How are you discerning vocation in this new era of ministry? So much has changed about life in the last 33 months. Tonight at dinner we observed that the waitstaff in the restaurant was also bussing all the tables, cleaning…
“I knew early on I was called to this work.” -Rev. Alisha Smith Haddock Called to ministry Vocational calling comes in all different sizes, shapes and forms. Traditional congregational ministry, in spite of what people think, is not the only…
Vocation. Work. Calling.Ministry. Family. Life. Vocation is a word that often evokes the idea of work. Yet vocation is not just work. Vocation may bring to the top of your mind the idea of calling. Yet vocation is more than…
What is the role of prayer and meditation in the practice of ministry? I have worked on that question for many years. It became focused as a question around the time that I finished my doctoral studies. In these last…
Discernment. Vocation. Purpose. Life. Unpacking one’s purpose for life is no small thing. For many people it takes most of a lifetime to say fully what they believe their purpose to be. And for others purpose changes over time and…
Review: ‘The Calling’ a hopeful portrait of religious leadership* Becoming a pastor, priest, rabbi or imam is no simple matter. The Calling, a new four-hour documentary premiering on PBS, follows seven men and women on their paths to becoming religious…
God Is (Still) Waiting More Baptist churches are calling women as pastors, but the gender gap remains large. This coming Sunday, Watts Street Baptist Church, Durham, N.C., will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ordination of a woman in…
Lenten Lights F Earlier this week my daughter and I chased the evening light so we could get a walk before dark. We followed the curve of the river along the Harpeth Greenway. She rode her scooter, and I walked…
Epiphany: A Season for Unsettling Questions On the Ninth Day of Christmas . . . I was feeling somewhat adrift. Needing some guidance, I decided to ask myself some questions. As a long-time journal keeper, I’ve found that sometimes questions…