God of us all, we come to you for comfort. We are beyond weary of the one-two punch of the COVID-19 pandemic compounded by subfreezing temperatures and the loss of food, water and heat. And, we are grateful to you that this storm has passed, that sunshine and rising temperatures have returned. Thank you for the helpers during this time: volunteers, friends and strangers who have sheltered and fed us, and who have repaired and restored our communities. We confess the role that greed, graft and hubris have played in creating this “perfect storm.” We confess our anger at officials and corporations that have let us down. We confess that we are weary — and yet we know that you promise us sustenance and rest. Thank you for loving us, for listening to us, and for comforting us. As recovery begins, help us reach out to others in need. Help us take the steps necessary, at macro levels and at micro levels, to mitigate situations like this in the future. Show us how to love our neighbors – the … [Read more...]
Content without distraction
Guest commentary by Aaron Neff Shortly after Epiphany, my family took down our Christmas tree. It was a sad affair for my young daughters. We had prepared for it by talking about it for a few days in advance, but then the day actually arrived and the tree was coming down. To make it a little more tolerable, we took their picture in front of the tree one last time so that they could have a memento. We played Christmas music while we took the ornaments down and put them away. They waved goodbye to the tree when the town truck came in the morning to pick it up from the end of our front yard. As much as my kids were sad about the annual undecking of the halls, I have to admit, I was having an unusual feeling of dread myself. I often feel a little sad when Christmas is over, but this year felt more intense for some reason. After spending time reflecting on my feelings, I’ve come to realize that I was using the anticipation and joy of the holiday season as a distraction for me. As … [Read more...]
35 really important things I learned from my friend Peter Steinke
Peter Steinke, the noted author, congregational systems consultant and professor, died unexpectedly at home on Monday, July 6, 2020. I learned of it that Thursday and wept in disbelief. I could not imagine a world without my friend Pete in it — I still can’t. I first met Steinke 20 years ago while taking his “Bridge Builders” training when I was a pastor in Long Island, New York. I had no idea that I would eventually move to his city of Austin, Texas, that we would become good friends and that he and I would offer workshops together on family systems theory. Steinke conducted over 500 interventions in conflicted congregations — and even several seminaries. Over the years I benefited greatly from his “nuggets of wisdom” about anxiety, ecclesial systems, church conflict, family systems theory and life itself. Below, I offer 35 of my favorites. Steinke often quipped: “Never let your suffering go to waste” — reminding us that people are usually more interested in quick … [Read more...]
Children and family ministry — Feb. 22, 2021
Faith in the midst of a pandemic has definitely brought challenges, but also opportunities to see the work of the Spirit. This issue tells the stories of congregations ministering to children, families and strangers. Click here to read the issue in the Uberflip reader Children and family ministry Churches are finding creative ways to serve during the pandemic. Effective family ministries in 2021 Traci Smith offers a number of ideas, but says the key is to find ways to simplify. Praying the Lord’s Prayer in the pandemic During COVID-19, Donald McKim explains how this prayer can sustain and nurture. The least of these This is the story of how a congregation in Ohio loved a stranger. Voices at the table at future GAs The Committee on General Assembly heard concerns from the leadership of the General Assembly Committee on Representation. Leslie Scanlon reports. … [Read more...]
Building bridges, one challah at a time
Guest commentary by Beth Ricanati and Chris Carson A Christian and a Jew bake sacred bread together. They do so distanced; the times require this. They are separated — not by six feet, but by 1,500 miles and much of the country. Normally, these two would never have met, but these times are not normal. This, of course, is not how the joke starts. It is supposed to start with a priest and a rabbi walking into a bar. However, there is nothing funny about the old joke. If anything, it serves as a sad commentary on society, reminding us of places, of station and of the disconnect we have with most things “other,” a disconnect that keeps us distant from one another and ignorant of the beauty of another and her customs. This ignorance has perpetuated the racism that treats entire groups of people as if they are “less than.” It has furthered the rise in anti-Semitism, felt too long by too many, but seen on display so recently in the Capitol riot, where sacred walls were … [Read more...]
How to love people
You have to be with someone long enough. You have to see someone closely enough. You have to listen – not speak – enough. Oddly then, you will begin to see you. You in them. At the very least, you will see in them someone whom you already love. In their eyes, their stance, their story, their quiet. Even a glimmer is enough. Enough for love to enter its rightful place: between you and the one you have stayed with, between you and the one you have seen up close, between you and the one whose words and dreams you have heard without rehearsing your own. Buoyed by an unburdened thought that we are walking the same land beneath one expanse, your clenched grip on things that you were so afraid to lose loosens, and you bravely fall back and lean forward into the galaxy of grace and gravity suspending all of life. A galaxy not so beyond comprehension that you are made indifferent by its vastness, but a kind of a slow, communal highway where you needn’t worry about losing things or … [Read more...]
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