Who’s at Fault in the Debt Ceiling Debate @NJShorePatch

Former New Jersey Secretary of State DeForest Soaries says the vitriolic debate is a reflection of a new, negative era of Republican leadership. “Compared to the Tea Party, Gov. Whitman was a Democrat,” said the Rev. Dr. DeForest… Read More

Faith at Work, Part 6: Expressing Spiritual Values @TheHighCalling

“In the spring of 2009, on the eve of graduation, a small group of us at Harvard Business School found ourselves staring into a great abyss instead of standing on the threshold of new and exciting careers. We… Read More

Hugs & Hospitality at Wright Memorial Church @BarnegatPatch

Congregation that meets in former opera house welcomes visitors with music and warmth. “Life is desperate; we need all the hugs we can get,” said Rev. Bob Lewis after Sunday morning worship at Wright Memorial Presbyterian Church. He was standing… Read More

Faith at Work, Part 5: Drawing Enrichment from Deep Wells @TheHighCalling

Dale Jones is a vice chairman and partner at Heidrick & Struggles, one of the nation’s top executive search firms. He advises boards and CEOs on human capital issues such as leadership, recruiting and succession planning, but a few years… Read More

Exuberant Hospitality at First Baptist Church @NJShorePatch

Exuberant hospitality. That’s how I’d describe Sunday morning worship at First Baptist Church of Manasquan. The worship band was playing before the service began July 17 and soon after I sat down Rev. Joseph Gratzel came over and gave… Read More

Faith at Work, Part 4: Turning Corporate Leadership Upside Down @TheHighCalling

Ken Melrose is well known for employing a model of servant leadership to turn around the Toro company when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Earlier this year, he returned to Princeton University, his alma mater, to… Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: July 11-15

Foreclosures Hit Churches Hard: A troubling increase in church foreclosures, especially among African American congregations, has us wondering whether too many churches have jeopardized their witness for the sake of an extravagant new building. Was Slavery Better for Black… Read More

Faith at Work, Part 3: Uncompromising Ethics @TheHighCalling

Jimmy Dunne is, by his own admission, a man who sees the world in black and white. In a time when shades of gray are increasingly admired, this is not always a popular perspective. But Dunne’s singular vision became… Read More

Celebrating the King James Bible @NJShorePatch

Museum of Biblical Art in New York hosts exhibit celebrating translation’s 400th anniversary. While there are plenty of places to celebrate a special anniversary right here at the Jersey Shore, for one as monumental as the 400th anniversary… Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: July 4-8

It was a short work week because of the Fourth of July holiday, so even though I wrote three posts for Urban Faith, only one was published this week, and perhaps that’s appropriate given that it’s a bit… Read More

A Pilgrim Message for a Patriotic Weekend at First Presbyterian Church @ManasquanPatch

Rev. Steve Davis takes congregation on a journey from Abraham to America at July 3 worship service, and talks about The Samaritan Center afterward. “‘The thing that struck me when I first moved here is that there is… Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: 6/27-7/1

New Laws, Shifting Demographics: Whether the issue is gay marriage, the ‘war on drugs,’ African American marriage prospects, or the plight of undocumented immigrants, Americans are confronting the issues. Michael Tait: ‘Living Integration’: The dc Talk veteran and current Newsboys… Read More