Today’s post is a bit different. Once a year I pause to address some of the questions I hear most often from readers.
How did the Morning Reflections begin?
For nine years (2011-2020) I had the privilege of being the Director of Mission Integration (think “workplace pastor”) for about a thousand Indianapolis-based associates of Ascension, one of America’s largest healthcare corporations. At the beginning of December 2012, I realized that many of those employees knew next to nothing about the historical and spiritual roots of the Christmas season. After experimenting with a month of “morning reflections” leading up to December 25, my boss, Lee Coulter, graciously asked if I wanted to keep writing in January. Things took off from there. Morning Reflections became a stand-alone not-for-profit ministry when I retired from Ascension in 2020.
Is that why reflections only come out on weekdays?
Exactly. The Monday-through-Friday format was originally intended to serve the workplace.
Any plans to include Saturday and Sunday in the future?
Actually, I’ve come to cherish my two-day weekend “sabbath.” It provides a welcome chance for refreshment and renewal.
Are you going to offer any special guidance or political insights during these last two months before the election?
Not if I can help it! I’m sure my “guidance” wouldn’t be very special. I do want to acknowledge what we all know – that this is an incredibly painful season when it comes to political conversation. Families and friends are finding it hard even to be in the same room. A pastor in Texas recently told his congregation that if any of them voted for a particular political party, they would be in danger of losing their salvation. Other voices are insisting that religion has no place in the public square, and Christians should just take their Bibles and go sit in a corner. Both those positions are extreme. And both are disastrous. God is surely calling us to think clearly, act lovingly, and speak graciously, doing our best to discern the wisest ways to walk together into the future, taking full advantage of the privilege of voting in a free society.
Do you feel hopeful about the future?
Definitely. About half of America’s voters felt certain the country would disintegrate if Thomas Jefferson were ever elected president. Sixty years later, half the country actually tried to form a breakaway republic because Abraham Lincoln became president. Yet the heads of both those men are still on Mount Rushmore. America remains surprisingly resilient. Looking beyond the specific challenges we’re facing as a nation, we can be sure that even though the actors on life’s stage sometimes blow their lines, a skilled director will make sure the play turns out right. And God is a very good Director.
What’s the source of such hope?
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He still rules the cosmos with grace, truth, and justice. And he’s not up for re-election. All shall be well.
If you could write a prescription for our times, what would it be?
My starting point would be humility. It’s so powerful to sustain an inner dialogue where we’re reminding ourselves, I might be wrong. That has the potential to smooth the rough edges in every relationship. If I were also to recommend a transforming personal discipline, I’d vote for reading. So few people are currently making the time to devour books. That’s such a tragedy for followers of Jesus, who have historically been identified as People of the Book. Today we have more written resources than any previous generation, but seemingly less passion to soak up great literature.
What can you tell us about your own reading?
I read at least 300 books a year – fiction and non-fiction, short ones and long ones, audio books with earbuds and paper books balanced on my lap. I choose authors who reinforce my spiritual convictions as well as authors who challenge my spiritual convictions. After all, I might be wrong – and it’s so important to keep listening and learning from wise people. When readers ask where I get the ideas for the next handful of reflections, the great majority emerge from my current reading. At any given moment I have about 75-80 ideas sitting on my reflection “back burner,” some of which have been simmering there for at least a decade.
How many people are on the receiving end of the reflections every morning?
What we know for sure is that the number has been steadily growing for a dozen years. Our best estimate is somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50,000 readers. That takes into account the many subscribers who acknowledge they regularly forward the reflections to family members, friends, and co-workers.
Does that mean I have permission to send them on to others?
Absolutely. In fact, I hope you feel led to do so. All the reflections are meant to be shared, reposted, or used as illustrations in any context where they might be useful. An insightful author once said that God’s gifts come to us because they are on their way to someone else. I don’t see myself as someone blessed with many “original ideas,” but as a gatherer and compiler of some of the compelling insights that have come to all of us from God’s people throughout the ages. Morning Reflections are just a way of making some of those insights more widely available.
Do you write a host of reflections in advance, or take it one day at a time?
I’ve never been able to write very far ahead. It takes about 2-3 hours to compose a reflection, which is something I usually do during the afternoon or the evening of the day before I send it.
Do you ever use “old” reflections over again?
I sure do. And I’m willing to bet a number of you have said, “Oh, I remember this one.” With almost 3,000 posts to date, sometimes it’s really hard to come up with a new slant or a new idea. When I do go back to the well, however, I always try to improve on my original efforts.
Is it possible to contact you personally?
Of course! It’s easy. All you have to do is hit Reply to any reflection, or leave a message in the Contact section of my website – the link appears at the end of every post. I connect with a number of readers every day (including weekends), and I enjoy interacting on a host of subjects.
What happens if I suddenly stop receiving the reflections?
Great question. It’s possible, of course, that there’s been a technical glitch of some sort, or that I’ve gone into recovery for drinking too many Diet Mountain Dews. But the most likely scenario is that you’ve been “unsubscribed,” either by an accidental keystroke at your end or through the deliberate action of someone to whom you forwarded a reflection. It is required by law that bulk email distributions include a link for unsubscribing. If you forward a post and that person decides, “I don’t really want to receive any more of these” and hits the “unsubscribe” link, they’ve actually just knocked you off the Reflection distribution list. That happens to at least a handful of people every week. What you can do, before you send any forwards, is to delete the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the post. That is perfectly legal when forwarding emails. And if you yourself want to get back on to the distribution list? Just send me that request at glenn@glennsreflections.com.
How are things on the business side of Morning Reflections Inc?
I can’t thank you enough for your incredible generosity. We’re doing well. By way of reminder, as a 501(c)3 organization every gift we receive is tax deductible. Our EIN is 86-1253154.
Any last thoughts?
Only these: I’ll never be able to find the words to express what a joy it is to know that when I hit Send in the morning, this stream of electrons is somehow, by God’s grace, helping connect all of us for his ultimate purposes. Without you, there would be no ministry. Thanks for your prayers. And thanks for your partnership in this ongoing work.
Glenn McDonald
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