I’ve been reading a lot this week and posted a whole bunch on Facebook. I fear I’ll lose track of all of these things so I’m gathering these things together before I lose track. Here it goes.
Becoming a Better Judge of People. I think church people need to embrace these 10 hints at how we might better understand each other. Too often, it seems we judge each other. I heard this bit of wisdom from one of our sages in Leisurely Lectionary this week and was delighted to find it composed online. (Though it was actually said better in Leisurely Lectionary.)
Man of Steel, Man of God? Our middlers went to see this movie on Thursday that poses really tough questions about who Jesus is. If you haven’t guessed yet, I really like Jesus. I wouldn’t make him a superhero. But maybe you would.
A Call for a Movement to Redefine the Successful Life. I’ve been talking about sabbath a lot with our staff. This fits well within that conversation as we try very hard to figure out what really matters.
The Leadership Trait That Barack Obama and Dick Cheney Share. Leadership is a hot topic among clergy leaders right now. My first call in New England embedded in my the fierce Congregational idea that the pastor doesn’t have all the power. This article seems to point to the fact that our love of the institution is really what matters. And yet, our expectations of leaders are somehow complicated.
Embrace and Abandonment. Read this. You don’t need my thoughts to do so.
I Know What You Think Me. A colleague and I were recently talking about what clergy call the “fishbowl” meaning that clergy live in one. Our choices in what we wear, where we live and so on are evaluated by church members. My colleague was talking about the weight her pastor gained or lost, and how shocked she was to hear church members comment on the fact. And yet, this article seems to hint that any one of us that uses email or social media is a possible victim of the fishbowl. In which case, I’d say, go back and reread the first article.
That’s enough for now. What are you reading?
Cooking with Elsa 