Barnabas File

He asked her,   “Woman, why are you crying?   Who is it you are looking for?”   Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”   Jesus said to her,   “Mary.”    She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic,   “Rabboni!”   (which means “Teacher”). -- John 20:15-16, NIV   Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.    He called out to them,   “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”    “No,” they answered.   He said,   “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”   When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.  T hen the disciple whom Jesus loved   said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”  -- John 21:4-7a, NIV   John’s Gospel provides the reader with several post resurrection appearances of Jesus, and these have been interpreted in many ways.  These two stood out for me today.   First, Mary does no

Coaching in various forms is increasing, so it is getting more attention.  This means that change is at hand.  In a recent blog,  Edmée Schalkx  addressed “Trends in Coaching 2017-2022 ” and specifically noted what this means for users and coaches.   As one who believes both in the effectiveness of coaching and its usefulness in religious settings, I suggest what these changes in coaching means for those of us who work with churches.   First, faith communities will recognize that they need trained coaches.  Churches, judicatories, and other faith-based institutions will discover that coaching promotes retention, provides focus, and maximizes use of resources.  With less to work with, coaching will increase the impact of the work of faith-based organizations in all areas of ministry.   Second, seminaries will give more attention to teaching coaching skills and integrating coaching into the curriculum. Seminaries and church related colleges will add certification and degree-level educati

In his newest book on leadership , Mark Miller challenges the reader to a choice: Will you be a common leader, accepting the “common wisdom” that informs that stance, or will you be an uncommon leader who realizes there is a better way?   Miller has written the book to serve leaders who believe they can make a difference in the world, who care about personal excellence, and who are energized by producing tangible results.  These attributes apply to all leaders, not matter where they serve in the organization.    The five fundamental movements that the author delineates are:   See the future. Engage and develop others. Reinvent continuously. Value results and relationships. Embody a leader’s heart.   Similar processes can be found in other books on leadership such as those by James Kouzes and Barry Posner ( The Leadership Challenge )  but Miller brings an up-to-date spin to the process of being an effective leader.  Each section also provides valuable “Ideas for Action.”  Certainly wort

When Rita and I moved to Columbus, Georgia, in 1965, we visited Benning Hills Baptist Church where Sidney Waterhouse was pastor.     The following Sunday I was an usher and within a few weeks we were teaching a Sunday school class.     I certainly would like to think that this is because we were such apparently outstanding leaders (Rita is, I am not).     That was not the case, however. Benning Hills was located just outside the main gate of Fort Benning (now Fort Moore), and the post had recently sent several units to the Republic of Vietnam.     They had lost not only a number of military personnel but families who chose to relocate.   The church was experiencing what I refer to as “churn.”  This is a rather robust word.  As a noun,  It means “ a container in which cream is stirred or shaken to make butter ” (yes, I have seen one).  As a verb, it means “to stir or agitate violently .”  Benning Hills was experiencing “churn” as people left, and new people arrived on their doorstep.  A