Tyler Braun's Blog, page 2

Holy Week During a Pandemic Crisis

I realized recently I havent posted anything on here over the past few weeks. They have been the craziest weeks of my life as a pastor. Though boredom may be the greatest struggle for some, Im sure many of you are just trying to keep your head above water while adjusting to this new reality of social distancing and economic collapse.

Holy Week will look different this year. Church buildings will be empty. Easter Egg Hunts will happen only in backyards and houses. But I do believe God is...

A Psalm to Pray in Our Coronavirus Times

Much like you I have been grappling with the increased sense that life will never be the same. In our area schools have been closed, large group gatherings are banned, and society as a whole is overwhelmed with anxiety and fear. How can Christians respond in these times?

I dont have any simple answers. Precautions, sure. But those wont quell the anxiety deep within. Several times in the last few days I have read through and prayed Psalm 91, a psalm worthy of repeating in prayer many times...

Knowing God

I drove by a church readerboard last week that said,

To know God is to love God.

Simple enough, right? A little pithy. Maybe too simple, but memorable. Initially, I didn’t think much of the philosophical/theological/epistemological statement. In a sense, it’s absolutely true. You can’t love something, or more specifically someone, you don’t know. Yet, I couldn’t shake the question of whether it was foundationally true.

The statement “to know God is to love God” seems to be seeking salvation...

An Honest Assessment

If I’m honest, I’m often ignorant of my own ineptitude. My pride tells me that I’m far better off than could ever be true. I like to believe I’m doing such a good job, that I’m actually better than those around me.

The flip side to this is that when I take in that reality I become far too aware of my own demise, leaving me crippled, unable to move forward. If I’m only a failure, why try?

I struggle to find positive momentum for life in between those two opposite reactions. And often it’s...

What Kobe’s Passing Teaches Us About Life Today

I was standing in the front of the church sanctuary, saying goodbye to a few volunteers helping with the worship team when my brother said, “wow, um, Kobe Bryant just died.” At first, I didn’t believe him, which is probably more of a statement of my own cultural enmeshment than anything—nothing can be taken at face value—but the news was true.

The death of Kobe Bryant quickly became international headline news and a consistent conversation piece with everyone I talked to for well over a...

How We Go to Church Every Sunday

Don’t miss the previous post:Why We Go to Church Every Sunday. Those “whys” are important because they create the foundation for adjusting life to make sure Sundays at church aren’t negotiable.

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In conversations I’ve had with a variety of people,many struggle to prioritize church not because they don’tunderstand or value the whyof church, those reasonsare quite obvious and clear for many. Instead,many simplydon’t know how to arrange their lives for Sunday church to be an easy outcome.

When...

Why We Go to Church Every Sunday

In talking with various church leaders, while also observing my own congregation, the ongoing trend of people joining their locally gathering church less often is striking. Find any study on church engagement and they all say the same thing: people go to church less often now than in years and decades prior.

In this post I want to explore why my family prioritizes being part of our church’s weekly gatherings every week. Then next week I’ll look at how we make that a possible outcome.

As a...

The Best of the 2010s

A few years ago I had a conversation with JR Briggs about his ministry Kairos Partnerships. The name is inspired by the two different words the Greeks have for time: chronos and kairos. Chronos meaning time like a clock, something sequential, never slowing or speeding. Kairos meaning moments that carry extra weight andhave a transcendent form.

As a routine-oriented person I recognize that most of my days aredictated by chronos. Meetings start and end at a pre-determined time. I go to bed and...

Best of 2019

Here’s my annual listof what I see as a mix of the best and my favorites of 2019 in music, books, podcasts, and a few of my things as well.

Music—Songs

1. “Jacob” by Chris Renzema

2. “Pin It Down” by Madison Cunningham

3. “Pictures” by Judah and the Lion feat. Kacey Musgraves

4. “Heavyweight Champion of the World” by Nilufer Yanya

5. “Closer than a Brother” by Josh Garrels

6. “Not” by Big Thief

Listen to all my favorite 2019 songs below:

Books

1. Managing Leadership Anxiety by Steve...

Managing Anxiety

Anxiety is often thought of as an individual struggle, yet it also invades systems and relationships, leaving not just people but whole communities stuck in its grip. Steve Cuss helps identify why anxiety affects people and groups but also practical steps forward to loosen anxiety’s grip.

Steve Cuss is a pastor and former hospital chaplain who has done a lot of work on anxiety in individuals and systems, culminating in his recently released book Managing Leadership Anxiety.

Listen to the...