Uncategorized Posts

Be Present

Recently as we began our staff meeting, I had our entire staff place their phones in the basket. We began with a time of silence for around 2-3 minutes and then went along with our meeting.

In the noisy world we live in with so many distractions and interruptions, we hardly have any time to pause, to breathe, and be still. Even when we are together in close proximity, our minds wander and our focus is on checking this little mobile device incessantly. We are not present to engage and connect with one another.

I’m not sure if it was my little experiment to place our phones in a basket during our meeting, but the level of engagement and discussion within our team was off the charts. I wonder the heights of creativity and connection we can gain from putting our phones away during our meeting times?

The Secret Life Of Bees

The Secret Life Of Bees

There’s nothing like completing a really good book.  You almost miss being part of the imaginative world and the fondness you have developed with the characters.

Last night I woke up at 3am and couldn’t go back to sleep so I decided to finish a novel I’ve been reading titled “The Secret Life Of Bees”.  It’s a book I’ve had in my bookshelf for some time.  I remember getting this book along with some other books when a friend was moving to Boston and his wife was getting rid of her collection of books.  I’m a pretty frugal person so I jumped at the opportunity. After years of sitting in my shelf and waiting to be read, I finally read it with delight.

Rather than provide a book summary which can be found in many websites like Amazon, I guess my one takeaway from reading this book was that books are vital to foster creativity and imagination.  We live in a culture where we can passively consume movies, tv shows, and video games but books activate your mind to make the words come alive.  I’m thankful that my father instilled the love of reading in me.  I hope my son can appreciate literature as he grows up. It will open up a world that will allow him to dream and dialogue with others.

Preaching vs. Counseling

Preaching vs. Counseling

There is a difference between preaching and counseling. However, sometimes in the midst of counseling someone, it’s difficult not to be preachy because some of us are wired that way. Our bias towards action compels us to dispense solutions and fix problems, rather than to simply be an attentive listener and provide some counsel.

Counseling is not something they teach you in seminary. At least not when I was attending.  Perhaps these are courses that will be helpful for future pastors working in the churches.  We are dealing with more mental, emotional and spiritual issues in our ministries and it will benefit us all if we were prepared to respond thru proper training and equipping.