What I'm Reading Today

People say they like these posts, so I'll keep making them...

Clergy are a guilty lot. We are torn between our fondness for the adventure of intuitive insight and the need to justify ourselves empirically. Frustration turns to anger and skepticism becomes cynicism. We fall into that hallowed American custom of solving our dilemma by working just that much harder, which is exacerbated by the expectation that we are an unceasing source of love, compassion, tenderness, and comfort. That which feeds the pastor is passed over, largely because we think we need to spend the time making evident our own value to the people who expect our ministry. We become burned out, bored, disillusioned, and guilty over our failure...
What is called for is spiritual companionship, in which in some configuration we are willing to be confronted at the point of our life of prayer. - Urban T. Holmes, Spirituality for Ministry p.177

More from Urban Holmes

Many a pastor is dashed against one of two sets of rocks. He or she comes to be a hired flunky, on the one hand, a functionary chaplain to the establishment, or, on the other hand, he or she assumes the role of a petulant adolescent, working out his or her hostility upon the unwitting congregation. We excuse the former on the grounds that we are pastors, and we argue for the latter by claiming to be prophets. The truth of the matter is often neither one nor the other, but that we are spiritually bankrupt.
The dangers of these alternative courses to disaster are relatively well known in ministry studies. The solutions found in continuing education, consultation, and career evaluation are valuable, but they can easily lack the one ingredient essential to the vocation: a growing awareness of God’s purpose for us. The intention to live as a symbol and symbol-bearer of that which transcends as well as incorporates our secular expertise. This cannot be accomplished unless we steer through the straits between these Scylla and Charybdis of ministry guided by a living relationship with the Lord we profess to serve. - Urban T. Holmes, Spirituality for Ministry, p.171, emphasis in the original

New Idea

This is a new idea to me (even though I had read this book before-must have missed this page), and I'm interested in anyone's comments:

Not infrequently clergy are caught up in the evil that threatens every congregation because they have no ability to discern what in fact is happening. Illustrations abound: adultery, greed, cowardice, and omnipotence. But the sin to which ordained persons are particularly given is envy. - Urban T. Holmes, Spirituality for Ministry, p.158

John Calvin in USA Today

A friend sent me a copy of USA Today with an article by Henry Brinton, pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Virginia. The title of the article? "Calvin Saw this Coming." Here's a link to the online version: http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/05/calvin-saw-this-coming.html#more

Worship Resources from the UCC

Those looking for worship resources (and who isn't?) might like to check out the United Church of Christ's worship page, which has lectionary-based resources for each Sunday of the year at http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/

Nancy Profit in "These Days"

I see the Rev. Nancy Profit, formerly a member of the Odebolt church, is the writer for April 5-11 in These Days magazine.

Sentence Introducing the Offering

Here's something from my current book (see other posts) that you might be able to use as a sentence introducing the offering--at least that's how I plan to use it:

We are only a very small part of history and have only one short life to live, but when we take the fruits of our labor in our hands and stretch our arms to God in the deep belief that He hears us and accepts our gifts, then we know that all of our life is given, given to celebrate. - Henri Nouwen, Creative Ministry p.110