Anyone else already putting up Christmas lights? I’ve seen several houses with full displays already. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet! We may shake our heads at neighbors who string lights in November, but honestly, I get it. I’m actually thinking about doing the same while the weather’s still decent – better now than wrestling with […]
Anyone else wake up this morning confused about what time it actually was? Between the Halloween sugar crash and this morning’s time change, many of us are probably feeling a bit disoriented. There’s something oddly fitting about feeling off-balance on All Saints Sunday—a day when we straddle the line between remembering those who’ve gone before […]
Wesley identified the means of grace as channels through which God conveys preventing, justifying, and sanctifying grace to believers. These ordinary practices—prayer, Scripture study, communion, fasting, and Christian conferencing—become extraordinary when met with faith. As ministry increasingly includes digital dimensions, we must thoughtfully consider how technology can facilitate access to these means of grace while […]
Have you ever missed an important phone call because you didn’t recognize the number? You let it go to voicemail, only to discover later it was exactly the opportunity you’d been hoping for. We live surrounded by notifications, yet often miss the most important messages – especially when God is calling. Here’s what I’ve learned […]
Monday morning arrives with the familiar question: what will I preach next Sunday? For many pastors, sermon preparation consumes 10-20 hours weekly—time that could also serve pastoral care, administration, and family. AI doesn’t replace the spiritual work of sermon preparation, but it can streamline the mechanical aspects, freeing you for deeper engagement with Scripture and […]
Many of us have mastered the art of the uncomfortable church nap. You know the one – where you’re trying to stay respectfully upright while your eyelids wage war against consciousness. Maybe it happens during the pastoral prayer, or when someone is explaining a financial report. Your head starts that telltale bob, and you jerk […]
September in Kansas brings its annual comedy show—watching neighbors simultaneously run their air conditioners and heaters on the same day. Maybe you’ve overheard someone say, “I wore shorts this morning and needed a jacket by lunch!” This weather whiplash mirrors something deeper in our lives. We constantly adjust, trying to control our comfort and security. […]
Anyone else ever watch the “Public Right to Know” Facebook group? Someone posts about a pothole, a question about the city, or some other random thing and within hours it just might turn into a digital mob scene. One person makes a snarky comment, then another piles on, and suddenly everyone’s competing to be the […]
Last week at Walmart, I watched what looked like a grandmother navigate the back-to-school aisles with what I assumed were three grandchildren. Each child gravitated toward different supplies—one wanted sparkly notebooks, another chose plain black, the third picked folders covered in dinosaurs. She smiled and said, “You each know exactly what you need.” That simple […]
Anyone else already tired of back-to-school ads? It’s only early August, but every store has transformed into a shrine to three-ring binders and number two pencils. My favorite are the commercials showing perfectly organized children cheerfully packing their backpacks at dawn. Meanwhile, most of us remember or experience the reality—frantically searching for matching socks while […]
August in Kansas sometimes means we’re caught between seasons. Summer isn’t quite finished with us, but fall is already sending advance notices through school supply displays and fall sports practice schedules. Many of us are still watering gardens – some thriving despite the heat, others looking like they’ve had quite enough of this Kansas summer, […]
Many of us experience moments when life feels like it’s shifting around us. Maybe you’re helping kids prepare for school starting in a few weeks, wondering where this summer went. Perhaps you’re dealing with changes at work, health challenges in your family, or simply trying to figure out what comes next in some area of […]
Rev. Andrew Conard 