Tyler Braun's Blog, page 22

Too Busy Pointing Fingers

In recent months I’ve found my online status updates slowing to a crawl. I don’t have the energy for it. I use Twitter less (and I love Twitter), I use Facebook less (and still hate it), and I definitely write for this blog less often (I shared about that here).

When I first started this blog, and started joining various social networks, what I loved was the ability to bounce thoughts and ideas off of people who had different thoughts, perceptions, and experiences. I found this communityto be...

My Struggle to Develop New Leaders

Two years ago I joined the staff of a relatively small church. Having served exclusively in large churches, it was quite a shock to my pastoral system. The biggest shock was the realization that I simply couldn’t do it all. My job description included far more than I could accomplish on my own—and there was no support staff to help with whatever I didn’t get done. It brought me to my knees. “Lord, please bring me people who can lead!” I prayed.

The need for lay leaders came into sharp focus wi...

The Investigation

David ends his well known Psalm 139 with the phrase, “lead mein the way everlasting.” For most Christians this is a prayer they would claim for themselves. Christians desire to follow God’s direction and leading. Rightfully so. God’s way is the right way, so listening and discerning His movement is vital for fulfilling His desire for your life.

But what gets lost when we throw out this desire as our end goal is the difficult process it takes to get there. Just previous to the “lead me” stateme...

Nepotism and Having Dad as My Boss

Two years ago I joined the pastoral staff at the church where my dad serves as the senior pastor. He has been in that role since the forming of the church over a decade ago. As a college student I led worship at the church. Rose and I would visit a few times a year when we were home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I grew up with many of the individuals within the congregation.

Coming to New Harvest had the feel of a homecoming, but it came with responsibilities, the biggest one being the navig...

My Frustration with Sunday Morning Worship

I’ve been leading worship for about a decade on a week to week basis. Over half of that time the worship leading has been part of my vocation and calling as a pastor.

During this time of leadership Ihave advocated for and led what are often called contemporary worship songs. I often think of it as“four songs and a blaze of glory” (cause you’re always winning when you make reference to church and Bon Jovi at the same time). In this, the goal ismusical excellence for the sake of glorifying God,...

A Theology of Place (Why We Bought a House in the Place I Didn’t Want to Live)

Two years ago I moved my wife Rose to my hometown of Salem, Oregon, taking her away from a city we loved, Portland, Oregon. It’s hard to explain why we did this other than by saying God pushed us where we didn’t want to go. And when God speaks, you follow.

Opening the front door to our house for the first time!

I imagined the move to be a 3-5 year sort of thing. A chance to gain some church ministry experience in some different areas than I had previously. But in the process of going to this pl...

How to Overcome the Obstacle of Insecurity

Note from Tyler: Today’s post is from Jonathan Malm. Outside of being the creative force behind many church stage and platform designs(which is what we have interacted about in the past), Jonathan is a creative thinker who desires to serve the church. Jonathanjust released his first book and wrote about that process for all of you to read about today.

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I was sitting at my desk, considering how great my job is, the day my boss called me to his office to fire me.

“We love you and we’ve really enj...

My Video Podcasting Debut

You don’t get a chance to see my face too often. I keep this blog primarily devoted to the written word. Today, however, I thought I’d share a video podcast I recently did with the good folks at Goodberry.

In the conversation we touch on subjects like why I became a pastor, why I’m so focused onmy generation, and what it means to live a holy life. Hope this is helpful for you. I should have thrown in some humor but we did this at 8am on my day off, so cut me some slack

(If you are reading thi...

The Church and White Privilege

Two pictures of racial tensions in the US, taken 50 years apart.

History may view this statement as hyperbole, but I’ll go for it anyway:

The events taking place in Ferguson are a watershed moment for racial reconciliation (or the lack thereof) in America. And if the church stands idly by as this watershed moment takes place the Gospel will be further relegated to aplace of obscurity within that same culture.

Thankfully, the church of Jesus Christ has leaders who are speaking up, and guiding us...

Shortcuts are Detrimental to Your Soul

I spend around15-20 hours praying, studying, and writing anytime I’m scheduled to speak at our church on a Sunday morning. Inevitably, I run into all sorts of hurdles. It’s difficult to stay motivated for the finish line when the beginning process feels like an insurmountable mountain.

After I’ve studied and determined an outline I write out the whole message into a manuscript. Usually about a page and a half in I’m looking for shortcuts. 2 or 3 hours into typing and the ideas seem to flow les...