… like cocktails. Uber. Jogging. Even behind a stroller. Hashtags. Whole Foods.

Church? Not so much. Because of your faith, ironically. And because churches exclude, even when they're being “welcoming”.

You want access to quality, not blah. To breathe, not to obey. You need relationality. Faith without social change? No time for that.

Some of your gripes? Religious leaders. Too controlling. And maybe quite unnecessary.

… are a faith leader. A theological professional. A public face.

Maybe a pastor. Spiritual leader. Always edutaining ... (it seems)

Any gripes in your lives? Sure! Pesky church members. You challenge them "the wrong way", and they vote with their money.

By the way, you love your calling. It's the loneliness and isolation that's tough. And the dearth in quality resources. The endless expectation to perform. That vast amount of scholarship out there - too much to master. And often too irrelevant. If only someone could help with the theological grunt work!

When you meet with other pastors - away from it all, that’s when you take a breather. But what you really need is actionable, professional help. Usable on-demand resources. Quality mini retreats. The kind that saves you serious time, makes your professional experience better and actually lifts your spirit.

… for you, it’s Starbucks on weekdays and church on Sundays. American dream(er). Suburban to the core. Church as cultural identity marker.

Person of faith. And consumption. All with a dose of conformity. To know what you’re getting… even before you’re getting it.

Church member with issues? Sure. Aren’t we all?! “Concerns”, we prefer to call them.

Your gripes? Maybe those Metros. But hey, we have an outreach team for them, right?

You’re a Myst if you …

… embrace existential MYSTery. And poetry. Philosophy. Art. Culture(s) and diversity.

You want to penetrate that fog called theology. Be immersed in it. Indwell it. And feel the warm sun beyond the fog.

You’re at seminary? Here is a wild guess: Some of your classes are brilliant, maybe even disruptive - as they should be! And others? Plain boring. Rehashed, stale and driven by agendas. The commonality? They all are way too expensive. Tucked away on a campus. Artificial. And you’re supposed to fund it all. Probably for decades to come…

… are a professional. Maybe a lawyer. A nurse. Someone who values professional development. CEUs or CLEs. Expected to be ethical, knowledgable, efficient. Always improving. Able to document it. The kind of stuff that goes in annual reviews and resumes for promotions.

As a lawyer you need to demonstrate ethics training. And interpretive (hermeneutical) skills for those case histories.

What if you’re a nurse? You need cultural intelligence in a world of diversity. We call that hermeneutics too; and neuroscience. And theology, of course.

You need foundations of the human experience. To help you be and do. In court rooms. Hospitals. Negotiations. To name a few.

You’re a DEAN if you …

… are in charge of faculty and students. You need professional resources for the former and adjunct classes for the latter - on campus or online. Blended too, of course.

You’re balancing academic freedom with the institution. And colleagues. Welcoming diversity. Millennials. Negotiating with accreditation bodies. Managing admissions. Donors. Inefficiencies. Attending consulting sessions, pad in hand.

The greatest pressure of all? Declining enrollment. And having to pretend that online learning is as good as face-to-face…

Having to make education “convenient”. And affordable - knowing full well that it’s typically neither!