Although Susan Colantuono TED Talk is pitched particularly to women, it’s something men and women can profit from…and especially in the church. Colantuono talks about the “missing third” of leadership. She makes the case that, particularly when it comes to the advice given to women in middle management positions, we’re clear that it’s important to develop one’s own skills and talent, and we’re clear that it’s also important to develop our networks and relationships. But we don’t always value another essential dimension of leadership – that is, how to follow through on...

I woke up this morning in Phoenix and look forward to sharing the day with leaders of the Grand Canyon Synod. On may way from the airport last evening I had a rather remarkable experience. Actually, it was on the one hand rather ordinary, even mundane, but maybe that’s why it made it seem all the more extraordinary. I’ll confess that Sky Harbor – Phoenix’s airport – is not my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, filled with shops, restaurants, even a museum, and there’s nothing quite like emerging from whatever climate you’ve been in to the warmth of the Phoenix sun. But what I...

Dear Partner in Preaching, I have a hunch that paying attention to just a little bit of grammar might help you preach the readings appointed for Reformation Sunday (and, for that matter, Pentecost 20). The point of grammar in question is that we often speak of sin in the plural when we should focus on the singular. A small thing, I know, but before you dismiss this distinction, let me explain first what I mean and then why I think it matters. When we talk about sin, it’s almost always in the plural – sins – as in describing bad things we’ve done. But sin described across Scripture, and particularly in Paul, is not so much a thing as...

So what if all the decline our congregations and denominations have experienced in recent decades has little to do with a failure of leadership (what congregational leaders fear) or changes in theological or political stances (what more conservative church leaders assert) or a degenerate or disinterested generation of believers (what people in the pew too often feel) or with any of the other things we usually attribute it to. What if the decline is simply the result of a massive cultural shift? That is, what if we now live in a world where the emerging generation a) has tons of options for ways to think about and make sense of their lives,...

Okay, so this post is probably more for me than you, as I regularly have a hard time getting anywhere near eight hours of sleep. At my best, I value sleep and at least try to get a decent night’s rest. At my worst I resent the need for sleep and wish I could do without. Except this isn’t just my problem, I know. We live in a world that is constantly and chronically under-slept and operates on the verge of exhaustion. That can’t be good – for us as individuals or as a society. Where did we get the idea that a full life is a life with no rest, no Sabbath, not time to stop and refresh? I’m not sure, but I think that somewhere down...