Last Sunday, a member of the congregation asked me why I park so far away from the church building. So, in this edition of frequently asked questions for the preacher, here goes: I park far away from the entrance for two reasons – the mission field and my health. The mission field is the community to […]
It was a big milestone in our family when our son learned to self sooth. The primary action for him in calming down and being able to go to sleep or stop crying is to suck his thumb. When I was in conversation with someone a couple weeks ago, I realized that there are things […]
With a son who is 12 days aways from being 6 months old, I read with interest this article from Mashable, Children’s Consumption of Digital Media On The Rise [STATS]. This connected me with the original study from The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, which you can find in PDF form with this link. Straight […]
Today is World AIDS Day. I wanted to share some of this information from Wikipedia: World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDSpandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. Government and […]
Last month, I read an article from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership about Myths about Clergy Burnout and Managing Stress. From the article: Myth Three: Older leaders are more likely to burn out than younger leaders. Recent research on clergy age seems to indicate that younger clergy are more likely to burn out than […]
I invite you to take a look at http://www.stickk.com. Here is their mission: stickK empowers you to better your lifestyle. We offer you the opportunity, through ‘Commitment Contracts’, to show to yourself and others the value you put on achieving your goals. Basically you put money down on reaching goals and if you don’t make […]
The article, Does a Calling Have to Be Religious?, from the Huffington Post addresses something that has shaped my life – calling. For me it has primarily been God‘s call in my life and a call. Here is an excerpt from the article, that I just couldn’t break into pieces. “In 1904, Rainer Maria Rilke, writing […]
I recognize there is debate about how to determine what makes a congregation healthy. What to do with an unhealthy United Methodist congregation is more difficult to determine than what to do with inffective United Methodist clergy. Kick them out of the denomination? In some cases, this might allow the congregation to become healthier. It […]
Nicole and I are flying tomorrow to Zimbabwe. I will be away from internet access for a while and will take a break from blogging in the interim. I am looking forward to sharing more after our return from the trip on February 9. Will you please pray for safety, health, God’s vision and direction […]
At the young adult clergy booth at the Kansas West Annual Conference, participants were invited to add a post it note sharing wisdom for ministry. The responses were (in no particular order): Be who God created you to be. You! Don’t worry. Be happy. 🙂 Have Fun!! 🙂 BE a blessing Quit living in Fear! […]
I saw this ad when I was browsing Facebook. I am not making this up. I understand that pastors could as a whole be healthier, but this is ridiculous! Get Fit To Preach Even with the busy schedule of a pastor, you can get in great shape without the gym or lifting weights. I’ll show […]
I am on my way to Wichita this morning to be with my dad, Mark Conard, who is having a medical procedure this afternoon. I am going to make a short trip down and back today and ask for your prayers for my dad for healing, for my mother, Joyce, as we watch and wait […]
Rev. Andrew Conard 