Last week, I remembered the anniversary of my little brother McKinley’s death by overdose. Because he could not afford legal representation, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a crime that wealthy white persons typically get placed on probation. Within a couple of weeks of his release, he was back using drugs.Continue reading “A Grief Unobserved – Part 3”
Category Archives: Covid-19
Remember the Lament–Part Two
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”Matthew 5:4 What happens when a Christianity consumed with being “healthy, wealthy, and wise” finds itself in the grip of a global pandemic with a long tail? In my last reflection Forget the Doxology, I suggested that a church always singing doxology and never lamentContinue reading “Remember the Lament–Part Two”
Forget the Doxology—Part 1
On Sunday June 13th, 2021 it happened… I forgot the doxology. In the Christian tradition the doxology is a liturgical formula of praise to God. We sing these same words in every worship experience as we bring the offering to the altar… “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below;Continue reading “Forget the Doxology—Part 1”
Remixing Leadership: A Shared Mode
Circuit riders, traveling great distances across the frontier and overseeing multiple communities, had to employ a leadership strategy that was shared, relational, decentralized, and self-organized. Their approach has implications for the network society today.
Resurrection is the Monkey Wrench
To all my friends who have not seen the inside of your sanctuaries for over a year. If you have known the pain of long-time members leaving to worship or even join the so-called “open” church around the corner. I want to give you a word of hope and encouragement.
Where Are the Healers?
“Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”Luke 10:8-9 At the onset of the pandemic, my mentor Dr. Leonard Sweet offered a reflection on Facebook Live about theContinue reading “Where Are the Healers?”
The virus of anti-creativity
“And the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God swept across the swirling chaos.”Genesis 1:2 It’s interesting that Covid is a virus that takes your breath away. It’s also an anti-creativity virus that takes our capacity to create away. God’s first creative acts involveContinue reading “The virus of anti-creativity”
Michael Adam Beck 