Each week on Tuesdays I share some of what I have seen, read, and found thought provoking over the past week. To help make sense of all of these links, I have grouped them by the following categories: Church and Ministry Thought & Practice; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Leadership Thought & Practice; Neighbor Love; Social Media & Blogging; Vocation; and Miscellaneous. I hope that you enjoy these links!
Church and Ministry Thought & Practice
For those of you preparing for worship or writing a sermon this week, I have a few links for you. First, check out Bishop Michael Rinehart’s thoughts on “Pentecost 5C.” With these week’s passages in mind, friend and professor Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis wrote and reflected in, “Naked No More.” Also spend some time with this week’s “Sermon Brainwave” podcast with friends and professors Rev. Dr.’s Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner. If you are following the narrative lectionary, check out friend and professor Dr. Lois Malcolm’s “Commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.”
In response to the horror, terror, and violence directed at our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers, a number of bishops, pastors, and ministry leaders have shared pastoral letters and calls for change. Among them have included Bishop Kirby Unti from the Northwest Washington Synod of the ELCA, as well as Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s letter in response. Many others have shared their thoughts on Facebook, and I have in turn shared some of them over the past few days on my own Facebook page.
Friend, pastor, and blogger Diane Roth writes on the importance of being engaged in the world in sharing, “Prayers for Orlando, and for our Hearts.” Within this Diane writes, “the news of the world needs to come to church, where we can repent, and lament, and ask God to change our hearts, so hard.” I couldn’t agree more.
The former site of Silverdale Lutheran Church, which has most recently been a local community center was demolished last week.
In my latest post as a mission developer at Messiah Lutheran Church, I shared some recent “Wilderness Wanderings of the Mind.”
Friends Peggy Hahn and pastor David Hansen shared a great new post from LEAD related to congregations with statistics and good perspectives for being healthy and remarkable congregations, writing, “Be a Remarkable Small Congregation.”
Meredith Gould provided the transcript from last week’s Church and Social Media (#ChSocM) chat about, “Continuing #eform16 inquiries & conversations about social media.”
Cross-Sector Collaboration
Friend and professor Dr. Mary Hess shared this great TEDx talk about how “Stories build connection.” Check out this talk!
For those of you in Ridgefield or Clark County in Washington, you might want to check out this month’s “Ridgefield Main Street Community Meeting,” which will include information about the currently being built “Cowlitz Casino.”
Social leadership theorist Julian Stodd shared some, “Words About Learning: Interconnected.”
Leadership Thought & Practice
Steve Keating wrote about, “When Your ‘Leader’ is Really a Manager.”
Do you some times worry about taking time off or vacationing like I do? To help alleviate some of that worry, Lolly Daskal shares, “4 Scientific Reasons Vacations are Good for Your Health.” The reasons she highlights are: stress reduction; heart disease prevention; improved productivity; and better sleep.
In a related post, Molly Page at Thin Difference reflected about, “When You’re Too Valuable to Take Time Off.” Within this Molly shared 3 things to keep in mind: teamwork makes the dream work; while you’re away things might be done differently; and being missed is a good thing.
Anne Loehr highlighted and unpacked the “Fastest Growing Jobs: The Qualities You Need to Succeed.”
While studying at the Drucker School in Claremont, California I had the joy of studying under Dr. Jean Lipman-Blumen and learning about her idea of “Connective Leadership.” I was reminded of this concept when reading this article by Ezra Klein who wrote last week that, “It’s time to admit Hillary Clinton is an extraordinarily talented politician.” I was particularly struck by Ezra writing that Secretary Clinton, “relied on a more traditionally female approach to leadership: creating coalitions, finding common ground, and winning over allies. Today, 523 governors and members of Congress have endorsed Clinton, 13 have endorsed Sanders.” Building coalitions, finding common ground, and winning allies are hallmarks of connective leadership, because it’s all about building partnerships and shared concerns, working together. Check out the article for more thoughts on this.
Jeremy Quittner shared about, “The One Thing Warren Buffett Says Every Business Must Do.” Quittner writes, “Don’t just satisfy your customers, delight them. So says Warren Buffett, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, and the third-wealthiest man in the world.”
Ted Coine wrote importantly about the intersections of life, leadership, careers, and vocation, writing about “Going From Career Back to Calling.” To help understand this, he invites some thoughts around the following questions and observations: Have you identified your calling? Are you ignoring your calling because you’re doing something that pays better, because you “have to”?; By contrast, I know very few successful business people that set out to get wealthy and did.
For me leadership is all about building coalitions and responding to societal challenges for the sake of the common good. Eugene Scott shared such an example last week when writing about how David Petraeus and Mark Kelly are launching a gun control group.
Jon Mertz reflected about, “Leadership Strangers: Authority and Accountability,” over at Thin Difference.
Neighbor Love
Rev. Andrea Roske-Metcalfe shared, “A Call to Confession for the Sin of Idolatry.”
Friend, pastor, and blogger Frank Johnson shared his sermon for this past weekend based on Job 38:1-11, “Not you. God.”
I have had so many thoughts go through my head in the past couple of days since waking up to the horrible news Sunday morning from Orlando. I didn’t want to write, but I felt I needed to write. So late on Sunday I wrote and shared a confession in, “Confession- Our acquiescence is a grave sin indeed.”
Friend, blogger, and artist Vonda Drees shared a number of beautiful posts over the past week. These posts included: “at home everywhere“; “notice grace“; “beloved beyond boundaries“; and “soul roots.”
Rev. Dr. Will Willimon shared this important and timely reflection on, “Fearing Our Fears.”
Friend, pastor, and blogger Emmy Kegler shared her sermon for this past weekend, “Do you see this woman? (on sexual assault, rape culture, and forgiveness).” In preparation for her sermon she wrote this powerful and important commentary on the same texts, “Do you see this woman?: a preaching commentary on rape culture, Bathsheba, and the use of grace.” Emmy also shared her sermon from last week, “The inconvenient and miraculous pattern of Christian life: a sermon on death and resurrection.”
If you have not seen it, you need to read “The Powerful Letter the Stanford Victim Read Aloud to Her Attacker.”
Friend, pastor, and blogger Ben Colahan unpacked what he believes is “The Privilege Perpetuated by ELCA Economics.” What do you think?
Eddie Kaufholz wrote about, “The Sermon on Pulse you didn’t hear in church.”
The Millennial shared Archbishop Blase Cupich’s response in, “Archbishop Cupich on Orlando Shooting: We Can No Longer Stand By and Do Nothing.”
Blogger and pastor Todd Buegler wrote and shared, “How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Orlando.”
Friend, soon-to-be pastor and blogger Chris Michaelis wrote and shared, “It Could Have Been Me.”
Blogger and soon to be seminarian Elle Dowd shed an important light on biphobia in writing about, “Biphobia and the Pulse Massacre.”
Friend, pastor, and blogger Aaron Fuller shared some reflections on “Diversity & Orlando.”
David Brooks wrote, “Let’s Have a Better Culture War.” What do you think about David’s idea?
Friend, pastor, and blogger Matt Byrd shared some thoughts on “Authenticity.”
Social Media & Blogging
Friend and blogger J.W. Wartick shared his version of the links with his “Really Recommended Posts.”
Vocation
Friend, professor, and blogger Dr. Lynn Hunnicutt continued to update about her cross-country journey, writing about: “Shoulders“; a journey through Walla Walla; an arrival in Clarkston; the joys of a rest day; as well as a discovery that “flat doesn’t always mean flat.”
Friend and blogger Julia Nelson shared her weekly dose of “Tuesday Tea Time,” reflecting on the importance of listening to each other’s stories, and love, especially in response to the Orlando hate crime.
Miscellaneous
Friend and blogger Tim Chalberg shared his weekly update of the “MLB Projected Standings,” as well as a recap of the “2016 Seattle Mariners Draft.”
With an example of beauty from the past week, check out this story about how “This picture perfect shot of Seattle went worldwide.”
——————————————————————————
That concludes this edition of the links. I hope you have enjoyed them. As always, if you have particular questions or topics for me to think about on the blog, please share them. Also, if there are things you would like to see included in the links, please let me know that too. Thank you for reading and being a part of the conversation! Blessings on your week. -TS
Image Credits: The Links; Secretary Hillary Clinton; and “beloved beyond boundaries.”
Timothy Siburg 