Posts Tagged ‘Betsy Schwarzentraub’
Disciples and Disciplines
I never was a fan of the word “discipline.” It sounds too much like “punishment” to me. Not that my parents disciplined me very much. But the term used to leave a bad taste in my mouth, nevertheless. But not any longer. Actually, “discipline” comes from the word for “disciple.” Ah, that makes a huge…
Read MoreThe Map or the Boat?
Author Mark Nepo tells the story of a troubled man who asked for help from a sage.1 The wise man offered him a choice. “Do you want a map or a boat?” The supplicant looked at the many other suffering people around him and answered, “I want the boat.” So the monk told him, “Go,…
Read MoreSunday: Why Weekly Worship?
Why do people worship together as a community? Granted, many people have a personal life of devotion, but what is it about communal worship that can help steer our days through life’s uncertainties, traumas, and storms? Whether shared in person or through live streaming, Sunday worship has given me a framework for time lived during…
Read MoreDay-by-Day Mysteries
Think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. (1 Corinthians 4:1) Paul was in trouble – again. This time it was with some members of the congregations he helped because of that pack of holier-than-thou “super-apostles.” They were going around stirring up doubts about his leadership, saying that…
Read MoreEpiphany: The Light of Christ
The worship season of Epiphany begins on January 6, just after the twelve days of Christmas. In the Western world, these are the darkest days of the year, a natural time to celebrate light. The name “Epiphany” comes from the Greek verb “to bring to light” or “to cause to appear.” Light is the main…
Read MoreFamily Activities for Lent
Of all the worship seasons in the Christian Year, the forty days of Lent, just before Easter, can be the hardest to understand, especially for young children. Adults can have a tough time with it, too. Most often it’s explained as a time of confession, self-denial, and preparation for receiving Jesus’ gift of his life…
Read MoreLiving from the Soul
“Living from the Soul” These months of “sheltering in place” because of the pandemic have stripped away a lot of extra coming and going. Although I am already retired from the official work world, this different use of time has prompted me to question what over the years has tended to become an armload…
Read MoreLive Gratefully, Live Generously
Generosity is grounded in a real sense of gratitude, says Rev. Scott McKenzie, Senior Vice President of Horizons Stewardship Company. He saw it firsthand on a mission service trip to Malawi, in the midst of a famine there. The villagers they had helped – themselves on the edge of starvation – danced and sang and…
Read MoreAs Wild Geese Fly
Stewardship is the how of living toward God – not the wheels on the bus, but the way the wild geese fly. The way the wild geese fly – not just instinct but also intention: the how of living toward God. The how of living toward God – using what I have for God’s goals:…
Read MoreGrowing Generous Souls Is Now Out!
I’m pleased to announce that my new book is now out: Growing Generous Souls: Becoming Grace-Filled Stewards! It invites church leaders and individuals to stop racing from one activity to another and instead to focus on being rather than on compulsive doing and consuming. The book includes reflection questions and resources to help people move…
Read MoreSample Sermon Titles and Texts
Listed in order of related chapters in Growing Generous Souls:Becoming Grace-Filled Stewards Betsy Schwarzentraub 1 “Turning Around” Isaiah 30:15 Matthew 5:13-15 Can we turn around from compulsive doing toward being the people God created us to be? Reflecting the rhythm of creation by balancing work and rest. See Growing Generous Souls…
Read MorePoems of Nature’s Praise (2018)
Long light, waiting earth Golden rays sift through branches Oaks lift trembling praise. ============= Sunset washes woods Goldenrod to deep umber, Brushing creatures’ souls. ============= One by one dying, Golden autumn falling leaves Nourish coming spring. ============= Canada Geese wheeling toward earth in the cold, steely sky, their great wings outstretched to catch unseen currents.…
Read MoreAuthor Chat
I invite you to a free, online “Author Chat” with me on April 26, 2016 at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, sponsored by the Ecumenical Stewardship Center. I am looking forward to it! In the first half, I’ll talk (live) over some Power Point slides about what I’ve learned so far through work with churches and…
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