Browsing Tag

Church Leadership

What is the Church?

Jesus made it clear to the disciples: you are to be known by your love.

Note that he didn’t say we would be known by our theology, our politics, our opinions, our anger, our success, or our popularity.

Surprisingly, he also didn’t say we would be known by our intelligence, connections, or wisdom (even the junkyard kind).

We are to be known by our love.

Over the last few months, as church buildings sat vacant, have we been known by our love? Is the conversation about reopening them — when, how, is it safe — a loving conversation?

A few …

Random Thoughts,

The American Church seems in disarray. I suppose the Church has had problems from the beginning, has them now, and will have them for quite some time. But right now it does seem especially, well, sad to see what’s happening.

At times like this it is reassuring to find solace in the historical strength of our traditions. I found this humble prayer in a devotional book called Four Birds of Noah’s Ark. Taken from the age of Shakespeare, the prayers inside the book are well worth your time.

At the risk of copyright violations, here’s a prayer for the …

Book Reviews,

Cleopatra, Monkeys & Fish, and Selected to Live

Three more book reviews …

Hovering in the middle of the New York Times Bestsellers List is Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff. I was hesitant to read this book because Cleopatra isn’t exactly an unstudied personality. More has probably been written about her than any woman of the ancient world. But the reviews were so good that I gave it a try. I’m glad I did. Schiff has sorted through a lot of the misinformation about Cleopatra, whose history was mostly written by her detractors. One of the interesting threads of the book is how the cultural and gender …