Posted by Garwood Anderson on January 18, 2016 A durable modern and first-world “problem” is what to do next. People didn’t always spend a lot of energy wondering what they should do next. “Next” was defined by the passage of…
Unprofessional Christianity, part 2: Dying
The stories of Zaevion Dobson, Freddie Grey, Tamir Rice, and the birth of Jesus decenter everything we think we know about the meaning of life and Christmas. This season has nothing to do with where you go after you die,…
Educating healthy ministers outside ‘The Bubble’
By Kate Riney I am a proud product of distance learning. I was homeschooled until my sophomore year of high school, when I entered public school at age 13. Yes, I was that kid. The homeschooler. I heard it all…
The sound of silence
I am pastor of a Baptist congregation in Fort Collins, Colorado, and for the past two plus months, I have been on sabbatical. In addition to pursuing goals of resting, studying and revisioning, I have also attended three conferences, visited…
Too busy NOT to stop
Over 20 years ago, Bill Hybels wrote a terrific book, Too Busy NOT to Pray . In it he challenged our passive willingness to allow busyness to muscle out time for prayer in our daily schedules.
Time to prepare for “No Shave November”
Does having a beard make a person more or less effective as a minister? I feel kind of silly even posing the question, because it’s not the kind of question that typically crosses one’s mind—except that I’m in ministry, and…
7 habits of highly annoying clergy on social media
Clergy and social media. They go together like, well, selfie sticks and tourists. They might look ridiculous but that’s not going to stop them. And occasionally they produce something breathtaking.My Facebook timeline and Twitter feed are littered with posts by…
I’m tired of saying “I’m Sorry!”
I’m sorry. It may be the most common phrase in my work. I am sorry about the death; I am sorry about the diagnosis; I am sorry you didn’t like the music, the sermon, the temperature. It seems that I…
Top 4 ways to overcome isolation in rural ministry
Isolation in rural ministry can, for many, become deeply burdensome. Thomas Aquinas once stated, “Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.” As much as we may feel called to…