- Breakfast at Sunmist with one of my parishioners, who is a Baby Boomer, who asked "How do we reach Millenials?" An excellent conversation with this dear brother ensued. Isn't it the question these days?
- Back to the Office. Administrivia and returning calls / emails. Then some writing work for our Newsletter.
- Tuesday afternoon off for home-school with the Mancub.
- Dropped Mancub at his Basketball Game. The Missus texted that he scored his first basket of season. Go Mancub! Wish I could've seen it, I was en route to...
Evening
- Hour-long drive through rural southern Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine, the natural beauty I get to drive through here is truly one of the fringe benefits of ministry in Wisconsin.
- Note: "kettles" are the geographic feature dotting this area which look like a...kettle...that were carved into the ground and "moraine" is "any unconsolidated form of glacial debris that is in currently or formerly glaciated reqions of earth" such as Wisconsin. Per Wikipedia.
- Monthly diocesan Commission on Mission & Development Meeting from 5 to 8pm. This Team discusses how to best equip, resource and encourage congregations in our diocese who are struggling and those who want expand their leadership and ministry. Love this group of people and the ministry we do. We're very excited about the upcoming diocesan Leadership Days we're having at Nashotah House.
- Drive home in the freshly falling snow while listening to the audiobook of G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy. I have many opportunities for one hour drives by virtue of being a priest in southern Wisconsin. And I always keep a good audio book on-hand to listen to in the car. It's an important way for me to utilize what would otherwise be wasted time. Some audio books I've especially enjoyed are...
- After You Believe by N.T. Wright
- The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren
- The King Jesus Gospel by Scott McKnight
- Sitting At The Feet Of Rabbi Jesus by Ann Spangler & Lois Tverberg
- The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright
- Simple Church by Tom Reiner & Eric Geiger
- Prodigal God by Tim Keller
- The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- My former Rector, Bishop Stewart Ruch, once shared his reading discipline. He is "always reading a book on theology, on leadership, and a novel." I've tried to adopt that as my own rule, although I'm a bit anemic in the novel department. I think this kind of balance is important for Christian leaders and I believe it reflects the three most important skills we need to excel in: Theology, Leadership & Creativity.
- Obviously theology undergirds everything we do: every prayer we pray, every piece of advice we give, every confession we hear, every sermon we preach. Leadership is the frame-work upon which all of our other skill-sets stand. We have to be skilled and ever-growing leaders who teach others how to lead. And reading novels unlocks our imaginations. In fact, I just listened to these words by G.K. Chesteron last night whiich elucidate why this is essential...
- "Imagination does not breed insanity. Exactly what does breed insanity is reason. Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. Mathmeticians go mad, and cashiers; but creative artists very seldom. I am not, as will be seen, kin any sense attacking logic: I only say that this danger does lie in logic, not in imagination."
- As long as we're talking books I'll share some favorites.
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