🌄 How is it with your soul today, ?

Published: Mon, 12/22/25

Updated: Mon, 12/22/25

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Green garland framing text, four candles

Hello, !

How is it with your soul?

I hope you will stop right here and actually allow yourself a few breaths to contemplate this question. Your soul has been in high gear for the past month with Advent leading, preaching, praying, organizing, end-of-year reports and budgeting, and much more. This Monday morning, can you take a few minutes to reflect on how you are doing...?

As Advent winds down, and with Christmas just around the corner, we have one final Advent blessing for you this morning. It comes from 3MMM team member, Laura Edgar. She wrote a blessing between love and Christmas, and we hope it will meet you in this moment.

Advent 4: Blessing Between Love and Christmas

Mini Writing Retreats

January 5 and February 6

Our beloved mini writing retreats for all writers are back for January 5 and February 6. Explore them now and save your place to write with us in 2026.

Members of the Writing Table receive a 50% discount.

Mini Writing Retreats | Register Here

2025 Recap: Top 3MMM Podcasts

As we near the end of 2025, we're going to look back on some of our most visited resources. Today, we start with podcasts. This year we featured interviews with Cláudio Carvalhaes, Callie Swanlund, and more. You enjoyed a wide range of topics when you listened to the 3MMM podcast, including writing, grief, creativity, transitions, different facets of ministry practice, and much more. Most of these podcasts are from 2025, but you also listened to older episodes about helping pastors thrive, listening to children, and vocation.

If you haven't tuned in to the 3MMM podcast lately, we hope you will explore the end-of-year list, and enjoy listening to some or all of these episodes over the holidays! Without further ado, here are the most-listened-to podcasts from Three Minute Ministry Mentor in 2025:

Most Played Podcasts in 2025:

I'm grateful for you, , and may hope, peace, joy, and love grasp you in surprising ways as Advent gives way to Christmas.

Blessings and peace,

Eileen

New State of Clergy Report

Hanging out with friends and colleagues at the American Academy of Religion in Boston in November reminded me how much I appreciate friends who prepare people for ministry by teaching in theological education, research and writing, and lots of mentoring. I'm incredibly grateful for scholars who stand at the intersection of ministry and higher education and who care deeply about people of faith and those called to lead them. I'm looking forward to updating the 2018 data with a newly revised and expanded State of Clergy Report.