In 2001, I became the campus minister for a large state university in Wisconsin. The ministry was on the rocks. A year before the board hired me, it had gone through deep discernment as to whether to continue in its ecumenical mission, caring for students spiritually and connecting them with…

In this ‘blog series last week, I shared a story about waiting in the car pre-drop-off as my spouse Dan and I delivered our only child to college. I didn’t finish the story of the whole drop-off day, so here’s what happened, starting from where I left off. We got…

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him…

… and it’s the leadership practice that, more than any other, protects religious freedom amidst diversity. — I didn’t tune into the Republican primary candidates’ debate last night, which was not a partisan decision. I don’t appreciate 21st Century debate formats, where mean zingers fly, and aspiring leaders shout over one another. So I don’t watch them. …

The game of stepping-stones requires us to look ahead. We see a series of rocks in a river, between us and the other shore. We have to jump to one stone while already sure which one will come after it, given that momentum will carry us forward, whether or not…

This essay is the first in a new series, “Inspirit, That Love Might Grow.” “Inspirit” is one form the word “inspiration” takes when used as a verb. To inspirit is to intentionally inject a spiritual POV into the world through whatever means we have at hand, from discourse to relationships. A person can happen to be inspiring, but in a world hungry for meaning, ministerial leaders — who constitute the target audience for my ‘blog — cannot leave the important work of making spirit-sense to chance.

For the past six months, I’ve written a series of essays under the banner, “Ministry Demystified.” Today’s will be the last on this topic, and then I’ll take a summer break (back on August 11). …

I and my colleagues returned a few days back from the biennial conference of the United Church of Christ. Because the denomination is one of the key partners of the seminary I serve, we brought the thunder. …

The Chronicle of Higher Education’s special report on the Supreme Court striking down the legality of using race as a criterion in higher education admissions included these two opposing views: “The court has permitted race-based college admissions only within the confines of narrow restrictions: Such admissions programs must comply with…