Easter is over. We have celebrated the Resurrection and many of us are back to life as usual. These pivotal days of our faith seem to make little difference in the way we live. It’s More than a Day In the church calendar, Easter is a season, not a day. It extends from Easter Sunday until Pentecost, this year celebrated on …
5 Practices for Rediscovering Civil Discourse
It has been a challenging season for me. Every time I write something it seems keyboard warriors are out in force, criticizing, abusing and telling me why I am wrong and they are right. Our Christian society is becoming more polarized, not just around political issues, but over issues of race, immigration, gender and homelessness to name just a few. …
Let’s Get Creative For Lent
Lent is the forty-day period before Easter that commemorates Jesus’ sojourn in the wilderness in preparation for the launch of his ministry. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare for baptism. Today, it is usually regarded as a season of soul searching, privation, and repentance. It begins with Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Maundy Thursday. …
New Year’s Resolutions as a Spiritual Discipline
It’s that time of the year when we all resolve to be better people, look after ourselves more, or just plain commit to doing things we have not previously had time to do. Most of us know that the resolutions we make will not be kept. By Valentine’s Day, we will have forgotten, discarded, or just plain ignored them. To …
50 Resources to Make This the Best Advent Ever
Advent is here! This beautiful season which marks the beginning of the liturgical year began on November 29 and will conclude on Christmas Eve. Celebrating this important season is a great way to introduce your congregation to the Christian calendar. Advent means arrival, and the season beckons us to ponder three monumental arrivals: The arrival of Christ in flesh as a baby through Mary, the arrival of Christ in …
Advent: 5 Life-Giving Tips for You and Your Church
Advent is here, the wonderful season marking the beginning of the liturgical church year. Many of us look forward to this season with mixed feelings. We want to simplify and take time for spiritual practices that help us refocus and prepare for our celebration of the birth of Christ, but for many churches it is the busiest time of the year. …
Six Insights into the Art of Leading Spiritually
Last week, I wrote an article entitled “What is Good Spiritual Leadership?” In it we looked at the connections between leadership and intimacy with God, as well as leadership and the discovery of the authentic self. I have continued to be fascinated by this topic of spiritual leadership. This has led me to write about a few more aspects I …
What is Good Spiritual Leadership?
As we develop our leadership teams and plan our programs, one question should continually be at the forefront of our thoughts: What is good spiritual leadership? Most of us aspire to be leaders, to be noticed, to feel successful. We want to know that what we do makes a difference in God’s world. I wonder, however, if in striving towards …
Easy Tools and Simple Rules for Meditation
A couple of weeks ago I collected some rocks from the French drain in front of our property. I intentionally placed my stones where I would notice them throughout the day and week, recognizing that they provide a focus for my prayers and signify my receptivity to the voice of God. In gathering these stones, I invited God to speak …
Church of a Different Sort
A few months ago I read an interesting article from YES magazine entitled Relearning the Skills of Community. As I read about their check-in time and provision of mutual support I thought – that sounds very much like Christian community to me. Maybe this is church? I have the same response when I read books like Imagination First and Business Secrets …