Dan Dick on the consumer culture we carry with us into the church – You Need to Understand.
Bishop Wil Willimon on the topic of suffering.
Matthew Paul Turner has a really great take on the group (groups?) speculating that this Saturday will bring the end of the world, and how it impacts the faith of the “least of these.” Certainly worth reading.
Church Marketing Sucks provides an overview of how some churches celebrated Mother’s Day. Some really great ideas on that list.
Jordon Cooper reminds us the best resumes don’t necessarily make the best leaders. Also, from a tweet Jordon sent out – read this next time you assume an unemployed (or homeless) person could just get a job at McDonalds – in their most recent hiring blitz they filled 62,000 positions… but received 1 MILLION applications.
The sales pitch for a great little place on Hoth.
Donald Miller on the enneagram, personality types and theological world-views. If you’ve been through seminary, you probably already have a pretty good handle on this, but it’s still interesting to consider.
Jen Lemen’s always brilliant words (especially when you are feeling low) – It’s Never Too Late.
The One Minute Review of Thor
One Minute Review: Thor from Thomas McKenzie on Vimeo.
Seth Godin on What People Want and The Future of the Library. On the library post, I wonder how much is equally applicable to the church:
The next
librarychurch is a place, still. A place where people come together to do co-working and coordinate and invent projects worth working on together. Aided by alibrarianpastor who understands the Mesh, alibrarianpastor who can bring domain knowledge and people knowledge and access to information to bear.
In a digital age, access to great preaching, Biblical scholarship and theological inspiration are just a couple mouse clicks away. On some levels, the local church can no longer compete in that regard. What the local church has to offer is the opportunity to connect people with each other and with information that will equip them to serve and be the people God calls them to be.
Jay Voorhees – Conversation with a Young Methodist. Also from Jay, The Young Clergy Question – I’m not sure I’m completely on-board with everything he brings up in this post; but I think there is a danger of wanting “young clergy” simply for the idea that they are “young” – especially when the Conference/District/Local Church doesn’t have systems in place to adequately support them. He’s completely right on when he says:
“The problem is not one of age — it’s a system that values conformity to institutional norms above that of leading congregations to a vibrant and living faith that is relevant to people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences. We have a process that lifts up those who say the right answers or who calm the boat in the storm, and does what it can to stamp out those with an entrepreneurial spirit. The issue isn’t age — it’s values.”
Nice post from Jeremy Smith on some basic Facebook “how-to’s” for pastors. I’ve been in conversation with colleagues that something like this, but even more specific needs to be distributed, as District Superintendents, clergy, and clergy spouses have sometimes pushed the limits of appropriate boundaries of sharing and interaction on Facebook. There is still a lot of gray area with social media in general, but there are some clear needs for basic education as well.
Thom Rainer on The Introverted Leader.
Laurie Haller on Church Bullies another “must read”.
Great post from my friend Jeff Nelson on Resurrection, the Counter, and Mickey Mouse Pancakes.
Jump day, tomorrow… looking forward to it, but I’m sure I’ll be making a deal, too: