November 2015
Three Ways to Simplify Advent
Much has been written to the individual about how we should simplify holidays, but it gets a bit more complicated for those of us in ministry. We are, after all, responsible for other people whom we fear may be alone or neglected during the holidays. We also feel compelled to help others connect to God during the holidays rather than default to the culture’s interpretation ...
Troublesome Women Preachers
Editor’s Note: This year for Thanksgiving, we want you to know that we’re thankful for you! For all the work you put in, for all the awkward situations you navigate, for all the hard messages you preach. Being a woman in ministry is not always an easy path. But you are doing it. So today we offer this sermon from Rev. Tiffany Thomas to let you know just how thankful ...
Pastor or Director: Does Title Matter?
Several years ago, I had a breakfast meeting with an elder at my church. When the check came, I reached across the table to pay. But he refused and said, “I have a policy that I always pay for the pastor.” I laughed. “But I am not a pastor,” I said, using air quotes. He responded, “Yes you are. That may not be your title but it is what you do.” ...
Leadership Without a Title
How would you exercise spiritual leadership if you weren’t allowed to be employed by a church, teach publicly, or attend seminary?
Sarah Edwards (1710–1758), wife of famous colonial pastor Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), lived with all these restrictions, yet they didn’t stop her from becoming one of the most spiritually influential women in her ...
Communicate to Both Women and Men
In her landmark book, You Just Don’t Understand, linguist and researcher Deborah Tannen, noted that women tend to use communication to connect and emphasize common ground, even from a young age. Men, on the other hand, more often use communication to compete, to assert their authority. Whether these traits are inborn or simply learned at a very young age, the fact is ...
My Burnout Led to a Breakthrough
My brother’s car sped off down the street. The police officer jumped into his vehicle in pursuit. What started off as a suicide intervention had quickly turned into a high speed car chase. As I sat in shock in the first squad car chasing my brother, our speeds increasing to 80 miles an hour, all I could do was pray. Miraculously, the chase ended without any physical ...
The Cost of Caring
Fatigued from a sleepless night of worry, I sat frozen, staring at a list of unanswered emails. I had been coming alongside a woman in my ministry, and her email subject lines had increased in intensity over the week from “Can you help?” to “I’m hurting!” Suddenly, her one word text—CRISIS—dinged on my phone, and I burst into tears. ...
My Difficult Past Makes Me a Better Leader
I once saw my past as a liability. I thought I had the wrong upbringing, the wrong ethnicity, and even the wrong sex. But God had a different plan.
Starting at the age of 8, I walked a mile with my little sister and brother to our little country church, tip-toeing past the house with the two menacing German shepherds on the porch. Although my parents never took us to ...