[Attempting to Become] All Things to All People
Do you ever read the Bible and find yourself being totally challenged by something you find? If you read the same Bible […]
Tag: spiritual formation
Cats, Kittens, Helicopters & College Students
I have to confess to you… I’m not a pet person. I learned at a fairly young age that I am VERY allergic […]
The Problem With Being Present [With My Family]
I love my family. I can’t begin to describe the intimate connection I feel when I think of my kids. I never […]
Online Spiritual Formation [?]
While the origins of the internet reach back to the 1960s, I was in college when it came of age (mid […]
An Honest Assessment
In two previous posts on assessment, Satisfying Work [?] and 3 Steps to More Satisfying Work, I shared a few points of […]
3 Steps to More Satisfying Work
What does the word ‘assessment’ do for you?
My guess would be that it evokes one of two responses: 1) you become giddy at the thought of a deep and thorough examination of pertinent data, calculating results and determining important ‘next steps’ (less common – it has to be!), OR 2) your pulse begins to race, your stomach begins to turn, and you suddenly feel like you’re at the bottom of a 14,000 foot mountain with neither the equipment nor the expertise to attempt the climb (more common — especially for the relational-types that make up a large percentage of the ministerial population).
While I don’t think I’ll ever LOVE the idea of assessment, I do think it’s important.
Extreme Measures
The picture to the right is of a man (yes, fully clothed) running through Death Valley.
Extreme athletes will often go to extreme measures in their training in order to be most fully prepared for their upcoming event/s.
It’s a part of what makes them great!
Their willingness to push themselves beyond their limits — and far beyond what most of us would be willing to do — is what distinguishes them from the rest of us.
An Important Question
What does it means to “train” people in the faith.
Last summer I had the chance to sit with Dr. Jerry Sittser, Professor of Theology at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA.
As a church historian, Jerry shared story after story from the early church Christians, as well as the desert fathers and mothers, regarding how they engaged in spiritual formation — training to be spiritual athletes.
Towards Thin Places
Our reality is that we do life in the thick of it. And while God exists in the thick places, just as much as He does in the thin places, we typically have a much easier time experiencing Him in those thin places.
Our ministry contexts are filled with demands, responsibilities, tasks, deadlines, opportunities, relationships, roles, etc.
What Gives?
About a year and a half ago I had the chance to grab lunch with a very accomplished thinker, educator, author, minister-type.
He has done so much over the course of his life, so I just had to ask, “how do you do it all?”
I was a little surprised by his response:
Sleep is overrated!