From October 2009: I've recently noticed something about myself in relation to my having Aspergers. I tend to be someone that can be doggedly persistent about something. Where as others can be focused on something for a while and then give up, I tend to persist...and persist. For example, whenever I've been without work,... Continue Reading →
Repost: Are Mainline Churches Like Detroit?
From April 2009. The Big Three have made some changes for the better (the city of Detroit itself is a whole other story). Have Mainline Churches made any changes? Should they? I've been wondering lately if there is anything in common with Mainline Protestant Churches and the American Auto Industry.Having been ordained in a... Continue Reading →
Repost: I Think I Can, I Think I Can…
From October 2009: I've recently noticed something about myself in relation to my having Aspergers. I tend to be someone that can be doggedly persistent about something. Where as others can be focused on something for a while and then give up, I tend to persist...and persist. For example, whenever I've been without work,... Continue Reading →
The Miracle of Employment (Really)
Every so often, I wonder how I ended up with two good jobs. I don't know how I got my current full time job with the Presbytery and my call as Associate Pastor. I am shocked that I haven't made some mistake at some point that sent me packing. It's not that I have done... Continue Reading →
“We Must Look to the Future”
There's a story in the lore of First Christian Church-Minneapolis that involves one Dr. George Haggard. Dr. Haggard was already pretty advanced in years when the story begins, but his spirit was still young. What was then Portland Avenue Church of Christ (we became First Christian Church-again-in 1955) was thinking about building a new church... Continue Reading →
More About Young Clergy
Fifty-something Presbyterian pastor, Jan Edmiston chimes in on the young vs. old clergy smackdown: Several pastors seeking paid positions in the church are over age 65. Maybe they still have mortgages, or maybe they’ve used their savings to help their children, or maybe they’ve depleted their savings to pay medical bills. Several of those who... Continue Reading →
More About Young Clergy
Fifty-something Presbyterian pastor, Jan Edmiston chimes in on the young vs. old clergy smackdown: Several pastors seeking paid positions in the church are over age 65. Maybe they still have mortgages, or maybe they’ve used their savings to help their children, or maybe they’ve depleted their savings to pay medical bills. Several of those who... Continue Reading →
Christmas Sunday Sermons: Phoning It In
Alan Bevere is really indignant about the attitude some pastors have about Christmas this year since it falls on a Sunday: I have had conversations with a few pastors in the past few weeks who basically admitted that since worship attendance on Christmas Day and New Year's Day will likely be sparse, they are simply... Continue Reading →
Christmas Sunday Sermons: Phoning It In
Alan Bevere is really indignant about the attitude some pastors have about Christmas this year since it falls on a Sunday: I have had conversations with a few pastors in the past few weeks who basically admitted that since worship attendance on Christmas Day and New Year's Day will likely be sparse, they are simply going... Continue Reading →
Thoughts About Young Clergy
Carol Howard Merritt has a post up about the young clergy crisis. Here's a bit of her post: Since I’ve been chairing a national Presbyterian Church (USA) committee on the Nature of the Church for the 21st century, I’ve been gaining a different perspective on many of the larger trends of our denomination. One thing... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 