The thing about meetings is that they are necessary. Not everyone seems to think that these days though. “Get rid of meetings!” they seem to say. But meetings are necessary. Granted, all the meetings you’re having are probably not necessary. And they may not need to be as frequent as you have them. And they […]
For information on our Faith, Life, and Work Conference, click here. When we talk about how “everything is spiritual,” or the importance of integrating all of our Faith, Life, and Work, we owe a debt to Abraham Kuyper. He famously said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, […]
The highlight of David Brooks’ book The Road to Character was his portrayal of St. Augustine’s internal journey. Brooks skillfully connects this ancient saint’s experience to our own. In one place, he speaks to an issue common to many college students and young adults: Augustine’s feeling of fragmentation has its modern corollary in the way […]
In his wonderful poem Choruses from “The Rock,” (which I anticipate quoting from in the future), T.S. Eliot makes a case for the Church: “Why should men love the Church? Why should they love her laws? She tells them of Life and Death, and of all that they would forget. She is tender where they would be […]
This is a broken world. You know that. I know that. People know that. They want justice. They want peace. They want flourishing. They want people to have clean water and mosquito nets and new shoes and literacy and no abuse and access to education–and the list goes on. They want things to be […]
In his classic Life Together, Bonhoeffer quotes Martin Luther on the dangers of only spending time with people we like or who are like us: “Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes … he […]
If you read some leadership literature these days, it’s all about “hire the right people, only the best people, so that you don’t need to have meetings and manuals to hold them in check.” In other words, be highly selective about whom you bring on. But can we really do this? People don’t come out […]
It’s not easy to keep things simple. If you can’t explain a concept to an 8 year old, you might not really understand it. And we see this all the time in the church. Unnecessary complexity in ministry systems keeps them clogged and ineffective. Unnecessary complexity in faith conversations keeps us from meaningful, substantive ways […]
From time to time, I thought I’d share what I’m reading and finding helpful or stimulating. If you’re reading these or anything else interesting, I’d love to know in the comments! As you might expect from Keller, a marvel of genius-by-compression on many issues of preaching. As one reviewer said, more of a manifesto than manual. […]
“I’m considering going to seminary. Do you have any advice?” This conversation happens often enough–a few times a semester, and twice in the last two weeks—that I’ve compiled a list of questions I ask potential seminarians. I use these to prime the pump for our conversation and their discernment. Of course I have recommendations […]
