I was speaking with a person who consults with congregations across the nation and denominations. She said she and other consultants are getting a steady and increasing number of calls from distressed congregations. The cause of the congregational pain: extended or ineffective interim periods between installed pastorates. This shouldn't be a surprise. Talk to any lay leader who has served on a Pastoral Nominating Committee recently and they will say, "There has to be a better way of handling the transition from one pastor to the next. The length of time involved is unheard of in any other organization. It almost killed our congregation."

I once asked a question that changed my life. I was at a gathering of NCP clergywomen and asked: "Is anyone here interested in forming a writer's group?" This is how the Writing Revs were born, an illustrious group of fiercely intelligent women who love words and the church and, occasionally, sweets. One of the early WRevs was Carol Howard Merritt, which is why I have had the pleasure of reading early drafts of both of her books. No doubt many of you read Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation, (2007). That book was good for Alban, but more importantly, it was good for the church.

The Bible provides several pictures of heaven. In Genesis, heaven is pictured as a garden where all our needs are met. Jesus' first miracle-turning water in to wine-evokes a second picture of heaven: the heavenly banquet. In the Book of Revelation, John pictures heaven as a magnificent city-Saint Augustine's City of God. My favorite image of heaven is as a place where everyone is known by their first name. In a real sense, this is why I love small groups

By the time you read this, I'll be in Israel. I am traveling with a group from Arlington Presbyterian and a group from Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. I am a bit of a travel bug and will welcome most opportunities to see different parts of the world.