On the walk to school a few months ago my five-year-old son, Samuel, asked me a question. Samuel is my second born, sandwiched between my talkative oldest and the attention-grabbing youngest. A classic middle child, he usually keeps a low profile, preferring to keep his thoughts to himself. On this day, though, he surprised me […]
The Violence of the Cross and Children: Thoughts Before Holy Week Read More »
I can’t imagine communion without children being present, partaking in the sacrament right alongside adults. I’m always taken aback, then, when I hear of people or churches requiring communion be reserved for children of a certain age, or for children who have completed some “to do” on the checklist, such as a public profession of
Children at the Table: Some Thoughts on Communion and Children Read More »
Does teaching belief in Santa lead to a feeling of betrayal once a child learns the “truth” about him? How should Christian parents teach about Santa in a way that fosters trust and encourages mystery? There are certainly a wide variety of opinions out there. Mine is this: Christian parents would do well to teach
Shared Truths About Santa and Jesus: How to Talk to Children Read More »
Recently I had the opportunity to hear from a young mom who had grown up in the church, spent some time away after she got married, and was now looking to bring her children back to faith in the church. Among many valid critiques about why church was becoming a frustrating experience for her as
Stop Giving Parents the Stink Eye In Church Read More »
Recently I’ve been actively working on making sure my children and I are bored on a regular basis. Yep, that’s right. I’m trying to be bored and to make sure the rest of my family is too. It all started a few months ago when I heard an episode of the RobCast called “The Importance
Boredom as a Spiritual Practice Read More »
The older I get, the more convinced I am that our spiritual health and wellness is vital to our physical, emotional, and psychological health and wellness as well. (I guess I’m in the right profession!) In other areas of wellness I see a lot of resources for assessment. There are lots of ways to
Taking a Spiritual Inventory (with printable worksheet!) Read More »
Author Philip Pullman said, “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” The human ability to tell stories to one another in order communicate deep truths is a feature of every human culture and civilization “Once upon a time, our ancestors…” or “In the beginning, God.” It
The Power of Storytelling || Some Thoughts Read More »
Yesterday I read this piece on CNN Outlaw Pastor Rob Bell Shakes Up The Bible Belt. I have a few thoughts about Rob Bell worth reading, but I really want you to read that article. So if you click on it and read it, my work here is done. You can also read my thoughts and THEN click
The Things I’ve Learned from Rob Bell Over the Years… Read More »
This morning I was at a cafe getting some work done while my four-month-old daughter Marina Lynn was sitting beside me in her stroller. When her smiling and cooing turned to fidgeting and crying, I picked her up out of the stroller and started to pace around in the cafe. Two women caught our attention.
Do you feel like your ministry is marked by a lack of time, volunteers and money? You’re not alone. Many ministry leaders feel this way, and while there’s no “one size fits all” remedy, I’ve come to believe an abundance mentality is part of a successful ministry. The idea of abundance mentality comes from Stephen
How to Transform Scarcity Mentality to Abundance Mentality in Ministry Read More »
