VanderBeek, translated in to English, means "from the Brook" so it fit my last name that I was born in Brooks Alberta.
Pictures that show the seemingly ordinary in new light, and pictures of nature, both the seeing of them and the shooting of them.
How culture changes, how technology is changing us.
The power of narrative, of story.
Asking provocative questions and hearing good answers to them.
I will state it directly: We do not have enough emotional or relational maturity in our congregations and in our leadership. Irritations rub and rub until there is smoke and eventually full heated conflict.
Attitudes need monitoring, as does atmosphere. A detector for real smoke checks the atmosphere for clarity at regular intervals and if needed, sounds an alert. How is this done in churches?
What are some examples of unstated and hidden expectations present in churches? How to prevent them?
Fire alarms in homes detect indicators of a pending problem and sound a warning. Could we develop something equivalent for churches? What would such a detector sniff for?
"Hard" or "conflicted" partings of ways between pastors and congregations are steeply on the rise. So my question is, are there measurable pre-indicators of a potential "fire" in a congregation?
I realized this was a challenge for churches when I saw the large role expectations played in the relationship between pastors and churches, particularly when stated expectations were not met, but even more so when unstated expectations were not.
Being blocked on the way to living out a plan you are excited about and are convinced God is part of can knock one's spiritual equilibrium for a good spin.
I'm a Canadian CRC pastor who has accepted an invitation to serve a church in Iowa. I was refused entry to the US because my R-1 Visa was not complete at the time I tried to cross. Sharing the story here, it is my hope to prevent others from experiencing the same disappointing delays.
Good stuff Mark!
Achingly accurate.
Further note: I plan to take any comments and combine them with my own thoughts and post a compilation in about a month.
Testing 1, 2, 3 Hi Mom!
Three Preachsketeers.
Thanks for this Keith. Such a revealing of yourself and God's work on you helps me understand and relate to what you are saying better. In my view you are closer here to naming the real core...
Keith, there was something else niggling at me from what you wrote, and I think I have some clarity on it now. To fully understand my abbreviated describing of it, it will help if you know a bit...
Keith, I hear both your frustration and your agonized concern, though the frustration came through kinda loud and made your concern not so evident at first.
I have thought or keyboarded...
Serve it up: Maybe, probably not. Presentation matters and is a skill/craft/gift of it's own.
Deliver the Recipe: No, definitely not.
Share the Recipe: No.
The Word is not a...
"Could you cook all the meals that have nourished you in your life?" I asked, somewhat defensively, as a rookie preacher, when a man said in a group of people that he had heard enough sermons in...