Brooklyn Lindsey is a pastor who currently oversees the middle school ministry at Highland Park Church in Lakeland, Florida and has recently written two books: Oppposite Day: Upside-Down Questions to Keep Students Talking and Listening (2009) and Confessions of a Not-So-Supermodel: Faith, Friends and Festival Queens (2008). She recently blogged about some advice she offered the leaders in her congregation who work with middle school students, which she suggests is helpful for those working Read More …
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One Year Later (#0297)
My life has changed a great deal over the last year: Ash Wednesday 2010 marked the final day of serving my last church. I spent most of the morning packing up my office and saying goodbye to other members of the staff. Ash Wednesday 2011 marked two and a half months working for a university. I spent most of the morning leading a workshop for faculty. As I started my Lenten journey last year I did so having just resigned from a position without having first accepted another Read More …
Giving is Both/And not Either/Or (#0296)
Adelle Banks recently wrote a piece for Religion News Service about research conducted by Grey Matter Research & Consulting on behalf of the nonprofit fundraising firm the Russ Reid Co. The research suggests: Houses of worship and other charities often aren't in competition for dollars but instead tend to reap donations from similar donors . . . the more Americans give to a house of worship, the more they donate to other groups. So What? In the article, Banks quoted Ron Read More …
New Testament Reading for Sunday, February 20 (#0275)
Most of us have heard hundreds of sermons, yet would have a hard time constructing a list of even a dozen sermon titles. However, if we compared lists I suspect three would rise to the top as the most frequently cited: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” – Jonathan Edwards “I Have a Dream” – Martin Luther King, Jr. “Sermon on the Mount” – Jesus More than centuries and geography separate the two American sermons from that of the Galilean sermon. The American preachers wrote Read More …
Call to Worship for Sunday, February 20 (#0273)
Call to Worship We have come - from our homes and hotels, from a few blocks and from many miles - intent on entering this beautiful building built by human hands Settling into our seats we realize our task isn’t admiring the architecture, but rather experiencing and reflecting on the holy Aware of God’s presence, we begin to make meaning of words from Holy Scripture: From the first testament: Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy (Lev. 19:1) From the second testament: Be perfect as Read More …
The Structure of an Effective Blog Post (#0261)
Michael Hyatt is the Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S. You can connect with him by reading his Intentional Leadership blog, following him on Twitter, or liking him on Facebook. Earlier this week he shared the basic components of his blog template in "Anatomy of an Effective Blog Post" Lead Paragraph Relevant Image Personal Experience Read More …
US Army’s Controversial Spiritual Fitness Test (#0244)
The United States Army may be sued as early as next week over a controversial well-being assessment that includes questions designed to measure spiritual fitness. The assessment in question is a part of the Army's Comprehensive Solider Fitness (CSF) program, which was announced in October 2009 with an estimated cost of $125 million. According to the Army: The purpose of the CSF program is to enhance the performance and readiness of the force by giving Read More …
Doritos for Eucharist Super Bowl Ad Has Been Sidelined (#0237)
Doritos and Pepsi MAX received more than 5,600 submissions for this year's edition of their Crash the Super Bowl contest, which started in 2007. The field has now been narrowed to a group of finalists and interested parties are now invited to vote for their favorite. Interestingly, one popular option, Feed the Flock, isn't included on the list and has been removed from the contest because it created considerable controversy. Submitted by Media Wave Productions this ad is Read More …
The Story of So What Faith (#0228)
Sowhatfaith.com launched in June 2009 as a means of sharing my thoughts with those beyond my parish. From the beginning, the blog has focused on contemporary issues and reviews of recently published books by providing a blend of information and questions. Written some time ago, the following words about the purpose of this website remain on the contact/about page: Individually and as faith communities, true growth is often the result of struggling with the so what questions of Read More …
A Full Scale Replica of Noah’s Ark Coming Soon in Kentucky (#0209)
Over the last several days I have read more about Noah's Ark than ever before thanks to all the publicity given the venture following a press conference announcing a group's plans to build a full scale replica of Noah's Ark in Kentucky. Rather than take a build an ark and tourists will come approach, the ark will serve as a main attraction in a theme park slated to open in the spring of 2014. The rest of the theme park will be constructed at an estimated cost of $125 million by a Read More …