Clergy Under 40 Conference at Montreat

If you are a PC(USA) clergy person under the age of 40, you are younger than the average Presbyterian in your church; you are online, energized, underpaid, frustrated, prophetic, misunderstood, innovative, post-modern, disillusioned, hopeful, all of the above....and perfect for this conference.

Connect with a community of young clergy for spiritual renewal, mutual encouragement, relevant workshops, and worship you don't have to lead.

Bruce will be there. Montreat June 8-11. For more info on alt7 2009, click here.


alt7 2009 from Montreat on Vimeo.

New NOOMA!

Many of us spend our lives striving for newer and better things, but have ceased to be grateful for our good gifts. Rob makes the point that it is in sharing with others that we actually receive what we seek through the acquisition of more stuff. Click here to watch a preview.

Spirituality and Fund-Raising

Spirituality and fund-raising. When I saw these two terms in the same phrase, I truly thought I had seen it all. Give credit to Henri Nouwen for making me a believer that they are not mutually exclusive. In a small booklet titled "The Spirituality of Fund-raising," Nouwen shares some powerful insights into fundraising. Some nuggests of wisdom include: Fundraising is a form of ministry in which we announce a vision and invite others into our mission, we need to ask our donors to participate in our vision and not just write us a check, we need to confront our fears of asking for money, and his invitation to explore whether our security is found in God or money. This is a truly powerful and insightful piece of writing. Make a note to read this before your next Stewardship campaign.

On Shelves Now: Calvin DVD

The Calvin DVD produced by Witherspoon Press to commemorate the 500th birthday of the great reformer has arrived. John Calvin: His Life and Legacy is an excellent introduction to the great Reformed theologian and pastor. Featuring excellent footage from Geneva and expert commentary from a variety of scholars such as Martin Marty, Brian Gerrish, and Richard Mouw, the hour long DVD contains chapters on Calvin's context, his views on God, the church, culture, and his legacy. I recommend viewing a chapter at a time in a Sunday School setting, followed by analysis and discussion, as a means of exploring Calvin's thought and continuing relevance. Study guides are available in the Extras section of the DVD. Watch a preview below.

Understanding Young Adults

Do you ever wonder how young adults approach religious faith today? If so, take a gander at my new article. It appears in the latest issue of Hungry Hearts: A Journal of Reformed Spirituality. Click here to read the article. What do you have to lose, it's only 2 pages long!

Princeton Youth Ministry Conference

Princeton Seminary is holding a youth ministry conference April 27-30. Click here for more information.

New Environmental Resources

We have three new environmental resources you should know about. The first is Earth-Wise: A Biblical Response to Environmental Issues. This short book looks at creation care from a biblical perspective. It includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter and is written by Calvin DeWitt, professor of environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The second is simple pocket book called How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take to Change a Christian? This fun little book gives plenty of suggestions of ways you can shrink your carbon footprint.

The third resource, Clean Water for All of God's Children, is a DVD that highlights the work of Living Waters for the World, a mission project of the Synod of Living Waters, that trains and equips mission teams to share the gift of clean water with communities in need.

Two Good Devotionals

We just received two books that would make excellent devotional reading this Lenten season. The first is entitled Alive to God in Jesus Christ. It is a basic 40 day, daily devotional written by Joseph Small. Small is the Director of Theology and Worship for the PC(USA).

The second is a book that highlights women's contributions to the spiritual heritage of Reformed Christians. In Trusted Voices: Spiritual Wisdom for Lost Generations of Women, Diane Karay Tripp lifts up twenty-five Reformed women whose stories have been forgotten, yet who offer spiritual wisdom pertinent to our lives today.

My Lenten Practice

Have you chosen a Lenten discipline yet? My advice to you is this, don't give something up this year. Add a practice instead. Because after Lent, if you give something up successfully, all you will have is a story to brag about. (Or, more likely, something to feel bad about not being able to sustain.) Will power is important, so let's channel into doing something that will add to your life once Lent is over.

My discipline this year is that I am going to engage in a time of examen every evening. In the examen, you simply share with God things you are thankful for, then things you are struggling with, and then talk to God about them. For a simple guide, go here or here. Engaging in this discipline will help you to begin "listening to your life" and learn to see God's presence in your everyday activities.

Whatever practice you choose, may God bless your discipline this Lenten season.

A Very Relevant Book

My first memory of the guy is how dignified he looked while walking his dogs. Louis Weeks was the president of Union-PSCE while I attended there. He certainly looked the part. Wasp-y. Distinguished looking grey hair parted on the side. Always dressed like he just stepped out of an Orvis catalogue. When I first saw him, I thought, man, this guy really looks the part.

It didn't take long for my initial positive impression to change to one of dissappointment. Maybe it was his thick southern accent. Or perhaps it was the fact that he never learned my name despite having met him many times. Or maybe it was how he ran the school. I can't remember exactly why he annoyed me so much, but I was definitely not a fan.

That's why my enthusiasm for his new book is so strange. It is strange because not only am I not a fan, I am even less fond of church administration. Let's face it, administration is not the reason anyone goes to seminary. This is not the call they are answering. "My child, please serve me...in endless committee meetings."

Yet, I have come to discover that this is what actual day to day ministry entails. Ministry consists of thousands of little decisions and projects that in the midst of them don't seem very holy or meaningful. These are the jobs that Weeks calls "scutwork" and the ones that he holds up as vital for church workers to reclaim.

For a nice teaser of Weeks' argument, check out his short piece in the January 27, 2009 issue of the Christian Century. The book this article is promoting is called All for God's Glory: Redeeming Church Scutwork. It is published by Alban.