There is nothing quite like playing games late into the night to bond a staff group. Just being able to interact in things that are not project / staff / mission related is a great benefit. After our time of solitude and study, we had dinner, took a hayrack ride and ended at a campfire. […]
Author: Andrew Conard
Fifth-generation Kansan, United Methodist preacher, husband, and father. Passionate about teaching, preaching, and fostering inclusive communities. I am dedicated to advancing racial reconciliation and helping individuals grow spiritually, and I am excited to serve where God leads.
A Calendar of Purpose
We just finished a time of looking at the calendar of events for 2007. I am amazed at the level of future planning. I have never been in a setting where the entire year is pretty well planned by the previous November. I found myself even thinking – it would be worthwhile to begin looking […]
2006 Staff Retreat
I am currently on a retreat with the director level staff of Church of the Resurrection at the Tall Oaks Conference Center in Linwood, Kansas. It is a beautiful setting – wooded campground and a cool fall day. I was not sure quite what to expect yesterday when planning and packing for the experience. The […]
Reading Adventure
In an attempt to better share my journey of reading and study, I have included a list of books that I have recently completed and the one which I am currently reading in the sidebar. Look for it at the bottom on the right. I will continue to update this section as I move forward […]
I am curious about the potential for partnerships between secular and sacred organizations in the emerging culture. In such partnerships, I think that the mission of each organization could be advanced and also something new created that was not there before. I recently listened to The Secret Message of Jesus as a book on CD […]
Fall Leaves and Church Stages
As I was driving to the shop this morning to drop my car off for some necessary work, I was struck by the vibrance of some of the trees – their leaves were positively bursting with color. I began to think about the seasons and how each has distinctive characteristics. For trees, spring can be […]
Discipline of Reading and Study
In the past week, I was challenged by one of my colleagues in ministry to set aside a regular time of reading and study during my day. I previously had not been pursuing this discipline. As a result of that discussion, I have set aside one hour each day to read and study. This project […]
Ready to Respond?
I had an interesting experience tonight that has made me think. This evening I had a wedding rehearsal and afterward I went out to eat with two of my cousins at a restaurant on the Plaza. I left immediately after the rehearsal and went straight to the restaurant. It wasn’t until we sat down at […]
How Rich are You?
A post from KC One Campaign brough my attention to the Global Rich List. I was amazed at the result. I knew in my head that myself and many people living in the developed world (even having access to a computer to read this article) are among the very richest people in the world. This […]
Time and Balance
Last night I heard on the radio that today, October 24, is Take Back Your Time Day. This is an awareness day organized by Take Back Your Time. From their website: “TAKE BACK YOUR TIME is a major U.S./Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, […]
Fasting and Spiritual Disciplines
The topic of fasting was brought to my mind by Gordon in his post: “You Shall Not Live By Bread Alone”. I have pursued the discipline of fasting at several times in the past. I have found that fasting is a discipline that does not necessarily produce fruit in a single instance. It takes the […]
Transitions
Having been through many transitions personally in the past few months, I was particularly intrigued by the post on the Emerging Women blog – Coming of Age Rituals in the EC. I agree that perhaps there may be more ways in which the church could mark the coming of age of individuals. In some churches, […]