I’m currently on parental leave from my position as an associate pastor. Our church has been incredibly supportive of our growing family. Not everyone is so blessed. Parental leave is a sticky wicket in America. It shouldn’t be, but it is. From my own ongoing personal experience, here are 10 Reasons Parental Leave is Necessary. 10. Yesterday … More 10 Reasons Parental Leave is Necessary
Daily devotions don’t always stick. Quiet times are hard. I know I’m not the only one who has started a new time-alone-with-God program only to have it fizzle in a month (or a week, or a day…). Ever since we welcomed our first son in 2012, I’ve found devotions to be even more of a challenge. There are … More Shame & Transformation * 10 Minute Devotional
At the ripe old age of 33, I’ve been to more funerals than most my age. Some I’ve attended as a friend or family member, but most I’ve officiated at as a pastor. Each one has been as unique as the person who died, each has been an honor, and each has had its own lessons … More 10 Lessons from Funerals
So how? How can we settle down the busyness, the anxiety, the constant swarm of activities and practice God’s blessing of Sabbath rest? If we want to take seriously God’s words of life—knowing that these commands are made for us, that, as Jesus says in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath is made for people,” to help … More The How – Sabbath Part 3
Being a parent can be scary. It is rough out there. There are the culture wars—Democrat versus Republican, conservative versus liberal, Independent versus I’m-moving-to-Canada. There are the mommy wars—breast versus bottle, carrier versus stroller, working versus stay-at-home (and thus, working harder). And then, of course, there are actual wars. Terror attacks that come near our … More The Hope of the World
If you haven’t read it, start with last Friday’s introductory post on Sabbath here. Have you ever been given a gift you didn’t really want? When I graduated high school one of my favorite teachers gave me four rolls of quarters at my graduation party. Sure, it was $40, but it seemed a really odd … More But Why? Sabbath Practice Part 2
Churchgoers have a pastor. Pastors have pastors, too. Folks who have mentored us, worked alongside us, prayed for us, listened to us. Folks who invite us in from the cold when the tough gets going, who help us to gather around the warm fireplace of Scripture and friendship and encourage us to remember once again … More My Friend Eugene
I once rode a hospital elevator to visit a friend recovering from surgery and this really good looking guy got on. This was back in my single days, so I entertained a brief fantasy about how his name was probably Sean and he’d notice my stylish leather jacket and ask me to dinner and we’d go … More Fully Known, Fully Loved
In an essay he wrote in 1930, John Maynard Keynes predicted a 15-hour workweek by 2030, when we’d all have time to enjoy “the hour and the day virtuously and well.” During the 1950s during the post-WWII boom in productivity, along with rising incomes and standards of living, led economists and politicians to predict that … More The Busyness Trap: Sabbath Practice Part 1
You love Jesus. You love learning. You’re interested in serving in ministry. The question comes up… Should you go to seminary? It’s a spiritual question, of course, but it’s a practical one as well. I’m deeply grateful for my seminary degree and experience, but there are a few things I wish I would have thought … More So You Want to Go to Seminary
Courtney Ellis 