By Eddie Pipkin We are a bunch of know-it-alls. If we’ve been around a long time, we have it all figured out by virtue of years of hard-won experience. If, on the other hand, we just arrived on the scene, we’re full of fresh, revolutionary passion and the need to throw out all the fuddy-duddies [...]
By Eddie Pipkin Church ministry is dominated by extroverts. Glad-handers, dramatic speakers, hip youth leaders, charismatic worship directors, and electrifying teachers who hold rooms spellbound are all superstars in their respective local congregations. In an evangelical age in which popularity is equivalent to success, individuals who are comfortable with crowds are celebrated for their leadership. [...]
By Eddie Pipkin Recently I was at a new-to-me commuter rail station. The train platform backs up to a major strip mall with a Walmart and dozens of shops and restaurants that have been there for more than a decade. I was a little early for the next train, so I was exploring the platform [...]
By Eddie Pipkin Author Amanda Mull recently wrote about the unique approach of Americans to the first meal of the day, the one we know as breakfast. No culture on the planet has as restricted a definition of “acceptable breakfast foods” as Americans do. There is a clear list of socially appropriate options when it [...]
By Eddie Pipkin I was saddened – as were many in the ministry community – by the tragic, unexpected death of Rachel Held Evans at just 37-years-old. Evans, a leading progressive voice of her generation, had charted a well-documented path of evolving theological views. Raised in the conservative, evangelical South, she explored a way forward [...]
By Eddie Pipkin Whenever I travel, wherever I go, I’m always on the lookout for ministry inspiration. I am most inspired by the ministry principles that are demonstrated in what we would think of as “non-ministry settings” – regular places that aren’t defined as “ministry,” per se, but reflect the basic fundamentals that define what [...]
By Eddie Pipkin Even a super-serious organization like the Transportation Security Administration knows the power of a quirky social media presence to help “customers” forge a connection to their work. You know the TSA folks: they’re the ones who put you through the scanners at the airport, so they want you to understand the importance [...]
By Tom Acey (An occasional guest blog exploring the discovery of the true joy in our lives for which we are intended) This blog is part of my series entitled The Road to Joy, in which I have examined the nature of true joy, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and I have [...]
By Eddie Pipkin Does what we build last? Watching the news from Paris this week was a reminder that even the sturdiest and most meaningful structures are impermanent. We spend countless hours crafting programs, planning events, writing reports, and sitting in meetings. We (hopefully) do all that we do with passion and purpose, but how [...]
By Eddie Pipkin Be prepared. Everybody knows the infamous Scout motto, but sometimes we miss its full meaning. We embrace the micro-planning part: plan, plan, plan down to the tiniest detail to make sure our events are successful. But we miss the part where we are comfortable improvising. Like a good chef, we should be [...]
