There was no explanation and no sense of urgency. I replied that I was on my way and started walking in that direction, expecting to greet a donor, answer a staff question, or receive some routine update.

When I arrived, I immediately understood why the message lacked details. The dumpster was on fire. It wasn’t a small fire that looked like it might burn itself out. The flames were growing more intense, sending thick smoke into the air and drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

Fortunately, the Dallas Fire Department arrived within minutes. Their response was quick, calm, and professional. They assessed the situation, contained the fire, extinguished it, and confirmed that no structural damage had occurred.

As I watched the firefighters work, I found myself thinking about leadership.

Called to the Fire

Leadership is often about being called to the fire.

When people think about leadership, they often picture inspiring speeches, innovative ideas, or strategic plans that move an organization forward. Those moments are important, but leadership is equally revealed in how we respond when unexpected challenges demand immediate attention.

Thankfully, most of the fires leaders face are not literal. Instead, they appear as conflict between team members, organizational crises, difficult conversations, or challenges that threaten to grow larger if ignored. Like a fire, these situations can emerge without warning and, if left unattended, cause lasting damage.

Wise leaders do everything they can to prevent fires. They build healthy cultures, establish clear expectations, and address concerns before they can develop into full-blown fires. Yet no organization, ministry, or business, can be made completely fireproof.

The question is not whether fires will occur, but how leaders will respond when they do. Real leaders are always ready to address difficult situations directly. They recognize the importance of assessing the situation, determining what is needed, and getting to work.

The firefighters provided a powerful example. They showed up, evaluated the situation, and took decisive action.

Great leadership does the same.

So What?

As a follower of the Way of Jesus, I am reminded that Jesus never avoided difficult places or difficult people. He moved toward need, engaged in uncomfortable conversations, and interacted with those others ignored.

Leadership is often measured by a person’s willingness to go where the need is greatest, even when that means walking straight into the fire.

The post Courageous Leadership: Called to the Fire (#2324) first appeared on So What Faith.

• (5.0) Enough is Enough: Degrowth, Capitalism, and Liberation Theology by Matthew Bernico and Dean Detloff (Fortress Press, 2026)
• (4.5) My Son, The Priest: A Mother’s Crisis of Faith by Kristin Grady Gilger (Monkfish, 2025)
• (4.5) Born Again Queer: A History of Evangelical Gay Activism and the Making of Antigay Christianity by William Stell (Princeton University Press, 2026)
• (4.0) Procrastination Proof: Never Get Stuck Again by Jon Acuff (Baker Books, 2026)
• (4.0) Baal and the Gods of More: Rescuing Church Growth from Idolatry by Andrew Root (Baker Academic, 2026)
• (4.0) Leading Worship for Workers: How to Design Liturgies for All of Life by Matthew Kaemingk and Kathryn Roelofs (Baker Academic, 2026)
• (3.5) Inquisitive Leadership: A New Approach to Cultivating High Performance by Frederica A. Peterson (Simply Good Press, 2026)
• (2.5) When Shepherds Prey: Confronting Abuse in Church Leadership – A Call for Reformation by Ron Cantor (Self Published, 2026)

Enough is Enough

Enough is Enough: Degrowth, Capitalism, and Liberation Theology is one of the most provocative and challenging books I’ve read this year. The authors argue that capitalism is not simply flawed, but fundamentally unsustainable; it is a system requiring endless growth that is driving us toward ecological and social collapse. Writing from a deeply Christian perspective rooted in liberation theology and Catholic social teaching, they remind readers that Christianity both predates capitalism and, in many ways, helped shape the world that made it possible.

The book ultimately asks a difficult but urgent question: if Christianity once helped give rise to capitalism, can it now help imagine and build something beyond it? Bernico and Detloff argue that it can, through degrowth: a radical reorientation away from endless accumulation and expansion and toward solidarity, human dignity, and ecological balance.

Whether you find yourself persuaded or unsettled by its arguments, this is a book that refuses passive reading. It challenges readers to think more deeply, critically, and theologically about capitalism in the twenty-first century and to imagine what forms of economic and spiritual life might still be possible beyond it.

Welcome Back

Andrew Root has been featured on So What Faith three times in recent years each for a review or rating of his latest book

• 2023: When Church Stops Working: A Future for Your Congregation Beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation (co-authored with Blair D. Bertrand) – rated 4.0
• 2022: Churches and the Crisis of Decline: A Hopeful, Practical Ecclesiology for a Secular Age – rated 4.0
• 2013: The Relational Pastor: Sharing in Christ by Sharing Ourselves – rated 4.0

The post Great New Books for June 2026 (#2323) first appeared on So What Faith.

Timing

Pentecost arrived on my 77th day at First Christian.

At this point, I had been there long enough to begin understanding the congregation’s culture, hearing many of its stories, and building relationships with its members. We had already journeyed together through much of Lent and celebrated Easter, experiences that helped establish trust and deepen our shared ministry. The week before Pentecost, the Board had also engaged in an honest and thoughtful assessment of the congregation’s current situation.

All of that made Pentecost feel especially timely.

Blowing

My Pentecost message focused on the familiar story from Acts 2. I encouraged the congregation not simply to celebrate Pentecost for an hour on Sunday morning, but to become Pentecost people.

I expressed my hope that the Spirit will continue leading First Christian into a future grounded in unity, open to renewal and innovation, and marked by courage and hope.

The Spirit is the Life-Giving Wind that continues to move the church toward the future God intends.

Pentecost at FCC

For those wondering how First Christian observed Pentecost, the celebration included:

• A special Pentecost display in the narthex
• Acolytes, elders, deacons, minister, and children’s choir wearing red robes
• Adult choir wearing red stoles, with many members of the congregation also dressed in red
• Singing a new hymn as the invitation hymn
• Celebrating new high school graduates
• Celebrating both the birthday of the universal Church and the birthdays of all present who were born in the month of May
• Gathering for a potluck meal

It was a joyful and Spirit-filled day that reminded me Pentecost is not simply something the church remembers. It is something the church continues to live.

The post Pentecost: Pondering Possibilities (#2322) first appeared on So What Faith.

The idea began as a playful nod to the Pope’s famous Popemobile. While I have no aspirations to that kind of religious leadership, I do have the privilege of serving as CEO of a faith-based nonprofit commonly known simply as Hope. Somewhere along the way, the nickname stuck.

A year ago, I purchased my first electric vehicle (see Going Electric). Since it is the third vehicle I’ve owned during my time at Hope, its official title became Hopemobile 3, though I tend to simply refer to it as Hopemobile.

Year in Review

After more than 30 years experience driving gas powered vehicles nearly 1,000,000 miles it has been quite a transition to driving an electric powered vehicle.

Some key differences include

• Avoiding 60-80 gas station visits a year (I used a public charger, the EV equivalent, 9 times primarily when traveling)
• Enjoying instant acceleration (the few times I drove a gas powered vehicle it felt awkwardly slow)
• Appreciating the incredibly quiet cabin (an underappreciated improvement)
• Minimizing maintenance (with one notable exception)
• Experiencing total operating costs per mile, including lower fuel costs (thanks to primarily charging at home)

When I pulled out of my garage to begin a vacation earlier this month, I was immediately greeted by an alarming warning message that ultimately led to my vehicle being towed to the nearest Hyundai dealership. Instead of a vacation, I found myself enjoying an unexpected staycation. For two full weeks, I was separated from my EV. Being without something I rely on so heavily reminded me of the lesson in patience I learned nearly a decade ago when I faced an even longer wait for another essential item (see Waiting). Thankfully, once it became clear the repair would take some time, I was provided with a loaner vehicle. For those curious about the issue, the problem was a failed Integrated Charging Control Unit, or ICCU — the component responsible for managing charging and power flow within the vehicle.

So What?

On the occasion of now being an EV owner for one year, I am now ready to call myself a convert. I cannot imagine going back to a gas powered vehicle.

Based on data available today, EVs provide better environmental stewardship than gas vehicles. Plus, I prefer all aspects of the driving experience, including the convenience of charging at home.

Most of the first 20,000 miles on the Hopemobile were driven in support of the ministry of White Rock Center of Hope in East Dallas (for more on Hope’s impact see Hope in Action: How the East Dallas Community Provides Food to Neighbors in Need) ensuring that 15,000 neighbors in need have access to food, clothing, and empowerment each year. Along the way, the Hopemobile also carried me to Advent Lutheran Church in South Arlington during my time as Interim Pastor (see Giving Thanks: 14 Months of Worship in the ELCA), and more recently to First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in downtown Fort Worth as I began a new interim ministry role.

The post Hopemobile Goes Electric (#2321) first appeared on So What Faith.

Recently, Justin Cox, an ordained minister with standing in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and American Baptist Churches USA, reflected on this reality in his piece, Nothing’s Fine: The Truth Your Pastor Won’t Tell You.

Cox argues that congregations need greater honesty. Rather than pretending everything is fine when it clearly is not, churches are better served when pastors offer candid and truthful assessments of congregational realities. He also suggests that this honesty must be mutual. Church members, too, need to be honest with their pastors and with one another about the struggles, uncertainties, and challenges they are facing.

So What?

Effective leaders shape culture. Healthy congregational cultures invite people to journey together.

Congregations cannot move faithfully toward a hopeful future without honestly facing their present reality.

If your congregation has been pretending everything is fine when it clearly is not, perhaps your leadership begins with telling the truth. Naming what others already know can create space for honesty, renewed trust, and the possibility of a different future together.

The post Speaking the Truth: Things are Not Fine (#2320) first appeared on So What Faith.

• (4.5) Design in Love: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business by Marcus Buckingham (Harvard Business Review Press, 2026)
• (4.5) Joyful Anyway by Kate Bowler (The Dial Press, 2026)
• (4.5) Better Than Normal: Virtues for an Off-Script Life by MaryAnn McKibben Dana (Eerdmans, 2026)
• (4.0) We Call Ourselves Disciples edited by Kamilah Hall Sharp and Joel Brown (Chalice Press, 2025)
• (4.0) Issues: Remove Friction, Fast Track Your Growth, and Ignite Your Greatness by Mark O’Donnell, Sue Hawkes, and Jill Young (BenBella Books, 2026)
• (4.0) How to Get a Return on Failure: Fail Smarter – Return Stronger by John Maxwell (Forbes Books, 2026)
• (3.5) Redemptive Poverty Work: Practical Steps for Faith Leaders Serving People Experiencing Poverty by Alvin Sanders (World Impact Press, 2026)
• (3.0) The Truth About the Truth Also Known as the Homeless, Penniless Preachers by Mary Ann Schoeff (Publishing Whiz, 2026)

Welcome Back

Three authors on this month’s list have previously been featured on So What Faith

• Marcus Buckingham was mentioned in 2019 when I rated book he co-authored that year with Ashley Goodall – Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World – 4.5.
• Kate Bowler was featured in 2022 when I rated the book she co-authored that year with Jessica Richie – Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection – 4.5.
• MaryAnn McKibben Dana also appeared in 2022 when I rated the book she wrote that year – Hope: A User’s Manual – 4.5.

The post Great New Books for May 2026 (#2319) first appeared on So What Faith.

My connection to TXACC began well before board service. When I first entered the world of charitable medicine, TXACC quickly became an invaluable resource, offering guidance, community, and a shared commitment to caring for those too often left out of our healthcare systems. I benefited from that network early on, never imagining that one day I would help lead it.

Over the years, I had the privilege of serving not only as a Board Member, but also as Board Chair and, for a short season, as Interim Executive Director. I was also privileged to work with all three of the organization’s Executive Directors, from founding Executive Director Jody Hopkins to current Executive Director Paula Walker. Each role and relationship offered a different perspective on the heart of this organization and insight into the people who sustain it. Through many environmental challenges, TXACC has stayed focused on supporting clinics that provide compassionate, high quality care to uninsured Texans.

Today, TXACC works with more than 70 free and charitable clinics across the state, collectively serving over 220,000 uninsured individuals. That kind of impact reflects the dedication of leaders, staff, volunteers, and partners who believe healthcare is a human right, not a privilege limited to a privileged few.

The work of TXACC aligned with my own sense of calling to help make the world a better place for all people. Being part of TXACC’s story has been one meaningful way I have lived out my faith.

As I step away from board service, I do so with deep gratitude and confidence in what lies ahead. TXACC is strong and growing stronger, is led by an experienced and mission driven board and staff team, and is connected to the needs of its member clinics and the population they serve.

I wish the organization, and all those who carry its work forward, continued success in the years to come. And, I invite you to take a few minutes to learn more about this twenty year old statewide network and it’s more than 8,600 committed volunteers. With your help, TXACC will be better positioned to resource charitable clinics and ensure care is available for those in need.

The post Gratitude and Transition: Reflections on My Time with TXACC (#2318) first appeared on So What Faith.

I have been thinking about history more than usual lately. Perhaps it’s because I recently began serving as the Interim Minister of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in downtown Fort Worth. It turns out this congregation is the oldest in the city.

“LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago” (Isaiah 25:1, NIV).

Isaiah’s song of praise is grounded in what God has done. It is the testimony of a people who can look back and name God’s faithfulness by reflecting on many powerful examples. Stepping into a congregation with 170 years of history, I find myself surrounded by that same kind of testimony. I am encouraged by stories of service, sacrifice, and perseverance. These are among the innumerable stories of how God has made a way again and again.

Whether your community of faith has been around for generations or is just beginning, I trust it has a number of shared stories or memories of the many ways God has done wonderful things in your midst.

Throughout Scripture we encounter a God who is faithful and a God who is consistent. The same God who did wonderful things in Isaiah’s day is the God who was doing wonderful things in the nineteenth century and the one who is doing wonderful things today.

Perhaps reflecting on the past gives us the ability to see more clearly the ways God is at work in our midst now.

As I think of all that God has done and is doing, I cannot help but offer my own song of praise. Perhaps yours will begin something like Isaiah’s, “God, you are my God. I celebrate you. I praise you” (Isaiah 25:1a, The Message).

This post was originally published in the Lectionary for Life Series for the Center for Congregational Ethics on April 16, 2026.

The post The Lord is Doing Wonderful Things (#2317) first appeared on So What Faith.

Sermon

You can watch the sermon below or read the manuscript.

Excerpt

This week I interrupted my normal social media routine of posting pictures to ask a question: What do you think Jesus is best known for?[1]

I’ve received a wide range of replies. These included some religious responses: “Savior,” “forgiving our trespasses,” and “being God incarnate;” some easy to remember responses: “your ticket to heaven” and “the guy in the middle in all those Last Supper paintings;” and even some radical replies: “making good trouble” and “challenging normativity.”

I should also disclose that I received a Disciples-centric response: “Jesus is best known for inviting everyone to God’s table, no limits or restrictions.”[2]

I wonder, what you think Jesus is best known for. If someone walked up and asked you this question, how would you reply? 

While my social media post failed to go viral, I’d like to consider one that did. A week ago today, the American President posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure. More specifically, the President, dressed in a white robe, is placing his hand on the forehead of a man in a hospital gown for what appears to be a healing moment.[3]

Amidst considerable concern from wide ranging folks including pastors and politicians, the President chose to take the post down. He later explained that he thought the image was of him as a doctor.[4] While most outside observers saw a Jesus-like image, the President saw himself as more of a medical healer.

And this brings us to today’s Jesus’ priority: healing. While I cannot definitively say what Jesus is best known for, I can tell you that the Gospels present him as a healer.

In fact, according to Christopher Maricle, Jesus’ top priority was healing. Maricle counts three dozen unique healing events or stories that are told more than sixty times in the Gospels.[5] No other priority comes close.

Anyone who takes the time to meet Jesus in the Gospels encounters Jesus as one who was devoted to the work of healing and wholeness. Last Sunday . . .

[1] I posted this question on Facebook on April 15, 2026, and received more than 30 responses before writing this sermon.

[2] This reply was submitted by First Christian Church member Gary Dunn.

[3] Brad Brooks, Helen Coster and Joseph Ax. “Trump’s AI image of himself as Jesus-like figure follows feud with Pope Leo,” April 13, 2026, available from www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-posts-ai-image-himself-jesus-like-figure-drawing-outrage-2026-04-13/

[4] Natalie Allison. “Trump post appearing to depict him as Jesus removed amid backlash,” April 13, 2026, available from www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/13/trump-jesus-religious-conservatives/

[5] Christopher Maricle. The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits (Upper Room Books, 2007), p.18.

The post Called to Heal, Invited to Travel Light (#2316) first appeared on So What Faith.

The first came while traveling between Texas and Oklahoma. Two billboards stacked one above the other carried a bold message:

• Jesus Christ: Either He Is or He Ain’t.
• How Much Are You Willing to Bet?

Instead of title case, everything was rendered in ALL CAPS, as if certainty itself required volume.

Later, driving through the Dallas – Fort Worth metroplex, I found myself behind a pickup truck with JESUS CHRIST stretched boldly across the rear window. The name JESUS was in red letters, making it impossible to miss.

Jesus Christ on the Highway

I suppose you can encounter Jesus anywhere, even on the highway.

Still, something about the messages left me uneasy. Not because they mention Jesus, but because of how they present him.

The Jesus I know doesn’t ask people to bet on him; he invites them to follow him. Jesus calls those who follow his Way to lead lives of compassion, justice, and love of neighbor.

He Is or He Ain’t

I’ve never asked anyone whether Jesus “is or ain’t,” and I don’t expect that I ever will.

What feels more faithful and more helpful are questions like

• Who is my neighbor?
• Who is Jesus shaping me to become?
• Where am I being called to love more deeply?

For more posts in this occasional series, check out

• We Could Wreck the World (March 2025)
• Turning Your Vehicle Into a Religious Billboard (October 2024)
• Lent, License Plates, & Christian Nationalism (February 2023)
• It’s Lent Again (March 2022)
• Honk if You are Holy (May 2019)

The post Jesus Christ: Either He Is or He Ain’t (#2315) first appeared on So What Faith.