So last Friday I attended the Safe Woman, Safe Family forum. Before I get into a few takeaways that I would think helpful to church folks, let me share some preliminary reflections I had. There were about 130 registrations ranging from local politicians to delegates of non-profit and support organizations. Of those, I was one […]
Read more "Learnings from the Safe Woman, Safe Family Forum."During a recent discussion on worship, the comment was made that worship is primarily for God. This got me thinking about what kind of worship brings God delight. Immediately, some scenarios in scripture jump to mind that are examples of worship where God is either delighted or disgusted. They are the following: 1. Hannah wails […]
Read more "What brings delight"Imagination cannot exist in a purely material world and what is life without imagination? Not human life that’s for sure.
Read more "Losing my imagination."I have always been something of an aircraft nut. I attended an aeronautics high school and nearly went for my pilot’s license before I eventually went into pastoral work instead. With that aviation background, I do even today still enjoy keeping abreast of the latest aviation news and I especially enjoy seeing some of the […]
Read more "A tale of two birds"Here’s an important question when we are looking at issues of burnout and exhaustion: why do we overload ourselves?
I believe it is because of a combination of the following:
We overestimate ourselves
We ache to look like a pro, like we can handle anything because we breathe an atmosphere that idolises performance and effectiveness.
I wonder if we had a ‘how nervous are you about your visit?’ form in our info pac that people receive when they come thru the door at church? Would people fill it out? Would they fill it out honestly or tell us what they think we want to hear? Would it be more than just visitors, but also some regulars that would surprise us by filling it out?
I guess this is the main question; if every visitor did fill one out, what would be the average score?
Read more "How nervous are you about your visit?"I recently when through a quintessentially modern crisis.
My phone has started doing some strange things. I’m due for a new one, but I’m trying to hold out till tax time. The issue is that I’m nervous that this little device that is just about the most necessary item that I carry on my person may have it’s own schedule for death mapped out.
Read more "Recharge thyself."