A year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote "Visiting 50+ Churches in Dallas-Fort Worth," highlighting congregations I had worshipped with since relocating to Texas from Florida. When the pandemic started, I stopped attending worship in person. After experiencing a full year of life without attending corporate worship, I gradually reentered that world. March 7 - I attended my first outdoor worship serviceMarch 14 - I attended my first indoor worship service Now, seven Read More …
Great New Books – October 2021 (#1954)
The ten best recently published books I read over the last month are (4.5) How to Try: Design Thinking and Church Innovation by Lorenzo Lebrija (Church Publishing, 2021)(4.5) Community as Church, Church as Community by Michael Plekon (Cascade Books, 2021)(4.5) Church After: Finding Transformation in Unexpected Change by Anna Mitchell Hall (Cane Mill Press, 2021)(4.0) Generation We: The Power and Promise of Gen Z by AnneMarie Hayek (Lioncrest Publishing, 2021)(4.0) Somehow Saints: More Read More …
Count the Costs (Even the Hidden Ones) (#1953)
Recently, I was in the market for a new vehicle. As someone who has been through this experience eight times, I felt well prepared as my search for a ninth shifted from research to dealership visits for test drives and negotiations. At my first dealership, however, I encountered a mysterious charge I'd never seen before in all of my years of vehicle shopping: AMV. I asked the salesperson to explain the AMV charge on the sticker. He shared that adding a charge called "Adjusted Market Read More …
Keep It Simple (#1952)
Passage for reflection: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 I recently listened as a salesperson spoke eloquently and with great passion. His presentation was polished and perspicacious; his approach was problematic and pretentious. The message he was delivering was likely factually correct, but it was unhelpful. Rather than learning about my needs and tailoring a presentation to address them, he was more concerned with impressing me with his vast product knowledge and sticking to a predetermined Read More …
25 Years, 25 Positions – One Purpose (#1951)
Earlier this week I shared some Labor Day Reflections. In the days since writing that post, I've done some additional reflecting on my own experience of work with a focus on my work since 1996. Over the last 25 years, I've worked for 15 different employers in 25 different positions (excluding short-term work as coach or consultant,). I've often changed roles once joining an organization, achieving four titles once, three titles twice, and two titles twice. And, I've often worked for Read More …
Labor Day Reflections (#1950)
Throughout the day I've been thinking about work, including the role it has played in my life and the ways work has changed during my lifetime. On social media, I've paused to ponder memes exploring advances in workers' rights and on pictures of friends having fun outdoors. I've also taken time to read a number of articles exploring the end of unemployment benefits for 7 million American workers and the end of a $300 week federal supplement to state unemployment benefits for 3 million more Read More …
Great New Books – September 2021 (#1949)
The ten best recently published books I read over the last month are (5+) Crisis & Care: Meditations on Faith and Philanthropy edited by Dustin D. Benac and Erin Weber-Johnson (Cascade Books, 2021)(5.0) What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract for a Better Society by Minouche Shafik (Princeton University Press, 2021)(4.5) Open and Relational Theology: An Introduction to Life-Changing Ideas by Thomas Jay Oord (SacraSage, 2021)(4.5) Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Read More …
A Decade in the United Church of Christ (#1948)
While I've been associated with Mainline Protestant Christian congregations my entire life, I never experienced the United Church of Christ until 2010. As a native Texan, I'm used to hearing folks say "I wasn't born here, but I got here as fast as I could." In many respects, that sentiment resonates with my spiritual journey and late arrival in the United Church of Christ. Before the UCC Prior to encountering the United Church of Christ I was Baptized, confirmed, and discerned Read More …
Humility (#1947)
Humility. Being humble. Living with humility. I have lived, worked, and served alongside a number of helpful and inspiring examples of humility. And, I have come to know the value of humility most clearly in the person of Jesus. Your attitude must be the same of that of Christ Jesus: Christ, though, in the image of God, didn't deem equality with God something to be clung to - but instead became completely empty and took on the image of oppressed humankind: born into the human Read More …
Mask Up (#1946)
Back in January, I shared my experience of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. In that post I wrote, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, one clear way to love one’s neighbor is to receive the COVID-19 vaccine." Today, I'd like to add mask wearing as another important way to show love for one's neighbor. My Experience For many months the last two things I did before leaving home were to put on shoes and select a mask for the outing. When the CDC issued new guidance in May stating that masks and Read More …