Peterson's first chapter is on what he views as the primary angle of pastoral vocation - prayer. He begins the chapter by describing the meaning of ordination as he sees it and his words are so very poignant that I must retype them for myself. Peterson writes these words as the words of the church to the pastor who is ordained and charged to lead it. "Yet century after century Christians continue to take certain persons in their communities, set them apart, and say 'We want you to be responsible for saying and acting among us what we believe about God and kingdom and gospel. We believe that the Holy Spirit is among and within...

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I've started re-reading Eugene Peterson's book "Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity" as my morning devotion. I'm struck by how appropriate Peterson's description of the current reality of pastoral work is to my own experience. He speaks of how easy it is to do the outward and visible work of a pastor without attending to the inward disciplines that form the basis of our calling. Peterson is almost angry as he begins his introduction: "American pastors are abandoning their posts, left and right, at an alarming rate. They are not leaving their churches and getting other jobs. Congregations still pay their salaries....

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I love Advent.  It is my favorite season of the church year.  If you love Advent too, then I want to recommend to you an excellent Advent devotional that you can use during this season of waiting and preparing.  It hosted on the blog of Christine Sine and features a different author every day.  Check it out. http://godspace.wordpress.c...

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I subscribe to blog called "Good," but I didn't find anything good about the following post. It makes me sad to read that not only are people of my generation (I'm a Millennial, barely) less religious than ANY generation in history, but that the author of this post sees religious people in such black and white terms. It seems that she equates religiosity with bigotry -- the more religious you are, then the more bigoted you are. Her logic follows that if you are less religious, then you are less bigoted. But she leaves no room for a third way - the reality that you can be a religious person and not a jerk or a hypocrite...

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One of my friends shared this on Facebook today.  It's a video of a flock of starlings in Ireland on the River Shannon.  Scientists don't know why the birds fly in this beautiful, complex dance.  It looks ordered and spontaneous at the same time.  I thought it was just an absolutely beautiful example of how nature can take our breath away...

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This morning I read the following article about what it means to occupy God's kingdom. I thought this was a provocative way to describe our calling as Christians. Here's a quote and an link to the full article:No political protest or government policy or economic system can do what God’s mercy can do. God’s mercy is the only thing that can change the world because it converts us from self-reliant, self-centered people who clutch tightly to what is mine into brothers and sisters in Christ who share freely what belongs to God. We occupy the kingdom of God when we understand that the denarius coin God holds out for each of...

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I'm a consumer.  I definitely spend too much time buying clothes and shoes and books and fancy food from Central Market.  I admit this.  But I also see the problem with it, not only because of the fights it causes in my marriage ("But honey, it was on sale!"), but also because I see how being a consumer can consume me.  I can get so wrapped up in looking for a bargain, in shopping for something to wear, that I become consumed with the task of consuming. The preoccupation we have with consumption carries into areas of our life that have little to do with money.  Here's an excerpt of a blog post I...

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