“Is Pastoring More Like a Startup or a Garden?” - I have enjoyed sharing about The Pastor as Gardener on multiple podcasts, but few have been as entertaining as joining Randy Knie and Kyle Whitaker for“A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar.”

Sometimes when hiking my beloved Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin there are portions that are not that exciting.

It reminds me of how life is also like this. Sometimes we keep walking even when things are not evidently beautiful or interesting.

Sometimes we just need to take the next step.

Looking through some old photos I found this one that my wife took of me staring up at “The Tree of Life” (Étienne de Boré Oak) in New Orleans’ Audubon Park this past New Year’s Eve. The massive oak was planted around 1740. What is it about huge, old trees that is so captivating?

Beautiful hiking all weekend with my wife, Kelly, along the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. One special treat was an evening hike at the golden hour that brought such beauty and so many unexpected wonders.

God reminds us and invites us into gratitude today:

“Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me.” (Psalm 50:23a)

In preparation for Pentecost Sunday: “The Holy Spirit is Like…Three images of the Holy Spirit in Scripture”

I really enjoyed this conversation with Joseph Lear about my book The Pastor as Gardener. His questions were thoughtful and engaging with the material of the book. Don’t miss the 40% discount code he mentions to buy a copy of the book for yourself or someone you know in ministry.

“I think of the man who was so gentle with the woman at the well or the woman who touched the hem of his robe. I think of him scandalously washing the feet of his disciples, scandalously (and yet so movingly) calling out to the God who seemed to have abandoned him. I think of the heroic composure with which he accepted his fate. And I want nothing more in life than to know this man, to have his presence in my heat, to be strong enough to stake my entire existence on the reality of his.” - Christian Wiman, “November 27,” in Glimmerings: Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a Theologian (New York: HarperCollins, 2026), 177.

A good word for preachers and service leaders today:

“I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.” (Psalm 40:10)

I love this statement from Gregory of Nyssa: “We regard falling from God’s friendship as the only thing dreadful and we consider becoming God’s friend the only thing worthy of honor and desire. This, as I have said, is the perfection of life.”

Hello, friends. Here is “The Weekend Wanderer” for 16 May 2026 with Gregory of Nyssa on life’s meaning, Francis Omondi in Dadaab Refugee Complex, is the USA a Christian nation?, Trygve Johnson on the future of the church, and more.

I found this book review I wrote that was never published for Makoto Fujimura’s 2025 book Art Is: A Journey Into the Light, and thought I’d share it here since this is a wonderful book (mentioned in “My Top Reads of 2025”).

I just finished reading: Beauty A Theological Engagement with Gregory of Nyssa by Natalie Carnes 📚 This was a wonderful book, though not quite what I expected, but was rewarding reading.

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.” (Luke 6:43-44)

Here is “The Weekend Wanderer” for 9 May 2026 with lessons on faith from the garden, Black churches mobilize, Alan Jacobs on Terrence Malick’s biblical imagination, World Relief’s family separation report, literature for the common good, and more.

Friends, I am trying to research more fully the contextual situation that led Christians to flee to the desert in what we know as the Desert Fathers and Mothers movement. Not looking for a collection of sayings, but more about the historical-social milieu. Any recommended resources?

I really enjoyed Andrew Camp’s thoughtful questions and engagement with “The Pastor as Gardener” on The Biggest Table podcast. He explored themes I had not fully thought of with my work. I was so grateful for this conversation!

Last week I traveled to the Middle East to visit friends and church partners. It was certainly an interesting time to travel because of the global conflicts in that region, but conversations I had with ministry partners made it even more interesting: “Hearing an Apt Word in the Middle East.”

Just finished reading: Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark Mysticism, Art, and the Path of Unknowing by James K. A. Smith 📚 I liked it, but felt it was slow at the start but grew on me near the end. Smith reframes philosophy through mysticism, pointing toward John of the Cross, Teresa, and others.

Here is “The Weekend Wanderer” for 2 May 2026 with Kenneth Tanner on the Road to Emmaus, Christian persecution in Egypt, David Swanson on changes to racial reconciliation, Mike Sacasas on AI, and more.

I’m thankful for Joseph Lear’s thoughtful and generous engagement with my book, The Pastor as Gardener. Read his review and take advantage of the 40% discount on purchasing the book offered at the end of the post: “Pastor as Gardener by Matthew Erickson: A Review and Endorsement.”

I was grateful to write an OpEd with the help of World Relief staff about our international budgeting. “As a pastor and a former humanitarian worker…witnessing the devastation of HIV during my tenure at World Relief, my understanding of what it means to care for my neighbor has changed irrevocably.”

Currently reading: Saving Beauty by Byung-Chul Han 📚

There’s nothing quite like being with believers in another part of the world that will give challenging and helpful perspective on what is happening to Christianity in America.

“Three Ways to Read 1 Corinthians 13: spiritual formation through Scripture”