Two weeks ago, I invited pastors and leaders to weigh in on the topic of older adults in their congregations. (Click here if you’d like to take this brief survey. I’ll be keeping the survey active for at least 2 more weeks.) I’ve heard from nearly 60 leaders to date. While I received a fair amount…

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” –Mark 12:30, Deuteronomy 6:5 Most of the churches I’ve attended over the last four decades have put the accent on different parts of this command. Some put the emphasis on strength,…

Last fall, just as I was putting my finishing touches on my book about regret, a friend sent me a link to this blog post. The author, Chad Bird, suggests that we are deluding ourselves when we talk about forgiving ourselves: “For a time I believed such advice.  No more.  I know now that to ‘forgive…

Books written for those in the first half of life are frequently framed in the imperative. Do this to find love of your life! Try these ten ways to divorce-proof your marriage! Here’s what you must do to be a successful parent! Do these six things to get the job of your dreams! Those imperatives feed our first-half dreams for our lives.…

Just in time for this winter’s epic Polar Vortex to swoop into town this winter with its alternating gifts of snow and subzero weather, my husband and I decided it was time to figure out if it still made sense to make the hour and twenty minute round trip drive to attend our church on…

Last summer, I launched an informal survey in this space asking readers over age 40 to describe their relationship with their local church. Pollster George Barna’s 2011 State Of The Church survey reported that church attendance is on the decline among mature adults. One of the most significant drops in regular attendance came among Baby Boomers, those…