Remember, Zoom Is Also “Real Life”

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…

Why Family-Sensitive Workplaces Were More Prepared for Pandemic

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…

The Mirage of the “Return to Work”

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…

Don’t Fix People, Fix Relationships

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…

What Legacy Will Your Work Leave Behind?

Reprinted from the Salt & Light Australia Daily Devotional. There is an unverified story about the origin of the Nobel Prize, created from the fortune of Alfred Nobel, whose wealth came from the invention and development of dynamite. Nobel never spoke publicly about his motivations, but many believe it was inspired by an earlier case of mistaken identity. In 1888, Nobel’s…

Gleaning: Leave Some for Others

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…

Showing Up

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…

Nazarene Theological Seminary’s Ministerial Entrepreneurship Initiative

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…

Loving God with Head and Hands . . . and Heart

By David Williamson. Magnificent, skillfully worked, hand-crafted carvings are scattered throughout our home; they are fresh works of art, a personalized adaptation of folk art, from an untrained yet masterful wood carver, my father. I am coming to appreciate and value these pieces more each day. They are mostly owls and eagles, lovingly carved out of basswood. A manager of…