Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

1st in a series of 4 posts.

Long ago I gave up any expectation that people would read everything I wrote or posted. Not everything shared on ECF Vital Practices’ reaches thousands of eyeballs, despite the more than 100,000 unique visitors to the site again this year.

Lest you think I’m complaining, please know I’m not. I frequently see posts or articles I want to read – later, when I have more time. In reality, I often lose track of what I wanted to get back to.

For Christmas, members of our editorial team will each share three ECF Vital Practices pieces we really like and you may have missed. We’re calling it our Christmas Special – all with no expiration date and no commercials – just click:

Other People’s Ideas 

Blogger Anna Olson continues to have an impact on how I approach my work as editor of ECF Vital Practice’s. Her post “Other People’s Ideas” has influenced how I think, write, and talk about the exchange of ideas central to ECF Vital Practices. If you’ve ever been frustrated by how people respond to other people’s ideas, this post is for you.

God Called: We’ve Got Work To Do

Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time. Some people call these “God Moments.” That’s what Jackie Whitfield called our chance meeting at Kanuga, when our time there overlapped by only a few hours. If we hadn’t been introduced, the story of her congregation’s response to a critical need for more public preschools would have remained unknown to people outside her area. “God Called: We’ve Got Work To Do” is a story of the impossible becoming possible.

The Best Teachers Money Can't Buy / Hearts and Hands of Jesus 

When it comes to content that tugs at my heart, it is a toss-up between these two faith stories you may have missed: Bob Leopold’s sharing of all he has learned about faith, forgiveness, and love from the people he serves at Southside Abbey or the letter inmate Steve Bulleit wrote to then presiding bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori – and the accompanying story, “Hearts and Hands of Jesus”.

Both remind me that Jesus is calling me to get out of my comfort zone, pushing me to do more than I think is possible – in both my thoughts and my actions. Which story resonates most with you?

Over the next few days we’ll post more ‘overlooked’ favorites from my colleagues Miguel Escobar, Brendon Hunter, and – in Spanish, on Facebook – Sandra Montes, adding links to the whole collection as we go along. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Other posts in this series:

• Miguel Escobar - "A Few Not-so-obviously Great Things That I Wouldn't Want You to Miss"

• Sandra Montes - "Cuando pienso en lo que ha pasado durante el año"

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