ground without ever seeming to make real progress. I hear people from various political perspectives talk about achieving common ground while acting uncompromising about their positions that actually seem to…
Remembering our ‘rememberable’ baptisms
Many churches celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday following Epiphany (January 6). Since Epiphany falls on Sunday in 2013, this year the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on January 13. This feast is…
Sowing virtue
By Molly T. Marshall I am spending a week with our seminary students at a Benedictine monastery in northwest Missouri. Not only do we participate in prayer with the monks five times a day, we also study the ancient Rule…
A pastor’s life
By Amy Butler The start of the New Year is always a good time to ponder the deeper issues of life, and lately I’ve been ruminating over whether being a pastor and having a life are two mutually exclusive ideas….
Perspectives on immigration – the influence of religion
As a native of Florida, there is a certain pride and frustration present in a bumper-sticker message we natives desire to send to the many seasonal residents of the sunshine state. The message is simple and straight-forward, “Welcome to Florida,…
RG3 and dying churches
By Alan Rudnick The Washington Redskins had started a good fight against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night football. The Redskins came out strong and scored 14 points quickly. It was looking like they were a sure win to continue…
Prayer is our shared vocation
Make a list of some of the intractable problems facing us: natural disasters, deadly violence, international conflicts, human rights violations, mutating bacteria, political impasses, hunger and the like. That’s just my short list. You probably can add quite a few…
Staff-led vs. staff-controlled
By Bill Wilson A key predictor of strong congregational health is the type of leadership offered by the ministerial and paid staff. When a congregation’s staff functions out of strong spiritual and organizational health, the entire faith community benefits. Likewise,…
At what speed should congregations move?
As we enter 2013, at what speed is your congregation moving? I believe congregations should move at the speed of the leading edge 20 percent of the people in the congregation who are the proactive, positive, and passionate leaders; that…
Lessons from Stone Mountain
By Julie Pennington-Russell It all started with my teeth. A couple of years ago I was reclining in the chair of my dentist, Dr. John Uetsuki, waiting for the nitrous oxide to kick in. “Are you doing anything special for…