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I Don’t Know What I’m Doing | Pastoral Reflections on COVID-19
Just over three months ago I became head Pastor of a church, my first pastorate. The first few months went very well as I got to know the people in our congregation, became adjusted to crafting weekly sermons, and began to adjust to the rhythms of the congregation. Things were…
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Journaling Through Life: Writing Things Down and the Power of Words
“As you move through this new stage of your life, I encourage you to buy a journal and write things down.” These were some of the first words I heard when I entered my graduate school education ten years ago. It was in a Q&A session with current students and…
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Find Your Community: A Call to Ministers to Not Walk Alone
Ministry can be a lonely place. For those who carry the title ‘minister,’ this reality is not a surprise. When you spend your day-to-day work pouring much of what you have into other people, there is often little left over for your own existence. I have served as minister for…
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8 Realities for Creating Internships That Matter
Last week, a friend who works in an industry different from mine and I were talking about supervising interns. I’ve supervised graduate student interns for the last 8 years and we were discussing the best practices for making the internship experience a rewarding and educational one for both the intern…
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Why I’m An Advocate for Campbell University
I was recently asked to attend an advocacy event for my Alma mater. Unfortunately, I was unable to do so due to other events, but Campbell has been such a critical part of my development and career, that I wanted to still share why I still serve as an advocate…
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Engaging the “Other” Young Adults in Our Congregations
What if, in our journey to reach college-aged young adults, we’re missing the “other” young adults that are already in our midst– and who are ready to lead? Over the last 8 years, I have worked with college-aged young adults both in the church and on campus. Over that…
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The Pilgrimage from Graduate Sunday: 7 Ideas for Congregations to Stay Connected
Yesterday, in many churches across the nation, high school seniors donned their cap and gown and “crossed the stage” of our sanctuaries. The service framed by their achievement, the sermon charged their future, and the gifts celebrated that they’d made it to the end of one great journey, and to…
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At the Intersection of Death and Love | Reflections on Ash Wednesday
Today is an odd day. On the one hand, today is Ash Wednesday: a day we focus on the finality of death, the realization that our lives are short and headed toward an end. But, juxtaposed against that, is that today is also Valentine’s Day: a day we celebrate the…
