Browsing

listening to your blues

Listening and Stewardship

Check out this New York Times op-ed essay by Seth Horowitz about the importance of listening. Once you’ve read it, consider paying attention to listening skills may be crucial to better stewardship, both individual and congregational. What are people saying about stewardship and generosity? Are you really listening? (Photo by daniel duende. Thanks!)

Robot

Skilled Work, Without the Worker

As the cost for robotic mechanisms goes down and their flexibility and skill increases, businesses are increasingly replacing human workers with machines. Experts say we may be at the cusp of new revolution in industry. (Photo by CheseaWa, used by Creative Commons license. Thanks!)

Earth_Fire

Game Over for Climate Change

Canada’s tar sands, deposits of sand saturated with bitumen, contain twice the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by global oil use in our entire history. If it is exploited, as some are eager to do, the environmental damage will be apocalyptic. (Photo by Roberto Rizzato, used under Creative Commons license.)

student debt cap bill

Student Debt: IN DEPTH

For years college costs rose faster than family income, and more recently states have cut back on public college funding. No wonder there’s a crisis?? The New York Times reports: Part 1 A Generation Hobbled by Student Debt Part 2: Slowly, as Student Debt Rises, Colleges Confront Costs (Photo (c) Supe87, Fotolia.com)

2179422123_bab5bf6834_b

Small Acts of Stewardship Add Up

Oliver Zunz, professor of History at University of Virginia, wrote a recent opinion piece for the New York Times about the history of the Christmas Seals program and what we can learn about the power of small gifts in the philanthropic whole. What if the 99% in our congregations alone could harness their stewardship potential?… Read more»

5185264826_4bc81711d3

Jesus on Facebook?

Ever wondered whether a social media presence is good stewardship of your ministry time and resources? Check out this article from the New York Times about a North Carolina doctor who is inspiring folks and driving traffic on Facebook through the words of Jesus. Photo by Asthma Helper used under Creative Commons License. Thanks!

3971072184_17045ae30d[1]

From Trash to Table: A Communal Feast

One person’s trash is another’s feast? That’s the way it is in Brooklyn for a diverse group of dumpster divers with a goal of reducing food waste, building community, and educating the public about how much edible food we throw away. Meet the community known as “Grub.” (Photo by Gabriel Amadeus used under a Creative Commons License. Thanks!)