An Emerging Ministry
 
Becky and I are making a quick trip to South Bend, Indiana, this weekend as we celebrate our son Christopher’s graduation from graduate school at Notre Dame.  Pastoral Assistant Jonathan LaBarge will be leading worship in my absence. 
 
Jonathan has now finished his second week as full-time Pastoral Assistant, having served with his wife Kristy as one of our seminary interns this past academic year.  So other than filling the pulpit occasionally, what will Jonathan being doing during the eight months he plans to be with us?  Great question, those of you who have asked it!  Continue reading →

The World’s Most Influential People – Part 2
 
Last week I referenced Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people.  Who am I to argue with Time magazine, but I found their list a bit lacking, so I came up with my own. 

This week I refer you to Salary.com which has a something they call a Mom Salary Wizard that allows you to compute a mother’s worth in marketplace dollars and cents.  You can customize the calculation for stay-at-home moms and working moms, number of kids at home or number of kids away, and it will adjust things according to your zip code. It doesn’t take too many variables to push the hypothetical salary a mom should command well into six figures.  By the way, the way I figure it, when our kids were at home, Becky’s salary should have been more twice what I was making as a pastor.  Well worth every penny she was never paid.  Continue reading →

My World’s Most Influential People
 
This week’s Time magazine features a list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People. The list is divided into five categories: Leaders and Revolutionaries, Builders and Titans, Artists and Entertainers, Heroes and Icons, Scientists and Thinkers.  Interestingly, the two people whose influence on the world is most directly related to the practice of Christian faith, purpose-driven Rick Warren and Philadelphia’s own Sister Mary Scullion, are relegated to the Heroes and Icons list along with the likes Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, George Clooney and Sarah Palin.  Christians were once considered the world’s best (or worst, depending on your point of view) revolutionaries.  Continue reading →

The Year in a Word

Early Monday morning I will be leaving Langhorne for a week of study leave at the West Coast Presbyterian Pastors Conference.  I have been to this conference before.  Probably a previous twenty times.  The conference began as an annual event in the early 1970’s and was called the Young Presbyterian Pastors Conference. It’s always held eight days after Easter at the same conference center in the redwoods of coastal California not far from the north end of Monterey Bay. I began to attend in the late 70’s when I was a west coast Presbyterian youth director and have been attending more on than off ever since.  Over time the “young” was dropped from the name of the conference and the sense of relationship and accountability among the growing-older pastors grew. Continue reading →

The Perfect Easter?
 
It could be the perfect Easter.  The fruit trees are in full bloom and daffodils, crocus and hyacinth are popping up everywhere. Weather.com is reporting a 0% likelihood of rain. Just a little chilly at Core Creek Park, but the sun will rise at 6:27; perfect timing for the early worship service. Family will be home and Sunday dinner will be especially nice. Yes, it could be the perfect Easter. Continue reading →