As I followed the coverage of the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral a few weeks ago, one element that stood out to me was how deeply grieved people were all over the world by the extensive damage to this place. This building. These walls. These spires....
In the 21st Chapter of John, after post-Easter Jesus cooks breakfast for the disciples (while coaching them from the shore to re-rig their boats following a long, frustrating night of fruitless fishing), he turns to Peter and asks him three times: “Do you love me?”...
There’s a story about a church choir whose members processed in pairs down the long center aisle during the opening hymn at the beginning of worship. About halfway down, the members of each pair would separate momentarily—one stepping right and the other stepping left—before resuming...
We invited Macedonian Ministry pastor, Keith Grogg, to reflect on "road signs" he's seeing in his ministry and here's what he had to say: "Beware of Sudden Icing" Reflection by: Keith Grogg On a gorgeous, sunny spring morning recently I was headed to meet with a clergy colleague...
After spending the last week noting the over-use of references to the Notre Dame fire in sermons and blogs, we find ourselves referencing . . . the fire at Notre Dame. Actually, not the fire itself, but the response by the fire brigades. News accounts...
We invited Macedonian Ministry pastor, Marthame Sanders, to reflect on "road signs" he's seeing in his ministry and here's what he had to say: Share the Road Reflection by: Marthame Sanders In my Atlanta, car-centric context, these periodic signs are helpful reminders that there are other ways of...
Last week we started a conversation about the difficulties of clearing out programs that may have outlived their purpose. How does a church board decide it is doing too much, and in that moment, what do we stop doing? One way to go at this question...
We invited Macedonian Ministry pastor, Jennifer Maxell, to reflect on "road signs" she's seeing in her ministry and here's what she had to say: NO U TURNS! Reflection by: Jennifer Maxell I remember one of the first parsonage’s my family ever lived in. It was pink and huge...
The tradition of “spring cleaning” springs up everywhere as daylight lengthens: closets, pantries, desks, garages, to-do lists. And right now, wherever we go, the advice of professional de-clutterer Marie Kondo is springing up, too: only keep items that “spark joy,” she tells us. What can...