A call to gratitude
When I see the scions of wealth parade grandly through my town with, what I interpret as, smug entitlement on their faces,..
More Stories from this Author
Meditating on Memorial Day
On the last Sunday of May, after the Indianapolis 500, after family dinner, as the sun was setting over the peaceful Hudson..
Meeting Jesus after Sunday school
When I was growing up, I assumed all childhoods were like mine. What else did I know? I assumed every child had..
Do the next right thing
In a year of surpassing disruption, discord, dishonesty and disease, many good-hearted people have stepped up and done the next right thing...
What have we learned from COVID-19?
Someday the extreme dislocations of COVID-19 will end. The question being asked throughout American society, economy and politics is: What then? What..
Knock on the door and listen
Trauma ministry begins on a small stage. It might stem from crime, accident, sudden illness or natural disaster. But the ministry tends..
Oh my God
It was irritating, and yet it was fascinating — in an “oh my God” sort of way. On the morning Amtrak train..
Shaped by Scripture
Read correctly, the Hebrew Bible offers necessary understandings of God’s nature, God’s desires and humanity’s journey in God’s creation. It doesn’t offer..
Confronting fear and selfishness
The most fraught time in a congregation’s life is transition. A new pastor arrives, a new cohort of leaders emerges, the world..
Tackling tough topics
When I trained to be an emergency medical technician, this was a paramount lesson: Identify the life threats. Your patient might be complaining..
Can you check the boxes for retirement?
If you can check all of these boxes, sally forth into retirement and relax: You enjoy excellent health. You are happily married...
Advent politics
They almost seem to come around together: Election Day and Advent. A secular moment and a sacred moment, moving in tandem, as..
Parents: Be not anxious
Generations disagree about almost everything — from music to hair to food to the ideal places to live. I wonder if any..
Two questions for church planning
Of the several factors that go into church program planning, four need to be abandoned right away. We’ve always done this. We..
Easter is the real deal
Christianity lost the battle for Christmas a long time ago. There was too much money to be made and too much fantasy..
Good Christian leaders
If you have been part of an organization, work group, movement or sports team, you know that leadership matters — often more..
God’s best for us
I have found the Christmas Eve sermon the hardest one to prepare. The biblical story has little to do with where listeners..
Turnaround strategies for Christ’s church
As I consult with Presbyterian congregations, the same scenario keeps recurring: In 1966 the church was full; today, after five decades of..
The confirmation promise
Like marriage, confirmation is about the church’s desire to be a player in people‘s lives. It would serve better if it stopped..
Five obstacles to overcome in reaching young adults
Sunday morning is a non-starter for most young singles and young families. So how about Wednesday evening? I asked my 36-year-old..
Emailing beyond the walls
I recently taught at Kenyon Institute’s writing seminar for religious professionals. Most of the work was about writing well: effective essays, blogs,..
The need for newness
Beware the “graying” of the church – says the common wisdom. I have been among those sounding the alarm as the average..
Three markers of healthy and unhealthy churches
After serving dozens of churches as a pastor or consultant, I have concluded that there is no single formula for health. There..
Metrics (measure it, or else)
My first glimpse of why metrics matter came on a golf course when my playing partner showed up angry. His church had..
Train stewards, not co-managers
Should we include the treasurer’s report in the e-letter?” a church secretary asked me. We were working on a switch from..