Matt Erickson
So grateful that a dear friend shared with me this “Blessing for a Leader” by John O’Donohue this week. I had read it before but it came at a very meaningful time.
I wrote about Jesus referring to himself as Jacob’s ladder in John, chapter 1: “The Divine Stair of Our Dreams: Encountering Jesus as the True Ladder of Jacob.”
I wrote about Jesus’ referring to himself as Jacob’s ladder in John, chapter 1: “The Divine Stair of Our Dreams: Encountering Jesus as the True Ladder of Jacob.”
Last night, I watched Anselm by Wim Wenders with my wife, Kelly.🍿 What a wonderfully beautiful and meditative movie. I was not overly familiar with Anselm Kiefer’s work, but was overawed by the scope and dramatic nature of his work, as well as how Wenders captured it on film.
I love how Jesus invites these two disciples to enter a discovery journey with Him: “Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’ They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?“Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’” (Jn 1:38-39)
Here is “The Weekend Wanderer” for 6 June 2026 - with “In the Fields of the Lord,” Nathan Hoff on Shattering Leaders, Yuval Levin on the Pope on AI, The ‘Refuge Room’ in the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, houses of worship older than our nation, and more.
I just finished reading Rowan Williams’ Where God Happens: Discovering Christ in One Another. 📚 What a wonderfully insightful book reflecting on the spirituality of the desert fathers and mothers.
Grateful for the opportunity to write for Missio Alliance this week: “In the Fields of the Lord: Living with Dual Attention in Ministry”
My wife, Kelly, asked me this question over dinner last night: “What would you say are the best American novels of the last 100 years?”
I am still thinking about it but what would you say if you could only name 5 American novels from the past 100 years?
Just finished reading: Miseducated A Memoir by Brandon P. Fleming 📚
“Renewing the Ecology of Ministry” - Lingering over the words of ecologists helps me see the mounting crisis for the North American church rooted in a skewed ministry ecology and the failing mindsets that result from it.
I shared this quote from Frederick Buechner on calling in my message this past Sunday, and it captures so much so powerfully and succinctly:
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
O Most Awesome and Holy God, Three in One and One in Three, lead us into true worship of You in spirit and in truth, that our humble words and fumbling adoration might still bring us into an encounter with You, Who was and is and is to come— Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Here is “The Weekend Wanderer” for 30 May 2026 - A Pastor and a Philosopher in a Garden, Pope Leo on AI, 3 books on ill effects of technology, new stations of the cross, what kills discipleship?, speaking politics in church, and more.
Here is “The Weekend Wanderer” for 30 May 2026 - A Pastor and a Philosopher in a Garden, Pope Leo on AI, 3 books on ill effects of technology, new stations of the cross, what kills discipleship?, speaking politics in church, and more.
“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.
Christian Wiman on Jesus in _Glimmerings_
“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.