Category: Spiritual Direction

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The Lenten Journey

Some people find it surprising that I like Lent. I really do like Lent. To me, Lent is a gift from the Church that invites me to step out of the ordinary madness of life and to slow the game of life down. Some friends of mine who are very holy say they refuse to […]

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What would Martin Luther do today?

The YM 2008 Conference was wonderful. Dan Kimball did a wonderful job of raising questions. We could discuss the answers….I don’t think we would totally agree….but I LOVE the questions. Kimball went back and wrote on his web page about the conference and then he did this part: « Imagining Martin Luther if he was […]

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Crisis and Faith Formation

One of the folks who posted on Pivot Point mentioned that he was intrigued that I had said on a retreat that my own expression of spirituality had changed as a result of a crisis in my life. The crisis prompted me to a more inward journey than before and seeking to be aware of […]

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Emerging Church, Part 2

The second day was very helpful. Kimball didn’t say it this way but my filter puts it in terms of my own belief and practice. The challenge is to be able to read and assess the context of the individual or group in order to respond appropriately (would this be another form of proper distinction […]

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Emerging Church

I am attending Youth Ministry 2008 sponsored by the LCMS Office of Youth Ministry.  The speaker is Dan Kimball, author of Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations and They Like Jesus But Not the Church.   Kimball contends that the Christian sub-culture has created a “bubble” that prevents interaction with the surrounding culture.  Kimball is […]

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Recent Items

  • The Loneliness Factor

    I was at a luncheon that was serving as a listening post for seniors to describe their sense of loneliness and isolation. I knew that the population invited to this luncheon was one that would probably have a higher sense of isolation, but, what I heard was much more intense than I expected. A man […]

  • Social Networks and Aging

    It is interesting that research is showing two demographics experiencing social isolation in such as way as to impact health: Young Adults (18-22) and Senior Adults (65+). I have worked with both populations over the past 50 years and I continue to be amazed at the similarity of the questions raised by both groups and […]

  • An Eye-Opening Awareness: One More Transition for this Guy

    I sat at a luncheon two weeks ago that opened my eyes to a reality that I knew was there, but as the discussion unfolded I began to realize how the discussion, about to take place, was going to expand my thinking. As I listened to the needs of the people with whom I shared […]

  • TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE: LETTING GOD SET THE AGENDA

    When it comes to the human condition and a desire to change, we can become easily frustrated: we think that we want to change … but we really don’t. Paul expresses this contradiction well in Romans 7:15-24: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do […]

  • The Crisis of Loneliness

    THE NATIONAL CRISIS CALLED LONELINESS From “LINKED IN” “America is becoming Isolation Nation. Nearly half of respondents to a nationwide survey by health insurer Cigna say they always or sometimes feel alone, and 54% say they feel no one knows them well. Such loneliness is connected to increased risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death. The […]