Among the many pastoral responsibilities that clergy and congregational church leaders juggle, our prophetic responsibility to defend the faith and tell the truth about what’s happening in our world is one of the most complex, least discussed, and arguably most urgent, given the social and...
There seems to be a burgeoning cottage industry of posters that feature Albert Einstein saying something inspirational. Alas, life can rarely be reduced to a poster, no matter what it says or who supposedly said it. And, in the matter of Einstein, it turns out...
The world doesn’t lack passion. It lacks footing. In a recent Ministry Collaborative podcast, Mark Ramsey quoted an old saying: “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world.” That simple sentence exposes a hard truth: movement without a foundation is just motion, and motion...
Recent reflections from our TMC community help us consider what we may be losing when optimization, urgency, and constant motion become the norm. In “Unoptimized Church,” Adam challenges the church’s quiet infatuation with efficiency and spectacle. Rather than pushing for reinvention, he calls leaders back to...
Busy is the new fine. But maybe with a hint of added importance, value, and productivity - often veiled as complaint. It still means nothing - or at least reveals nothing - in answer to questions such as, “How are you?” “How are things going?”...
“No Country for Old Men” (2007) is one of my favorite movies. It combines odd, dry humor with dark, disturbing violence, with each scene offering excellent acting and unforgettable dialogue. Good reviews detail its many fascinating elements. The one that seems relevant for Christian ministry...
This is an odd moment for me to be writing about the danger of busyness in the lives of pastors. Almost a year ago, I was laid off from my position on denominational staff. It was a corporate style process that allowed neither the wrapping up...
A new app named Are You Dead? encourages users to check in every two days to confirm that they are alive. It is now the most downloaded paid app in China, a country with a well-chronicled loneliness epidemic. The app will get in touch with...
Seth Godin offers a simple image for the start of the year that subtly critiques what “resolution” has come to mean in popular culture. The beginning of the year is a good time, he writes, to replace the tired spices in our kitchens: “The best,...