Category:
Scholarly-ish
Keys to Happiness
A note before I begin: I’ve been chewing on elements of this blog post for a couple years, and the specifics have been developing over the last several weeks. Coincidentally (providentially?) I learned only after I sat down to write that Inside Out 2 is being released into theaters this week. During all the days…
Make a Right Judgment
We’re tackling this blog the old-fashioned way: sweating it out at the keyboard one keystroke at a time. This is because for the first time in a long time, I’m sitting down to write with very little idea about what I’m going to say. Most of my writing these days has been voice to text…
Denominations: What I Love About Our Denominational Differences
I didn’t realize I was odd. Well, let me rephrase. I didn’t realize I was odd in this particular way, until I started to notice: when I went to the Methodist carry-in, everyone was Methodist. When I went to the nondenominational Bible study, everyone was nondenominational. When I went to the Catholic speaker series, everyone…
Scared and Unafraid: Video Presentation!
Back on December 3rd I had the opportunity to lead a presentation on fear. I promise something in here will make you think a bit differently about fear. I hope you take the time to watch. Click the image below to play. This link should start at 9:40 which is right before the start of…
The Speed of Change
I was reading an article the other day on the Catholic Synod that started earlier this month. If you aren’t familiar, this “Synod on Synodality” convened bishops from all around the world to pray for God’s direction for the Catholic Church. Through a series of meetings, this global gathering will culminate in a document of…
How to Handle a Hatchet (AKA, How to be Scared and Unafraid)
If you stumbled across this blog while looking for information on how to handle a hatchet, I recommend this YouTube video I discovered the other day. That video might get you closer to what you’re actually looking for. But while you’re here, you might be curious what kind of rambling connection I’m going to make…
What Are You Wrestling For? (You may need to change it.)
I’ve been wrestling with the deep and the hard these last few years. God knows it. I know it. The bell sounds and we go another round. I think of Jacob wrestling all night long and I think, wow, what a relief that would be if this only lasted one night. But I am persistent.…
Life is Weird. (Leadership Lessons from Ecclesiastes)
Every once in a while, I need a good dose of Ecclesiastes. I like to remind myself that the purported wisest man in the world, the one about whom the Queen of Sheba said, “you have far exceeded the report I heard,” and the one about whom God himself said “I will give you a…
The Price and Cost of the Ultimate Freedom
Unless you’re an accountant, you’ve probably never thought about the difference between price and cost. I didn’t until today. But while we may use the words interchangeably, there is a notable difference. Cost is what it takes to produce something; price is what someone pays for it. This is straight forward when we’re talking about…
A Red Pencil Trail
My arsenal was my Bible and a red pencil. I didn’t think about how long it would take or the rationality of my approach. I wanted to know: what does it mean to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength? If this is the greatest commandment, which it is clearly stated to…
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Meet Janet!
Janet Beagle, PhD is the founder of The Mustard Patch. She divides her time between the Midwest and New England, and if she’s not writing, she’s probably out hiking with her 2-and 4-footed friends.