SHHHH… Let me encourage you to turn off everything and spend some time in peace and quiet: no TV, no iPad, no Pandora, no Netflix. I remember studying spiritual disciplines with some friends. We talked about the usual topics: Bible reading, fasting, prayer, tithing and the like. Then we talked about silence. Have you noticed how little of it there […]
When it comes to boundary management, selective neglect is a crucial club. Use this carefully. But use it. Sometimes good enough is. Sometimes you must let some things go. You cannot attend every meeting. You cannot make every game. You cannot read every book or journal. You cannot do it all. You cannot. You are a follower in the Lord’s […]
This is a touchy topic. But it is one that must be touched. By drinking, I do not mean the ubiquitous water bottle. I mean alcohol. Beer. Wine. Liquor. Make no mistake; alcohol is a gift from God. Jesus’ first miracle provided wine, a lot of it. Wine is at the heart of our sacramental union with Christ. It is […]
WHAT AILS OUR LAND? We hear more and more people calling for justice. Certainly, I am all for justice. So is God! After all that’s why he sent Jesus. But what if we focused on grace instead? What if YOU focused on grace instead? Jesus did so above all things. AND THIS This wouldn’t hurt either. Concentrate on WE instead […]
Think in outlines. To consistently communicate well, think in outlines. Proper application of this note will have wide ranging application to all kinds of communication. The skill you learned back in fourth grade will carry you through communication in every area of your life. Outlines force better organization and sharper points. Outline everything. I first came across this “outlining insight” […]
WHAT’S IN A NAME? Do you call yourself a Christian? A Lutheran? A Baptist? A Catholic? What if we called ourselves “Christ Followers?” What difference would that make in how we thought of ourselves? What difference would that make in how others thought of us? Is a rose by any other name still a rose? Or could it be something […]
Throughout life generally and ministry specifically I have fought the urge to hop on bandwagons. While new and exciting things are indeed new and exciting, stewardship of life beckons us to the tried and true. Of course, applying that too rigorously will make you vulnerable to missing fresh ways of doing things and at the same time make you liable […]
WHAT A DEPRESSING BOOK A while back I read a book recommended by Oprah Winfrey entitled The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It is a gripping story about a father and son and their quest to keep alive following some kind of world-wide catastrophe (nuclear devastation, pandemic?). The thing that made it so depressing was that there was no hope. No […]
Leave some room around the edges. Margins matter. Imagine reading a book or paper that has the words right up the edge. Ugh! Imagine how you smile when you crack open a big thick book only to find the pages have wide margins. Ahh! Keep money margins. Don’t spend right up to the edge of your income. Leave some margin. […]
LIFELONG LEARNING We often hear about the importance of being a lifelong learner. As young people graduate they are reminded in commencement messages that their learning has not come to an end, but to a new beginning. What about you? What are you learning? Do you have a good book going? Do you have an avocation that keeps you stimulated? […]