Uncategorized

Hype Man

by Eddie Pipkin Image by Julien Tromeur from Pixabay I was at the Friday night NASCAR truck race at Daytona International Speedway last weekend – always an evening of high-speed thrills and great people watching – but one of my favorite parts of the evening was watching the amateur “hype man” in the [...]

Hype Man2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Love and Death

by Eddie Pipkin Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay This year marked one of the rare occasions on which Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday aligned.  The two “holidays” have antithetical purposes – one to celebrate the joys of romantic love and one to remind us that life is short and then we die.  It’s [...]

Love and Death2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Introvert Economy

by Eddie Pipkin Image by ambermb from Pixabay The pandemic interlude had a dramatic impact on ministry.  Looking back on that era, we can see ways that things that felt like they were going to be monumental permanent shifts were really just temporary blips.  We can see ways that what was inevitable was [...]

Introvert Economy2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Trending Now

by Eddie Pipkin Image by BeccaH from Pixabay You may or may not have seen a recent article from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership identifying ministry trends for 2024.  You will already be familiar with them in some form, since you are likely dealing with them in practical ways. The Lewis Center, [...]

Trending Now2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Who’s Got It Better Than Us?

by Eddie Pipkin Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay Jim Harbaugh, coach of the national champion Michigan Wolverines football team, is famous for, among other things, motivating his players with an old family motto, “Who’s got it better than us?”  It’s a phrase that works on multiple levels, and just as it helped [...]

Who’s Got It Better Than Us?2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Polyrhythm Part 2

by Eddie Pipkin Image by majolala from Pixabay Last week I wrote about the collision of different schedules and lifestyle logistics when people in the same household are visiting together over the holidays.  I made the argument that, rather than tension and drama resulting from the intersection of those differences, a beautiful synthesis [...]

Polyrhythm Part 22024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Polyrhythm

by Eddie Pipkin Image by 955169 from Pixabay During the holiday season, we travelled a lot, and we hosted a lot.  That means that sometimes we had guests sharing our home (no less than four different sets of guests over a month), and sometimes we were hosted by different sets of friends in [...]

Polyrhythm2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Optimal Gifting

by Eddie Pipkin Image by Bob Dmyt from Pixabay It’s that time of year when we are either eager to give gifts or compelled to give gifts or, most likely, experiencing both compulsion and obligation in the giving of gifts, depending on the recipient.  There are people we have been excited about sharing [...]

Optimal Gifting2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Homegrown Christmas

by Eddie Pipkin Image by M W from Pixabay We’ve been sampling the wide range of local Christmas events that our metro area has to offer, from formal orchestral performances to school holiday concerts, and it’s been a blast so far.  From fancy synchronized light presentations to neighborhood decorating contests, carefully curated Festivals [...]

Homegrown Christmas2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Bah Postbug

by Eddie Pipkin Image by mcmurryjulie from Pixabay I was catching up on the sports news from the weekend – don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I loooove sports – and in reading about the Kansas City vs. Green Bay football game on Sunday night from the storied frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, [...]

Bah Postbug2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00