Pilgrim's Door

The Good Run

Posted on 02. Aug, 2010 by Katherine Martinez.

If you lead a ministry effort, plan worship services, sell a product or provide a service… perhaps you think of both long and short run wins. I do.

In the short run, we want people to: come, volunteer, register or buy; so we announce the opportunity. Don’t Miss Next Weekend! Register for Bible Study! Get in a Group! Volunteer! Donate. We assume visibility is key to a short run win measured in numbers.

But this doesn’t work so well anymore. People know too much and have options. People think for themselves, because… they can. Tech and culture let us research, shop, learn/grow and recreate on our terms.

(Oh snap. It’s getting harder to make people do what I say.)

And isn’t that a good thing?

Truth. I’m glad that traditional marketing (trying to control people we don’t even know) has had her short run; and it’s over.

In the long run, the quality of our work determines the outcome– whether or not people come to our church, register for studies, join groups, volunteer, read what we write or buy our stuff. If we provide a good experience for people (out of love for God and others), and we/they talk about it online and in person, we’ll have a good run.

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Liberty and Justice

Posted on 03. Jul, 2010 by Katherine Martinez.

I’m for liberty and justice. Been thinking about it this morning, and I’m reminded of what the Bible teaches about God’s view of liberty and justice.

God is just. God is good to all people and the whole created order—especially to people who are being, or have been, subjected to injustice.

God wants justice for all. In God’s view, justice is the action of setting wrong things right again. The issues God has in mind, when speaking of justice for all, are consistent– and perhaps best expressed in Luke 4:18-19, where Jesus announces his mission in terms of excerpts from Isaiah 58 and 61. Justice involves announcing the Good News that God, in Christ, has personally come to us, and he will… [...]

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Thick Skin and a Soft Heart

Posted on 10. Apr, 2010 by Katherine Martinez.

This week, I had occasion to reflect on just why I admire the people I work with: They have thick skin and soft hearts.

Maybe your world is full of people with thick skin and soft hearts, and maybe you are that kind of person yourself. You probably are! In my little world, however, this quality is rare. I’ve spent my whole life looking for it in me, and when I encounter a person who is truly thick and soft, I’m always surprised, always blessed and, of course, instinctively attracted to her or him. [...]

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What to Say? When someone is grieving (1)

Posted on 26. Oct, 2009 by Katherine Martinez.

Here are some thoughts about the practical and spiritual conversations we have with folks who are grieving a loss.

Most people admit, “I feel anxious or awkward about talking to people who are suffering or have just experienced great loss.”

At the same time, suffering people need our presence and support.

Here are some simple wisdoms to guide us in our conversations with suffering people—especially those who are grieving immediately after the death of a friend or family member. [...]

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