A few months ago as vaccines were becoming widely available, one of my biggest encouragers in the faith community I pastor, suggested I make some time to go away and rest. Pretty soon, she imagined, “we will hit the ground running.” On the one hand, she...
Program Director Adam Borneman speaks with the Rev. Heather Jallad (Lead Cultivator, North Georgia Annual Conference of Fresh Expressions) about the blended ecology of church, better questions that lead to deeper joy, and how prevenient grace should send us to discover where God is already at...
“Here am I Lord; send me!” Isaiah’s call, one of the lectionary readings for Trinity Sunday, captured my attention again when invited to preach on that Sunday. We will not go into the heaviness of his call – I will save you from the sermon...
New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells recently posted an article titled “What People Missed Most About Restaurants. (It Wasn’t the Food.).” The article’s subtitle serves up his main point: “it’s clear that the magic ingredient was the random thrill of seeing other people.” As...
In a round table conversation recorded back in January, the Ministry Collaborative Program Staff (Adam Borneman, Jennifer Maxell, Mark Ramsey, Adam Mixon, and Ryan Bonfiglio) discuss massive cultural change, imagining life on the other side of a pandemic, and why the boat is an appropriate...
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. ….These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: …. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has...
Big goals… to change things… working together. After 60+ weeks of lockdowns, quarantines, and uncertainties, things are re-opening at a speed few of us would have guessed even a month ago. Church boards can be forgiven for being caught both exhausted and unprepared. We are already hearing from...
Executive Director Mark Ramsey speaks with the Rev. Dr. Kimberly Wagner (Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago) about the subjective nature of trauma, its disorienting capacity, and what it means to preach faithfully into the moment....
One of the great paradoxes of our age is that while we’ve never been more connected to one another on social media, we’ve also never felt more alone. More than a third of Americans over 45 report being lonely. Feelings of isolation are especially acute with...