The Purple Pen

  Everyone loves the mokumentary sitcom, The Office , right? I have to admit I haven’t watched it. But I was intrigued when Rainn Wilson who played Dwight, wrote a book called Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution . In his book, Wilson leads the reader on a journey of why he believes that the healing from the chaos and pain of the world is found on a spiritual path that all of us must be on together.   Within four weeks of finishing the book, while I’m sitting at a Cubs vs. Brewers game, the people behind me started having a conversation about the state of our country and the need for people to get back to church. They had no idea that I was intently listening to what they had to say.   Putting details of both the book and the conversation aside, the point I’m trying to make is people are thinking and talking about Faith. As a pastor I am concerned about the decline in church attendance in the United States. Though it weighs heavy on my heart that the largest ...

  As I transition back to full time ministry after a three month Sabbatical, I am concerned with how individuals and families spend their time. The first three weeks of my Sabbatical, all I wanted to do was sleep. At first I was surprised at how tired I was. And then I realized that I had been going non-stop for seven-and-a-half years (three years of seminary and five-and-a-half years of full time ministry).   I was literally running on fumes.   I hadn’t realized how desperately I needed rest.   The days and weeks I spent at home opened my eyes to how badly my teenaged sons needed rest too. This nonstop lifestyle was exhausting us all. Daily we plugged in, attending work and school, participating in sports and other activities, constantly checking our snap chats messages and watching tick tock videos. We have filled every second of our lives with in person and online connections, but less so with connecting to the divine. We wonder why there are so many struggles...