Do you have unofficial holidays that mark your years and help you see how you and the people around you have grown? For me, one of those is The Extravaganza. It’s a gathering of Lutherans who focus on Children, Youth and Family Ministry throughout the United States. Over my decades of attendance I’ve taken on […]
Tag Archives: Lutheran
Ever put on last year’s clothes from a particular season and they fit, but they don’t fit?
This is not a post about physically outgrowing a fall jacket. It’s a post about life from a year or two ago just no longer feeling like it fits. We’ve all been through a pandemic. We’re all emerging out of it. Some things about our old lives will fit. Some won’t. Maybe we can just […]
After a year of disconnection, this is a chance to know and be known.
After a year of disconnection, this is a chance to know and be known. After a year of the world shifting, this is a chance to faithfully consider how we have shifted.After a year of responding to each crisis as it arises, this is a time to step into our gifts and skills to move […]
Stepping out of our existing calling.
I coach church leaders, small business owners, and artistic folks to fully step into their calling. It sounds great, but it often starts with gathering the bravery to step OUT of our existing calling. Why does it require bravery? Because we feel boxed in by the weight of expectations. We feel safe in our current […]
Serving and connecting with your community this summer.
Last Saturday we handed out groceries to more than 500 of our neighbors on the Upper West Side. What matters most is fighting food insecurity with nutritious options, but beyond that I love the camaraderie of being involved.It’s a truly multi-generational experience, with meaningful jobs for people of all ages. We have music playing, appetizers […]
The feeling that you need a change is a good enough reason.
That idea you want to hatch? You don’t need to justify it to anyone. You just need to roll it out in a way that honors everyone affected. I talked with a friend the other day who is thinking of moving just because she wants to, yet she is so aware that she doesn’t have a […]
When we are clear on our mission, we can be flexible in the path to the outcome.
When we are clear on our mission, we can be flexible in the path to the outcome. Sometimes that means sprinting inside to an alternate camera when your outdoor camera freezes and it’s 10 seconds to air.Last weekend was an annual event called the ELCA Extravaganza, which of course moved from the usual vibrant in-person […]
Start to prepare now.
The pandemic makes us feel like we’re living in a small box, and yet now more than ever the world needs people to build a new box, not just think outside existing boxes. We’re spending more time at home, which can make us feel boxed in. We’re seeing others in the little boxes on Zoom. We’re […]
Ballet barre is a sort of liturgy for me.
Ballet barre is a sort of liturgy for me. It follows a structure that I’ve known since I was a small child, yet I still tune in to have someone else lead me through it, even in the kitchen. Do you have a structured activity that feels almost spiritual? It’s not about turning off my […]
It’s a calling.
This one’s for everyone who creates things for spiritual people inside or outside churches, and wants to reach more people with those things.Right now various clients of mine are creating things like a collection of original liturgy, a platform for mom-priests, a career as a speaker and author, a new way of partnering among urban […]