My dream for the church: Missions and Mars
We asked our bloggers to share their biggest dreams for the church. Here’s what they imagine. We can put a..
More Stories from this Author
Taking time off
I noticed early on that when pastors get together, one of two things tends to happen. Either everybody gets into a..
The art of getting lost
We just moved to a new city, and even with Google Maps and Waze I'm finding myself lost pretty regularly. As a..
An ordinary ordination
This week we asked our bloggers to reflect on their ordinations. Here are their blogs. I’ve wanted to be a pastor since..
What can 1870 teach a 2018 minister?
This month we asked our bloggers about how they view the role of pastor, how they understand their pastoral identity, or to..
On being a young leader
“There is something ludicrous about a callow young fool like myself standing up to preach a sermon to these good folks.” Thus..
Finding God at the beach
As a pastor, much of my time is spent trying to get in touch with God. I think often of the concept..
The correct way to pray
My all-time favorite writing on the subject of prayer is a little article by Wayne Zunkel titled “The posture of the right..
#DoSomething
As much as anyone can miss eight solid days of meetings, I’m going to miss General Assembly this year. General Assembly is..
The game of life: What I learned about ministry and myself from board games
As I’ve grown into adulthood, I’ve continued to carry my love of games from my earliest childhood. There’s something about play that..
The storyteller
When I first began preaching, I was terrified of leading the children’s moment. I couldn’t stop thinking of Jesus’ words: “If any..
The baptismal community
The other day a friend mentioned to me that her family, including a newborn granddaughter, might be looking for a church. That’s..
Meeting the Spirit while writing a sermon
Sermon-writing day is rough. It’s painful, boring, heart-wrenching, soul-draining, and it makes me whine a lot. Most weeks, I’ll come home one..
Becoming more human
I learned about a new website recently. The site willrobotstakemyjob.com determined, well, how likely it is that a robot will take your..
Practicing the discipline of imagination
It may disgust my parents to hear this, but some of the greatest presents I ever received were cardboard boxes. They weren’t..
Excuse me, how do you spell “Presbyterian”?
We asked our bloggers to share why they are Presbyterian. These are their responses. I rarely get asked what denomination I am...
Misinterpreting “The Beginner’s Bible”
Recently I hit a wave of nostalgia and went shopping. Lo and behold, on Amazon.com one can purchase the 1989 version of..
Don’t forget to breathe
This month we asked our bloggers to share how they are caring for their bodies and souls in the midst of the..
How I found God in sickness and health
Thank God for One Direction. Every time I feel bad about myself, One Direction is there to pick me up. They remind..
Life, fast and slow
I love moving quickly. When I was growing up, my parents called me a vacuum cleaner for eating at the speed of..
Tell me the story that the paper tells
As a companion to our spring book issue, we asked our bloggers about their experiences of writing as a spiritual practice. Here..
More than a budget
Every. Month. Every month I sit down with my budget, my bank account statements and my credit card statements. I’m into my..
Forgiveness: A conversation in marriage
For me, marriage forms one of the essential parts of my life. My marriage is a relationship that impacts me daily and..
When a church slams the door in your face
Editor’s note: This month we invited our bloggers to share their experiences of welcome and hospitality in the church. Here are their..
Alex and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year
We asked our bloggers to share where they’ve seen God at work in 2016. Here is what they shared. I’m so..