A New Code of Ethics for Pastors: Introduction

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

Part 1 of series: Code of Ethics for Pastors: A Commentary The National Association of Evangelicals has just released a new Code of Ethics for Pastors. This three-and-a-half page document features five major admonitions for ethical behavior: Pursue Integrity Be Trustworthy Seek Purity Embrace Accountability Facilitate Fairness. Under each category, there are several statements of clarification or application. Why has the NAE created this Code? According to the NAE Press release: With a desire for pastors to make sound ethical... Read more

Finding Bambi and the Mystery of Laity Lodge

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

Today as I was walking around Laity Lodge, I found Bambi. Well, probably not the original Disney cartoon Bambi, but something pretty close. Here’s a photo I took: I did not see evidence of Bambi’s mother, but I’m pretty sure she must be okay. I only wish I had been able to video Bambi’s attempt to get away from me. It was just like in the old Disney film, with tripping and splayed legs. I felt a little bad about... Read more

Got a Lot to Do? Then Take a Break!

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

So writes Phyllis Korkki, writing for the New York Times. In “To Stay on Schedule, Take a Break,” Korkki examines and summarizes evidence that intentional break-taking improves performance and efficiency. Here’s her point in a nutshell: A growing body of evidence shows that taking regular breaks from mental tasks improves productivity and creativity — and that skipping breaks can lead to stress and exhaustion. Why is this true? Mental concentration is similar to a muscle, says John P. Trougakos, an... Read more

If You’re Ever in Blanco, Don’t Miss the Redbud Cafe

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

Last Saturday evening, my wife and I happened to be in Blanco, Texas. It was about sunset, a warm evening with a steady breeze. We ended up with quite a happy surprise, which I’m pleased to share with you. Blanco isn’t exactly in the mainstream of the American consciousness. It’s a small (about 2,000 residents) town fifty miles west of Austin, in the Texas Hill Country. It lies along the Blanco River and is surrounded by cattle ranches. You may... Read more

When It Comes to Famous People, God Gets It Backward – Inspiration from The High Calling

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud. Psalm 138:6 Have you ever noticed that famous people tend to hang out with other famous people? If you’re a “somebody,” whether an athlete, a rock star, or a media mogul, chances are you spend your time with other “somebodies,” people of similar social status to yourself. Meanwhile, the rest of us “nobodies” mingle with those who are rather like us. God... Read more

As Father’s Day Approaches . . . “Lunch with Dad”

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

As Father’s Day approaches, I recommend a touching piece by Dena Dyer, called “Lunch with Dad.” Dena is one of the editors of The High Calling. Here’s how her story begins: “Can I take you to lunch?” Dad asks. “Your mom has an art class, and I’m driving over with her.” I look down at my calendar, which is unusually bare today. “I’d love it,” I say, and we make plans for him to pick me up later. He hugs... Read more

Do We Have a Leadership Problem? Or a Follower Problem? Or Both?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

“I don’t know if America has a leadership problem; it certainly has a followership problem.” So writes New York Times columnist David Brooks in his recent column, “The Follower Problem.” According to Brooks, “To have good leaders you have to have good followers — able to recognize just authority, admire it, be grateful for it and emulate it.” But we don’t have good followers today, and this is a significant problem. Brooks gets into his subject from a... Read more

Getting Wise About Facebook

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

Bill Keller, op-ed columnist for and former executive editor of The New York Times, has written an intriguing piece about Facebook: “Wising Up to Facebook.” The title reveals the tone of the column: leaning toward critical, but not altogether negative. Keller begins with a predictable blast against Facebook’s approach to privacy (or the lack thereof): WHAT’S the difference, I asked a tech-writer friend, between the billionaire media mogul Mark Zuckerberg and the billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch? When Rupert invades... Read more

Tim Dalrymple: If You’re Selling Scorn for Conservative Christians, the Market is Hot

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

Tim Dalrymple is one of my favorite writers of matters of faith and culture. Why? Because he makes me think in news ways, again and again and again. I read his recent post on his Philosophical Fragments blog: “If You’re Selling Scorn for Conservative Christians, the Market is Hot.” The title suggested a common complaint that the mainstream media doesn’t give conservative Christians a break. But that’s not what Tim is arguing. Rather, he is concerned about the growing tendency... Read more

Beyond Thanksgiving – Inspiration from The High Calling

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:32 pm By Mark D. Roberts

Beyond Thanksgiving Psalm 136:1-26 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:1 At first glance, Psalm 136 is a psalm of thanksgiving. In the New Living Translation, 12 times this psalm exhorts us to “give thanks” to God. (In the original Hebrew, the imperative form of the verb yadah shows up only four times, but it is implied in many other verses. No other psalm uses this imperative as often.) What does... Read more