World Communion Sunday created an opportunity for reflection on theologies of communion and community in a new era of ministry. The following is a sermon I preached at Glendale Baptist Church on October 2, 2022. ++++++++ Philippians 4: 1-9 4:1…
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The times we are living in remain profoundly challenging, so today we are launching a series on five things ministers need now. The world is somewhat deceptive for all its rush and efforts to get things “back to normal.” Yet…
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Dear seminary student, Welcome to a new year of intense learning and preparation for the practice of ministry. Perhaps you’re feeling a little nervous? Or maybe it is old hat by now! Either way, I want to offer you a…
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We are now living in ministry’s new era. To even say that, sounds questionable to my own mind. Yet I look around at all the changes, and I think through all I have heard in the past 2+ years. And…
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I’ve been trying to get to Ring Lake Ranch for about a dozen years because I wanted to experience its wilderness beauty. This was finally the summer that I could make it happen. The timing was tricky. Traveling meant making…
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Music that carries you and me through our lives is worth noting. Songs, hymns, and everyday music can be a source of profound healing. Music connects us to our communities. It holds memories and engenders hope. It is a relational…
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What will your invisible legacy be? Where have you given of yourself in a gracious, yet hidden way? When did you donate to an urgent cause, yet spoke of it to no one? How have you put in a good…
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Sunday, July 3 I sat down to meditate for 10 minutes this morning. It was a disaster. No effort to pray contemplatively is really wasted. But I was a mess. I vacillated between almost falling asleep and my mind being…
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This Advent weekend was full. What about yours? And my weekend felt more like other Advent weekends of BP (before pandemic). I love circling through the season of Advent. Because it is my favorite. Yet important differences mark this year…
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Hello there! My name is Eileen Campbell-Reed, and I’m the founder and host of Three Minute Ministry Mentor. This first Sunday in Advent is a big day. Twelve years ago on this day, I launched this blog. It was originally…
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What do pastoral imagination and pastoral care have to do with each other? I’ve been working on that question for a dozen years. And recently I received a question from a friend that inspired me to articulate the relationship between…
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Vulnerability The COVID-19 pandemic that will not end is getting to me and everybody I know. I want to tell you about a few ways it is hitting me hard in the last few weeks. I’m feeling the isolation. I…
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“Seasons of Ministry” On Sunday afternoon I was driving to my church for a leadership council meeting. Just as I turned right into the driveway at Glendale Baptist, a van was pulling up to turn right out of the driveway.…
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Learning in practice We started this year with grand plans of sharing interviews with professors, pastors, activists and mentors in ministry. Then by March the whole world was upside down. We pivoted many times as the year unfolded. And we…
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This is very likely to be a stressful week. Stakes are high. People are divided. The world’s eyes are watching the U.S. elections culminating on Tuesday. Pastors, activists, priests, and chaplains are no exception. You must do what you must…
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Beyoncé. Kim Kardashian. Chadwick Boseman. Gwyneth Paltrow. Notorious RBG. Whether they are trending on Twitter, headlining their next big movie, speaking out on social issues, or suddenly gone from this life, celebrities and the culture of celebrity have a powerful reach…
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Editors Note: Rev. Lisa Hammonds is pastor of St. John AME Church in North Nashville. We asked her to share her story of pastoring her congregation through the March 3 Nashville Tornados. If you would like to support the church…
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We can always use a prayer for teachers. From preschool to grad school, this time of year is usually punctuated by joyous pictures of students and teachers returning to classrooms. But this year is a strange one. Not like any…
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Pandemic. Protest. Parenting. Pedagogy. Pastoring. Whew! This is probably the strangest and most demanding summer in living memory for most of us! We are challenged in new ways. We are facing demands at every turn. And we are trying to…
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Rev. Dr. Beverly Wallace has spent her life caring for grief. Although she is currently associate pastor of Congregational and Community Care at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, Dr. Wallace did not start out with any intention of being a…
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We are living in a whole new world. In just a matter of weeks everything has changed. Most of us are spending a vast majority of our time “sheltered in place.” We are physically distanced from family and friends. We…
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