By Katherine Douglass, reprinted from the Oikonomia Network. This past quarter at Seattle Pacific Seminary, I taught a course entitled Vocational Discernment and Discipleship. This course is described as “explor[ing] various models of Christian discipleship that are intended to sustain a lifetime of ministry, and various processes of vocational discernment.” One of the challenges many Christians face is having a…
By David Williamson, part one of a series. From the beginning, at the dawn of history, men and women are called first into a relationship with God. Then, secondly, they are called to participate with God in exercising “dominion” – managing, shaping, designing and developing the world that God has created and entrusted to humans. The creator God is an…
By Laura Cerbus, reprinted from the Salt & Light Australia Daily Devotional. This year has been filled with events that we did not anticipate. They have altered our lives profoundly, and I find myself again and again longing for real life – to teach “for real” and not on Zoom, to go to church “for real” and not on Zoom, to…
By Rachael Anderson, reprinted from Made to Flourish. When I show up for work, hours after wrangling breakfast for my two school-age children, I work alongside colleagues with newborns at home, those who have no children those who spent yesterday afternoon taking an aging parent to the doctor. Our various life stages and stations are each worthy of respect and…
By J. Mark Bowers, reprinted from the Chalmers Center. Part one of two. What would you do if you received a windfall of money today? Imagine $20,000 fell into your lap. How would you use that amount of cash, no strings attached? Go for it. Dream! Some of us might finance a new car for reliable, stylish transportation. The more…
By Lisa Slayton, reprinted from The Wholeness Journey. As I work with leaders around the country, I am paying careful attention to both the words being used as well as the intent behind those words. “When we get back to work…” or “When we can get back to normal…” is a common refrain. These words and the thinking behind them are…
By Demi Prentiss, reprinted from Living God’s Mission. I am a life-long, baptized member of the laity. I understand that to mean I have a ministry in my daily life, above and beyond whatever I might be doing for my faith community. All my life, I’ve felt called to be the church, at work wherever I find myself. I used to think…
By David Gill, reprinted from The 313. What would an economic system look like if God designed it? I mean the God who loves everybody on earth. The God who loves the poor as well as the rich, east and south as well as north and west. Would it be all about free enterprise and individual responsibility, relying on the “invisible…
By Jim Grubs, reprinted from Minding the Gap. Last week I watched the final sports broadcast of Mark Rosen on WCCO television. It touched my heartstrings. Mark is the leading sportscaster in the Twin City area. He has broadcast the sports section of WCCO News for 50 years! Yes, five-zero years! Five days a week. Twelve months a year. Year…
By Dean Blevins, reprinted from the Oikonomia Network. “A gym really needs a pastor.” Observations like this one sprinkle across a new curriculum offered by Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) focusing on entrepreneurship with ministry in mind. The comment comes from my interview with entrepreneur and pastor Brett Armstrong, founder of CrossfitRWOL in Mustang, Oklahoma. This former youth pastor turned independent…
The Green Room 