I've written more blog posts during the first half of the year this year than any year since 2015. My readers have selected the following posts as the top posts so far this year based on the number of page views each has received year to date. I’m Back: My Return to the Mansfield Mission Center (March)Our Search for a Church 2.0 is Over! (May)Book Recommendations – March 2019 (March)Visiting 50+ Churches in Dallas – Fort Worth (February)Top 12 Authors: 2009-2019 Read More …
We are the Kindom of God (#1808)
Over the last few days, I've been watching my social feeds for updates on the United Church of Christ's General Synod in Milwaukee, WI. Yesterday afternoon, I was able to watch the livestream of the worship service that included a sermon given by Rev. Traci Blackmon. Rev. Blackmon is Associate General Minister of Justice & Local Church Ministries for the United Church of Christ, and she serves as Senior Pastor of Christ The King United Church of Christ (Florissant, MO). I had the Read More …
Watch Your Step (#1807)
Occasionally I encounter a bright yellow sign containing the words "Caution: Watch Your Step." My immediate reaction is to slow down, scan the surrounding area, and determine how best to proceed with more caution than I would have ever considered had the sign not been posted. While these signs are helpful and effective, they only address a small percentage of the situations in life where a misstep may occur.The hole in the ceiling shown at left was the result of an electrician's misstep. Read More …
An Alternative Friday Night Experience (#1806)
There are many Friday night events that draw large crowds in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. I've never heard a hymn festival mentioned on any list of most popular Friday night events. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was one of more than 300 people on Facebook who had indicated they were going or were interested in attending The Church Music Institute's hymn festival entitled, "All Times and All Places Praise the Lord." Held on Friday, June 14 at St. Stephen Presbyterian Read More …
A Decade of So What Faith (#1805)
I decided to start a blog in the spring of 2009. On June 11, 2009, I published my first blog post. Over the last decade, I've written over 1,800 posts - a post about every other day! Top Posts My attempt to determine the top all time posts is somewhat limited since I did not add Google analytics to this site until October 2012. From that date to present, the 18 most viewed posts (roughly the top 1%) are Prayers of the People - Youth Sunday (2009)Pastoral Prayer - Love (2014)Review Read More …
A Compelling Version of Christianity (#1804)
I cannot count the number of times in recent years that I've had to explain that I'm not the type of Christian someone assumes I am (and/or assumes all Christians are). A Compelling Christianity It is helpful to focus on what one's version of Christianity is about or stands for rather than how it differs from another type of Christianity that is best known for what it is against. Rozella Haydée White formerly served in the national setting of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Read More …
Book Recommendations – June 2019 (#1803)
The 10 best books published in 2019 that I read during the month of May are (5.0) Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference by Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli (Studer Group, 2019)(4.5) Love Big: The Power of Revolutionary Relationships to Heal the World by Rozella Haydée White (Fortress Press, 2019)(4.5) Engage!: Tools for Ministry in the Community by Dana Horrell (Fortress Press, 2019)(4.5) Sustaining Hope in an Unjust World: How to Read More …
My Life in Ministry: The First 20 Years (#1802)
I went to college to prepare to enter vocational ministry. During seminary, I assumed that I would spend the rest of my working years in pastoral ministry in a local congregation. Experience Like many people in my generation who went straight from life as a traditional undergraduate student to seminary, my vocational path has broadened in recent years. After serving in long-term roles in local congregations from 2000 to 20012, I ventured into interim ministry beginning in 2013. Read More …
Becoming 15% Better (#1801)
Ron Williams is a successful executive leader who is best known for returning a Fortune 100 company (Aetna) to profitability. His new leadership book - Learning to Lead: The Journey to Leading Yourself, Leading Others, and Leading an Organization (Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2019) - is filled with actionable wisdom. In the closing pages of Learning to Lead, Williams challenges his readers to focus on continual growth. To quantify one's progress, Williams recommends setting a Read More …
Church Membership Down 20% in 2 Decades (#1800)
Gallup recently reported that church membership in the United States has experienced a significant decline over the last two decades dropping from 70% in 1999 to 50% in 2018. This shift is attributed to both an overall decline in religious affiliation and a decline in membership among those who identify with a specific religion. So What? The May 22, 2019 edition of the Christian Century included the following visual that clearly communicates the Gallup data illustrating that the Read More …