By Ruth Perkins Lee This article was first published in Faith & Leadership on March 8, 2022 (https://faithandleadership.com/peer-groups-pastors-can-create-healthy-ecosystem-support). In 2019, my husband and I visited Muir Woods National Monument, an old-growth redwood forest on California’s northern coast. I had long been fascinated by the concept of the interconnected growth and root system of redwoods that … Continue reading
By Layne Smith Of Abraham Lincoln – He welcomed arguments within the cabinet, but would be “greatly pained,” he warned them, if he found his colleagues attacking each other in public. What can be learned from Lincoln’s success in keeping this disparate team together? (p.222) Of Theodore Roosevelt – Throughout his political career, Roosevelt’s conception … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed I am so relieved that heading into Advent and Christmas 2021, the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. We can put aside the difficulty and the different look of last year’s holiday observances and go all out, with all of our people back in the pews! Record scratch. The reality is that … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed The book of Acts represents a significant shift in the trajectory of scripture. For Christians, the Bible to this point has been about God setting up the world for humans’ delight and care, God’s attempts to build a relationship with humankind, and humankind’s self-absorption and short attention span. God, seeing how all … Continue reading
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 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 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 By now you have not only become acquainted with and even proficient at Zoom, you are likely Zoomed out. That is understandable. Still, online meetings are the best way to build and maintain relationships during this season of social distancing. That includes your peer learning group connections, which is likely more vital … Continue reading