Cultivating Empathy. The Impact of Evolving Neighborood Demographics. In the 1980s, when I was living in Durham, North Carolina, I attended a church in a neighborhood undergoing transition.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church had been built to serve Hope Valley, an upper-class neighborhood, an early 20th-century enclave strategically positioned on the other side of the Durham County line, allowing residents to avoid racial tensions in town. By the late 1980s, however, change was afoot in Durham County. Huge planned developments sprang up, complete with schools, private pools, and associations. The new communities bore old-fashioned words like “chapel,” “farm,” or “woods” in their names, to give them an air of tradition. An odd thing, however, has happened since. What happened in Hope Valley was a microcosm of something happening all over the United States. John Maeda on Creative Leadership, Talking vs. Making, and Why Human Relationships Are a Work of Craftsmanship. By Maria Popova “You make relationships.
One at a time. With the same painstaking attention to craft that you knew as a maker.” “A leader’s real ‘authority’ is a power you voluntarily give him,” David Foster Wallace wrote in what remains the wisest meditation on leadership I’ve ever encountered, “and you grant him this authority not with resentment or resignation but happily.” Five Habits of Truly Effective Communicators. The Best of the Humanities on the Web. Facebook.
Before public speaking… Pre-consultation workshop- 5 Things I Wish Christians Would Admit About the Bible. Why This Lie? Brian Williams’ Pulpit Fiction. The deafening whomp-whomp-whomp you may have heard when Brian Williams got caught in a lie last week was not the approach of a Black Hawk helicopter.
It was the media’s schadenfreude machine roaring to life. Why would a man at the top of his field risk it all with unnecessary embellishments? Theories filled the air like the flak the news anchor never saw. Why This Lie? Brian Williams’ Pulpit Fiction. Sacred Matters. Midrash Rabbah. SIDEBAR - "Midrash Rabbah" What is it?
Midrash is the name given to certain collections of writings that are ordered around the layout of the Tanach. The Midrash is distinguished by the high amount of Aggadah it contains. Aggadah is the name given to a certain kind of writing (be it history, story, legend, allegory, scientific observation or such like) that is not legal or concerned with law. The Midrash is, therefore, mostly collections of stories that relate to words, themes, or narratives in the Tanach.
The word Midrash comes form the Hebrew root 'darash', meaning to search or investigate. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Little-Known U.S. Document Proclaims America's Government is Secular - The Early America Review, Summer 1997. By Jim Walker A few Christian fundamentalists attempt to convince us to return to the Christianity of early America, yet according to the historian, Robert T.
Handy, "No more than 10 percent-- probably less-- of Americans in 1800 were members of congregations. " The Founding Fathers, also, rarely practiced Christian orthodoxy. Although they supported the free exercise of any religion, they understood the dangers of religion. Problem loading page. What your friends with cancer want you to know (but are afraid to say) - Roadkill Goldfish.
Original image: Flickr, Justin Sewell People with cancer are supposed to be heroic.
We fight a disease that terrifies everyone. We are strong because we endure treatments that can feel worse than the actual malignancies. We are brave because our lab tests come back with news we don’t want to hear. The reality of life with cancer is very different from the image we try to portray. Our fight is simply a willingness to go through treatment because, frankly, the alternative sucks. The truth is that if someone you love has cancer, they probably won’t be completely open about what they’re going through because they’re trying so hard to be strong. HCI Congregational Survey. 2015 Lay Leadership Training Flyer. Revivals Are Dead: 5 Things That Will Never Be the Same Again - Carey Nieuwhof. You might think “things will never be the same again” is a conversation reserved for people over 70.
But my guess is you’re struggling with that in ministry leadership right now. Even if you don’t realize it. And you’re probably struggling with it more than you think. Wise leaders pay attention to those instincts and jump on any insights right away, because the key to the future lies within them. The Rise of the Dones. John is every pastor’s dream member.
He’s a life-long believer, well-studied in the Bible, gives generously, and leads others passionately. But last year he dropped out of church. He didn’t switch to the other church down the road. He dropped out completely. His departure wasn’t the result of an ugly encounter with a staff person or another member. John had come to a long-considered, thoughtful decision. Children's Ministry Curriculum. Revivals Are Dead: 5 Things That Will Never Be the Same Again - Carey Nieuwhof.