Reflections & Research:
Wellbeing
October 15, 2019
Why storytelling matters
Poet and writer Carolina Hinojosa-Cisneros and her daughter, Brooklyn Yesenia Cisneros. Hinojosa-Cisneros says a story can be a thread between generations. Photo by Erasmo Cisneros When the church uses storytelling, it becomes a shared space where each person is a part of history, writes a poet and author. My grandmother tells a story, entirely in […]
read moreabout Why storytelling mattersOctober 15, 2019
Four key strategies that help pastors flourish
Composite illustration by Jessamyn Rubio. Unsplash / Photos by Victor Freitas, Sylwia Bartyzel, Anthony Tran and Gift Habeshaw. Pastors who implement practices like prioritizing their mental health or nourishing friendships flourish in their careers, the Duke Clergy Health Initiative found. Reading the Bible in the early morning quiet. Taking a walk along a greenway. Accepting […]
read moreabout Four key strategies that help pastors flourishAugust 20, 2019
When does breaking news compel a preacher to rewrite Sunday’s sermon?
The answer depends on congregational and community context and begins with another question: What does the gospel have to say to a broken and brokenhearted world in this moment? It has happened repeatedly in recent years. On Saturday afternoon, around 3 or 4 o’clock, my phone’s screen flashes alive with a news alert from The New York […]
read moreabout When does breaking news compel a preacher to rewrite Sunday’s sermon?August 19, 2019
Singing our way to hope
Composite Illustration iStock / Rubio Singing draws people together, comforts the grieving, motivates and inspires. But most of all, it gives us hope, writes a Baptist pastor emeritus and singer. I come from a long line of singers. I remember as a child gathering around the piano with my parents to sing old gospel hymns. […]
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