“Everyone is born a poet—a person discovering the way words sound and work, caring and delighting in words. I just kept on doing what everyone starts out doing. The real question is why did the other people stop.”
Posts from the ‘A Word From Ward’ Category
How Do You Define ‘Family?’
Posted June 15th, 2010 Leave A Comment“Six out of ten twentysomethings who were involved in a church during their teen years fail to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood. Only 20% of twentysomethings appear to have maintained a level of spiritual activity consistent with their high school experiences.”
Recognition: how important is it to get it right?
Posted May 17th, 2010 Leave A CommentHow easy is it to give meaningful recognition to ministry volunteers? It tends to be one of those ‘no win’ questions for those in leadership, doesn’t it? There are as many ways to ‘recognize’ as there are volunteers. Valuable recognition looks for the best way of saying “thank you.”
Ageism in Today’s Church
Posted April 15th, 2010 Leave A CommentAgeism separates societies and divides churches. It is an issue that church leaders must speak into. It is not going away. Wise leaders cannot afford to bury their heads in the sand nor talents enriched with age in the ground.
Look for the Adders
Posted March 14th, 2010 Leave A CommentMarch is the absolute best part of the baseball season, as far as I’m concerned (unless my team ends up in the playoffs). Opening Day is still a month away. This is the time those of us who love the game and the team (in my case the Seattle Mariners), dream about the possibilities. So [...]
Only Partly Finished
Posted February 11th, 2010 Leave A CommentI recently was reading Elton Trueblood’s Theologian of American Anguish, on the similarities between our time and that of President Abraham Lincoln. One of the interesting spiritual insights into Lincoln’s life was how he saw himself relying less and less on his own will and wisdom to carry him through. Life’s experiences have a way [...]
Getting Started
Posted January 19th, 2010 Leave A CommentThere are times when my biggest challenge is just ‘getting started.’ My mother used to say, “my ‘get up and go’ done ‘got up and left.’” That’s when I stare blankly at my computer, my brain cocooned in layers of inertia. It usually happens in the middle of a major project or as I’m nearing [...]
Required: Transformational Leadership pt 2
Posted January 5th, 2010 Leave A CommentBuried deep within the Church are gifts, talents and lifetimes of skill and experience, more than you can imagine, just waiting to be set free. They’re there, hidden in the hearts of men and women who stand at crucial transition points in life and we can rest assured that they will not automatically rise to [...]
The New Elders Are Us!
Posted January 4th, 2010 Leave A CommentToday’s so-called ‘Second-Half’ Christian arrived when much of the Church was looking the other way. Boomers alone represent as much as 25% of urban and suburban centers in Canada and America, and between 25–40% of many congregations. Together with their parents, they are the ‘new elders’ of Christendom, the first generation intent on living another [...]
Where Leaders Gather pt 1
Posted January 4th, 2010 Leave A CommentYou’ve heard the story of the king who urged his wisest counselors to compile all of the wisdom in his kingdom. It took a great deal of effort and many books and when the king saw it all, it was too much. He demanded it be further abridged. This went on for some time until [...]
