It is just 11 days until we gather at Elmbrook Church for our one-day seminar for pastors and worship leaders called “Spirit and Truth: Preaching and Creativity in Worship Today.” Here are 12 reasons I think this is going to be a very rich time…
Just 11 days until “Spirit and Truth” Read More »
Don’t know exactly what to make of this story in the news, other than it’s sheer weirdness. A gigantic statue of Jesus in Ohio was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Called by local residents, “Touchdown Jesus,” it has long been
Spiritual development means not just becoming more (growth), and becoming different (transformation), but also becoming better integrated within ourselves in all of our relations. When a body grows, its parts don’t just get larger, they become better connected. Nerves thicken and branch out, blood vessels and capillaries lengthen into every bit of living tissue, bones
Spiritual Growth as Integration Read More »
To what degree should leaders either show or overtly use emotion as part of their leadership? This very point is being debated widely (and emotionally!) in the media today over President Obama’s personal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. One side pleads for an emotional front face on the crisis, the
Leadership and Emotion Read More »
More than 100 of you made comments in the post “Vocation or Vacation.” The comments were revealing, encouraging, and heart-rending. I ask myself, what can a person do who feels trapped in a very difficult job? Easy question to ask, hard to answer. Here are some thoughts that line up with the message on the
Dealing with a Difficult Job Read More »
In our part of the world the Good Friday worship gathering is always one of the most moving experiences of the year. Of course, that is not because of what we do, but because it an authentic engagement with God. The people come with the mindset: bring us together with the crucified Jesus. We know
Worship not forgotten Read More »
Lord, I’m going to work now. It seems like it was just an hour ago I was waking up and getting ready to do my work. One day seems to run into the next. So I pray that today you would show me something new,
A Prayer to Start the Work Day Read More »
Last week 1,200 Christian leaders from around the world meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, finished a conference on global mission, 100 years after a gathering of 1,000 leaders in the same city convened and prompted the dramatic modern missions movement. They issued the following call, just released.
What a difference 100 years makes Read More »
RELEVANT has an article on Butchering the Bible out of Context by Josh Loveless; John Ortberg offers some thoughts on “Today’s Most Devalued Virtue: Why Is a Once-Honored Leadership Trait Now Despised?.” How about being careful about our expectations of technology: 4 Myths About Using Technology in Church. And along those same lines, the New York Times has info on
A word from Mel The Brook Network is brand new, but the connections between Christian leaders in all different walks of life and in cultures around the world is tremendous! Please consider 1) using the “Stay Connected” box at the top to get the weekly email with resources for you; and 2) leaving a comment
It was very sad to hear in the news that Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper had announced that they were separating, sadder yet is the fact that it has just been two weeks since they celebrated their fortieth anniversary. The number “forty” appears throughout the Scriptures, typically for a long and sometimes difficult
It is time to appoint a new leader: a new board member, or a chairman of a building committee, or a new pastor. How do we know when we are looking at someone who has wisdom? Based on the biblical criteria and common experience, we could ask these seven questions. 1. Does this person show
7 Characteristics of Wise Leaders Read More »
Garrison Keillor in an op-ed piece in the New York Times laments the end of publishing and the proliferation of cheap words: We live in a literate time, and our children are writing up a storm, often combining letters and numerals (U R 2 1derful), blogging like crazy, reading for hours off their little screens,
Most leaders and most congregations are smart enough not to view conflict as fatal. Congregations want their leaders to work out problems. We ask people not to give up on their marriages and to avoid divorce, and they expect leaders to try to work out difficulties in the church. They look to leaders and say:
Conflict – you’re surprised?!? Read More »
If you missed the class, here is a crash-course…
Leaders must walk on water Read More »