Let’s Reserve Martyrdom for Real Martyrs

I overheard a conversation on a plane recently that reminded me of an important truth about congregational ministry. It was on a Monday morning at the end of a flight out of Atlanta to another city. Monday morning flights out of Atlanta are often dominated by...

Down and up …

… or up and down. Take a hike in the mountains and you run into metaphors everywhere you turn. Take Tallulah Gorge, for example, on the edge of the Appalachians in northeastern Georgia. The gorge is a two-mile long canyon carved out over millions of years by the...

2 Essentials to Good Theological Education

A tweet I sent out recently opened up an interesting discussion: “It is not enough to be the smartest person in the room. Someone normal must be able to understand you. #NoteToYoungPhDGraduates.” There were some who joked on my Facebook page about sending...

What You Can Do When There’s Nothing You Can Do

Does it feel like a lot is going on in our world right now? ISIS kicking out Christians in Mosul. Strikes on Gaza to destroy tunnels, which were built to attack Israel. Ebola in West Africa. Syria. Central African Republic. Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17. I am well...