Recent articles  From the blog at DifferentVoice.com     Summer Sabbatical For many church staff members and leaders, summer provides a bit of a breather and gives you an opportunity to do a few different activities. Sure, there may be VBS or a youth mission trip to plan and lead, but most of the Christian educators I know do have some down time for at least a couple of weeks. If that's true for you, consider doing what I'm about to do: take a Summer Sabbatical.  Continued...  June is "National Audiobook Month"  In my house, there's an ongoing debate. After finishing an audiobook, should you say you have "read" the book or "listened" to it (or both)? Regardless of where you come out on the question (I'm a fan of "read"), audiobooks are a terrific way to pass the time, learn something new, and have fun while you drive, exercise, or work around the house. I almost never leave the house without at least one audiobook on my phone and/or iPod, and I frequently have one checked out on CD from the library as well. Here are some great sources for audiobooks, including several that charge little or nothing, plus a peek at the last two audiobooks I listened to (and loved!).  Continued...  Make your donation to Different Voice It's voluntary, but it's both truly appreciated and needed to keep these emails coming. Thanks!    Books I'd Read If... Recently-released & upcoming books that look promising     Ministry Unplugged: Uncommon Calls to Serve by Susan Willhauck Ready to help congregants break out of the box? This book tells stories of individuals who are involved in unusual ministries (like a hair salon that not only preaches the Gospel but is named “Christ Did It All Hair Salon,” clowns that share the Good News, and a bistro-style restaurant alternative to the soup kitchen for the homeless in Atlanta) to spark congregational imagination about what's possible. Amazon (June) Paths of the Messiah by Bargil Pixner Visitors to Israel may have come across Pixner's tremendous, richly illustrated books on archaeology and early Christianity. Father Pixner was a Tyrolean priest, scholar, archaeologist, teacher, and pilgrimage leader, who lived much of his life in Israel. This one clocks in at a whopping 500 pages, but his writing is far from being dull. His previous books are tough to find at a reasonable price, but worth tracking down for yourself or your church library. Amazon (05/29) Under the Influence: California's Intoxicating Spiritual and Cultural Impact on America by Monica Ganas California makes up about a tenth of the US population, giving rise to the saying, "As goes California, so goes the country." If you would like to know where spirituality in America is headed, this book might give you some insights.  Amazon (06/01) Supernatural Selection: How Religion Evolved by Matt Rossano This is at least the third book on the evolution of religion I've seen come out in the past year. (The other two? The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures and In the Name of God: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Ethics and Violence.)  That officially makes it a trend, as I see it, meaning it's time to pay attention to the dialogue taking place in scholarly settings.  Amazon (05/28) The Encyclopedia of Christian Literature by George Thomas Kurian Unless you're a huge fan of Christian lit, this one's probably better suited to your church library given it's rather extraordinary price.  Amazon (05/16) Visit our Cokesbury store whenever you shop online for books, curriculum, and other resources, and you'll help ensure our website keeps on serving up progressive content 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. (Or at least 99.99% of that time, according to our webhost.)   Check This Out  Articles & websites worth your time, plus some shared earlier on Facebook/Twitter     Grads: Be Amazing, Be Compassionate Share this with the grads you know! Beatitudes Society (05/24) Deshna Ubeda on progressive Christianity for kids An audio interview from one of the primary developers of the new children's curriculum from The Center for Progressive Christianity. ABC.net.au (05/23) A Better Script for Small Churches If you work in or with small churches, this article about a better, positive way to think about why small churches tend not to grow and what a "healthy eqilibrium" looks like is definitely worth your time. Lewis Center (05/26) The Shrinking 40% A staff member at Granger Community Church (a large, conservative and very  tech-friendly congregation in Indiana) ponders the roughly 60% of people who don't attend a congregation and who likely won't. Facebook (05/26) Clergy who don't believe Are there any "secret atheists" on your church staff? (Are you one, perhaps?) A cognitive scientist and prominent atheist explores the topic. Beliefnet (05/25) How full is your menu? An interesting argument for doing less, not more, in your church. I don't necessarily agree; to me, what's needed is invitational communication and passionate people who communicate effectively, not fewer activities.  UMPortal (05/25) Letting Go of Institutional Nostalgia? What's the worst that could happen if we simply just let things go at times? reyes-chow.com (05/20) New methods/new day: Generous God vs. cheap church Are you nickel and diming your congregation members by constantly charging for things or putting out baskets for free-will donations? Think twice. MinnesotaUMC (05/07) The Interim Way: Building a Ministry that Outlasts You This quick article reminds us that we are all "interim ministers" and thus should do things in such a way that others can easily follow us.  YMToday  21 Rules for Social Media Engagement Thinking about using social media more frequently in your ministry? Here's a superb list of "rule of engagement" you'll want to follow. Mashable (05/18) 13 Assumptions About Technology and Online Community This helpful list could provide your staff or ministry team with a starting point when talking about technology and ministry. What you do with it, though, is your call. Church Crunch (05/18)   Video Pick of the Week  Sit back and enjoy the show     RSAnimate: The Empathic Civilsation This fast-moving and engaging video explores the evolution of empathy and the profound ways that it has shaped our development and our society. YouTube (05/06) Opportunities   Youth Worker Summit: Sacred Space for Youth Workers An ecumenical event for youth leaders—at a Disney resort! Featuring Phylis Tickle and Roger Nishioka. I'd love to attend this event!  YouthWorkerSummit   From the Archives  Past blog posts you may enjoy (or enjoy again!)     Retreat, retreat!  Hold a SoulCollage Workshop  Hold a Hobby Expo  Learn more about Different Voice --> Website  |  Store  |  About  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Membership Another Voice       ...What are you talking about in your life? What sort of speaking are you doing? Is it all conversation? Or survival? Or fellowship? Or interrogative? Or rhetorical? That’s all well and good, the speech of everyday life is what it is. Birds whistle, dogs bark, and people talk, talk, talk. But, let me ask you: Have you anything to declare? Is the Holy Spirit of God setting your brain and heart on fire with love for God and neighbor and self? Has the Spirit of God given you utterance? I think so."  ~ Greg Jones, "Well, I do declare!"

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