By Layne Smith When will we be able to gather safely in person with friends, colleagues, coworkers, and extended family members? So many of us are “Zoomed” out. We dread looking at the screen with everyone in a little box. We long to regain some sense of normalcy in our lives. We miss the touch, … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Working at home is hard. Being on Zoom for multiple hours a day makes us want to tear out our hair. The fatigue that comes from seeing our own camera view and adjusting our faces accordingly is real. Don’t be so quick to kick video calls to the curb once we can … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Back before Christmas, the website Masterclass was offering a two-for-one membership deal. The opportunity to learn about any subject I could imagine was more than my inner nerd could pass up. I can virtually sit at the feet of experts in the arts, sciences, athletics, history, and more. A neuroscientist is currently … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed In normal years I hold the liturgical line, waiting until after Thanksgiving to put up the Christmas tree. In 2020, though, all bets are off. The tree was up by mid-November. I know I wasn’t alone in skipping ahead. I was so glad that I did, because unboxing and hanging the ornaments … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed The church is not a building,the church is not a steeple,the church is not a resting place,the church is a people. –“We Are the Church,” words and music by Donald Marsh and Richard Avery, ©1972, Hope Publishing Company You might be familiar with this hymn, which is sometimes sung on Pentecost Sunday … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed As recently as mid-March, I cocooned myself in my office and coached clients and cranked out blog posts and workshop outlines with such focus that I felt, well, productive. Then the bus would drop my son off after school, and I’d switch gears, trying my best to be present to his needs … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed For many pastors September is the month when they begin looking toward Advent. The program year is underway, the stewardship team has begun its work, and the music director is requesting seasonal themes in order to select appropriate pieces and prepare the choir to sing them. That means there’s space and impetus … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed I vividly remember (20 years ago now!) walking from the parking deck to my seminary classroom building when I saw an undergrad, talking on her phone, stride boldly into a crosswalk. An oncoming car screeched to a stop to avoid hitting her. The student never turned her head. I began to notice … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Recently a member of one of CBF’s peer learning group reached out to his fellow members to share his appreciation for community that PLG offers. Below is an excerpt from that email, shared with permission. Hi my peer learning group friends! How are you doing? I miss you. I miss your laughter. I … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Two-plus months into doing all the things at home—working, parenting, recreating—every part of me is weary. As an introvert, I need regular time inside a bubble that popped long ago. I know that extroverts are struggling in different ways, unable to be in places and around people that give them energy. If … Continue reading