I’m asleep in the early morning hours. There is a knock on my door, and a monk lets me know it is time to be in the chapel. Again. Praying. Again. Throughout the day it is a rhythm like breathing. To the chapel to pray. Back out to work. To the chapel to pray. Back out […]
12 Steps that Prepare a Community for Mission
On his first Maundy Thursday in office Pope Francis washed the feet of some of God’s people. Humble. Obedient. Outrageous. Jesus said “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14) And so Francis did it — but he colored outside the lines: […]
Who’s Going to Lead This Tribe?
Little ducks and geese know how to follow mom, and she knows how to lead them to food and safety. They have a system, and it works for them. Christians too find ways to lead and follow, whether they organize themselves into a church or a para-church, a small group or a monastery. The leadership […]
Community Life as Poetry
I write poetry from time to time. I don’t often share the results in public, but it is good for my soul. When I do write poetry I always find myself picking a form and sticking to it. I’m not up to writing a sonnet, but having the constraints of rhyme and meter actually help. […]
Where’s Your Community Going?
I was guest preacher at a little country church. There are thousands like it. They looked to be teetering on the brink of the abyss, hardly able to muster the leadership and funding to survive. My wife was chatting with one of the members — someone with a lot of complaints about their denomination’s influence […]