In Arthur Brooks’ book, Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, he provides a way of thinking about gratitude that I thought was incredibly helpful. The short, simple, profound, thought is: “Gratitude is very similar to exercise. We all know it’s good to be grateful and show […]
Eugene Peterson is concerned about the state of pastoral ministry. In Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity, Peterson warns his readers about pastors who “are abandoning their posts, their calling. . . . What they do with their time under the guise of pastoral ministry hasn’t the remotest connection with what the church’s […]
Jerry Sittser and his family were headed back home from an event when a drunk driver drove head-on into their minivan. Although he and three of his kids survived, tragically, his wife, mother, and one of his daughters all died at the scene of the accident. While most people don’t, thankfully, have to go through […]
Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy vol. 1 provides liturgies, or prayers, for all kinds of different situations. I thought I’d share the one he wrote for “The Death of a Dream.” In it, he skillfully and beautifully puts into words what so many feel when this happens and how they should process it in the […]
Last August, I had the privilege of sitting down with Mike Woodson, the pastor of Christ Church, to talk about 21 Days to Childlike Prayer for his fantastic “100+ Significant Moments in Christian History” podcast. I’ve enjoyed Pastor Mike’s podcast for quite some time. He does an unusually excellent job of summarizing history in substantive, […]
One of the major tasks of any leader is creating clarity. Patrick Lencioni, in his classic The Advantage, argues that in order for leaders to create clarity, leaders need need to make sure everyone they are leading is clear on six questions. These questions, he argues, aren’t unusually insightful. Rather, the insight is that “none […]
Teen anxiety, depression, and suicide rates have risen significantly in the last few years. Universities are no longer places where the free exchange of ideas can take place. Online anyone can be shamed or cancelled for saying something well-intentioned, as long as someone interprets it uncharitably. More problems could be noted. Many people sense that […]