Giving Up for Lent … Or Maybe Not

Posted in 21stCenturySpirituality, From Our Archives.

The sight of my marked forehead on Ash Wednesday brings the inevitable question: “What are you giving up for Lent?” I have a stock answer: Lobster Newburg and healthy thoughts. Truth is, I genuinely struggle each year, knowing that whatever I choose to give up will be short-lived and followed by a guilt chaser. Yes, I am aware that Lent is not just a period... Read more

Calling Across the Bow

The Way Onward for Bearings: Navigating Life-as-Ministry

Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, AboutBearings, Art and Creativity, Commentary, Wilderness.

When I started this piece some weeks ago, the world was a different place. I had taken a jauntier tone than feels possible now. After all, here we are announcing not only the fifth year of publishing Bearings—a milestone for any publication, big or small—but also celebrating the launch of a redesigned site for the magazine, a new publication schedule, and a new... Read more

A Year of Lessons Learned at Bearings

With an Eye to the Road Ahead

Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, Bearings Review, Bearings Review 2018.

In our most recent issue, we invited contributors to explore the lessons they’ve learned throughout their lives that speak to the opportunities and challenges of ministry in these times. Nicole Lamarche, a self-described “spiritual entrepreneur,” shared the joys and heartaches of getting a progressive community of faith off the ground. Her reflection on nearly... Read more

Claiming, Cultivating & Creating Sacred Space

A GUIDE FOR REFLECTION & CONVERSATION

Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturySpirituality, Uncategorized.

Editors Note: Each month, Bearings contributors offer insights on a key theme in the practice of life-as-ministry. As the final installment in the issue, The BTS Center’s scholar-in-residence Pamela Shellberg, PhD reflects on the articles in the issue and poses questions for further reflection by Bearings readers and the communities in which life-as-ministry plays... Read more

How the Grinch Told Christmas

Or, Sacred Space is Where It Finds You

Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry, 21stCenturySpirituality, Sacred Space, Uncategorized.

The end of the year is upon us. And end is where we shall start: this tale will end with poorly described travelogue of where to find your sacred space hidden in this year’s festivities, mostly through the process of elimination. Or maybe not. Actually you might want to stop reading now. I wouldn’t trust me if I were you. There is no narrative arc here, nor... Read more

Tag: Mark Collins