A few weeks ago, I attended a funeral. Funerals are not foreign territory for me; as a pastor responsible for pastoral care..
I have changed her name to protect the innocent, so we’ll just call her “Prissy.” Prissy and I were CBFFs (Church Best..
Mission begins at the church’s front door. Any elder or deacon can tell you that. But how do you reach the people..
My son, Sam, got sick last week for the first time in his almost 11 months of life outside the womb. Some..
It's that time of the year. Target and the local grocery stores turn into veritable labyrinths with stacks of bookcases and..
A colleague sent me a link to a blog article by Carey Nieuwhof reckoning with the reality that even faithful churchgoers are coming..
In the aftermath of the president's request for authorization of military action in Syria, numerous Christian individuals and organizations reacted immediately, expressing..
In our society everything is marketed, everything sells. Things as benign as cotton balls or power tools require sexy advertising to beat..
Just a couple of weeks ago, a police officer was shot and killed in a neighborhood not far from where I live. ..
When congregations face major decisions, need to develop long range plans, or are in the process of a calling a pastor, church..
I was inspired by Diana Nyad’s swim from Cuba to Florida at the age of 64. I was inspired not so much..
Last month I served my final Sunday as a Lake Fellow Resident at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis and moved to Richmond,..
Every Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evening, nine housemates create space in their schedules to gather for a time of fellowship and breaking..
Earlier this week, a chaplain at a Presbyterian-related college shared with me that while he sends a few students to seminary every..
Recently I read that on the 25th anniversary of the Barmen Declaration (1958), the words, spirit and vision of Barmen were a..
“Presbyterian? Is that Catholic?” Claiming a denomination when asked about religious affiliation has become about as irrelevant as claiming a county instead..
New Mexico, July 2001. We were there on a mission trip; it was my last before I headed off to college in..
We were sitting in our bathing suits and shorts in the ice cream shop waiting out a storm. There was thunder and..
One of the most exhilarating things in my pastoral life is when I sense that God is calling me to play..
“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). Jesus’ appeal for us to share..
There is a rather large poster that sits in my office directly across from my desk. It reads: “Once An Organization Has..
When you live or work in a college town, you can actually feel the pulse of the university. It’s faster in the..
The day before I left on our summer youth mission trip, I lay in the middle of my friend’s pool, alone on..
I've been reading Ruth Haley Barton's book on spiritual disciplines called Sacred Rhythms: Arranging our Lives for Spiritual Formation. I've been drawn to..
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