The Disciplers We Often Ignore
In the minds of some, those with a disability are to be constantly prayed for until they are healed.
What can you teach a person who is blind about trust when in their daily interactions, they rely upon others for various tasks?
Providentially, God has allowed the disabled and non-disabled community to minister to each other mutually.
Welcoming Worship: A Conversation with MyGeneration Church
“We are very intentional with our worship—from our mid-day start time to our casual dress, snacks, welcome activities, interactive prayers, music, and fellowship. Our non-traditional services take place in a relaxed setting where people can feel comfortable, as if they have known us for years. We want every new visitor to feel at home.”
'Church' Is a Verb
“We are never more connected to the Body of Christ than when we are actively serving, worshipping, celebrating, learning, growing, and loving—when we are ‘churching’ together.”
Peacemaking and Christian Worship: A Conversation with Lisa Clark Diller from Adventist Peace Fellowship
“The Adventist Peace Fellowship wants people to live into the Peaceable Kingdom, and we do this when we exercise our sanctified imaginations. Music is, for most people in 21st century North America, the primary way they experience worship. The songs that we sing and listen to are vital in the forming of our view of God and each other. They help shape us and the community we create in our church.”
“Blessed are the Peacemakers”
“Our worship gatherings provide the rehearsal for us to live His peace in a fractured and tumultuous world. Jesus calls us to bring His peace into our communities. In so doing, we will experience the happiness and blessedness of becoming the children of God.”
2022 Virtual Summit on Abuse
The 2022 Virtual Summit on Abuse will take place on November 13.
Unfortunately, most churches do not address abuse at all.
This year’s Summit will be closed captioned in Spanish and French.
You Need a Mentor
Don't give up and don't go at this alone.
Here's a red flag.
Some Adventists have an issue paying a fair rate (or any at all) for mentorship.
Clergy Echo Chambers: A Conversation with Pastor Lenworth Sealey
I've been trying to operate on a 9 to 5 kind of schedule, doing a little bit more to erect boundaries.
And maybe my desire is not to come between them and God, but that's what a lack of boundaries teaches them. So the first person they turn to is the pastor.
I see it as more of my calling to affix people to Jesus and not the institution. That doesn't mean that I don't want them to be a part of the global community.
Writing Topics for this Newsletter
If you have something you know is worth sharing then share it.
We’ve included an upcoming topic schedule.
Writers are paid for their words.
Staying Adventist After San Antonio
A chaplain colleague who was attending the symposia with me strongly recommended that I attend a session on "moral injury."
How do you remain part of the same church as those who interpret their Adventism very differently than you?
For my spiritual well-being I needed to clarify where I stood morally with my church.
Pour Out. Pour In.
As I pour out, how am I creating space for someone to pour into me?
Figuring out how we get filled is difficult for many, if not most, of us.
When I know I need a friend or time or space I take it.
Unpacking the Pandemic: the Bad Days
I don’t remember any bad days.
It seems I’ve packed away the bad days into old metal chests.
Grace, the unmerited holding of our hearts by a Divine hand.
Gifts for the Kids
Author Reggie Joiner posits there are 936 weeks between birth and graduation, and encourages us to not waste any of them.
Decide today what grace will look like in your home, how forgiveness will be experienced after disagreements, how justice and mercy will be expressed by you and those under your roof.
Take time with Jesus together.
Reflecting on Arena Worship at CALLED
Just over two months ago, pastors from across the North American Division and beyond gathered with their families at CALLED, joining thousands of our sisters and brothers in Christ to fellowship, dream, learn, celebrate, and worship together. Members of the worship ensemble were asked to reflect on how the experience inspired, affirmed, and encouraged them in their local ministry and leadership. Hopefully, you will resonate with what they shared.
Liturgy in a Changing World
“Rather than trying to unwind the clock, it seems we’d be wise to ask which of our inherited practices are worth preserving and adapting, allowing us to appreciate the past, look to the future with hope, but embrace the present reality.”
Upgrading Worship Technology: An Interview with Todd Stout from Church of the Advent Hope
“I think the key in worship gatherings is that technology supports the interaction and contribution of all participants in one way or another, which facilitates the experience of communion with God and community with one another.”
Unpacking the Pandemic: The Good Days
Things were new. Creativity flowed. God showed off.
The summer dress code was “Wear what you won’t faint in”.
And everything was fine because the main point was being able to worship God together.