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Homepage / Pivot Podcast /#118: The True Meaning of Lent: A Reality Check for Pastors

#118: The True Meaning of Lent: A Reality Check for Pastors

Blair Pogue shares a Lenten reflection for church leaders.

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What is the true meaning of the Lenten season for today’s church leaders? In this reflective episode, the Rev. Blair Pogue explores how traditional Lenten practices can help ministry leaders navigate extreme polarization, institutional suspicion, and personal burnout. Discover how remembering your baptismal identity and spending time in Jesus’ loving presence can transform your leadership approach from anxious fixing to faithful discernment.

The Lenten season meaning goes beyond giving things up—it’s about returning to the core of our faith. Through beautiful reflections on the R.S. Thomas poem “The Bright Field” and the story of Moses at the burning bush, this episode invites leaders to turn aside to discover the “pearl of great price” that awaits in God’s presence. Learn practical spiritual practices that will help you become “a watered garden, a repair of the breach, a restorer of streets to live in” during this sacred season.

Resources Mentioned

The Bright Field – R. S. Thomas

I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the
pearl of great price, the one field that had
treasure in it. I realise now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying

on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.

Featuring

Blair Pogue
Blair Pogue
Canon for Vitality and Innovation, Episcopal Church in Minnesota

The Rev. Blair Pogue is the Canon for Innovation in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. In that capacity, she helps congregations all over the state go deeper in their practice of the Christian faith, and learn how to join up with spiritually curious neighbors Jesus loves who don’t go to church. Before joining Bishop Loya’s staff, she was the rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul for 16 ½ years, and before she served rural and suburban congregations in Virginia, with a special focus on Christian formation. She has a Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

Host

Blair Pogue
Blair Pogue
Canon for Vitality and Innovation, Episcopal Church in Minnesota

The Rev. Blair Pogue is the Canon for Innovation in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. In that capacity, she helps congregations all over the state go deeper in their practice of the Christian faith, and learn how to join up with spiritually curious neighbors Jesus loves who don’t go to church. Before joining Bishop Loya’s staff, she was the rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul for 16 ½ years, and before she served rural and suburban congregations in Virginia, with a special focus on Christian formation. She has a Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

About Pivot Podcast

Join us on Pivot Podcast, where we journey beyond church-as-usual to discover how God is reshaping ministry for today’s world.

Each week, we dive into conversations with innovative leaders and practitioners who are navigating four game-changing pivots: shifting from quick fixes to deep listening, from membership to discipleship, from rigid models to creative ministry ecosystems, and from clergy-centered leadership to unleashing everyone’s gifts.

Whether you’re a member of the clergy seeking fresh inspiration or a volunteer stepping into new leadership territory, Pivot Podcast equips you with the insights and practical wisdom to follow Jesus into a faithful future.

Through their work with diverse cohorts of preachers, they’ve discovered that the most compelling sermons aren’t necessarily the most polished – they’re the ones where preachers have learned to listen deeply to both God and their congregations. Learn practical tools for gathering meaningful feedback, understand why vulnerability matters more than ever in preaching, and discover how shifting from evaluation to understanding can deepen your sermon’s impact. Plus, hear why reimagining God’s agency in preaching might be the key to unlocking more powerful proclamation.

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Featuring

Blair Pogue
Blair Pogue
Canon for Vitality and Innovation, Episcopal Church in Minnesota

The Rev. Blair Pogue is the Canon for Innovation in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. In that capacity, she helps congregations all over the state go deeper in their practice of the Christian faith, and learn how to join up with spiritually curious neighbors Jesus loves who don’t go to church. Before joining Bishop Loya’s staff, she was the rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul for 16 ½ years, and before she served rural and suburban congregations in Virginia, with a special focus on Christian formation. She has a Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

Host

Blair Pogue
Blair Pogue
Canon for Vitality and Innovation, Episcopal Church in Minnesota

The Rev. Blair Pogue is the Canon for Innovation in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. In that capacity, she helps congregations all over the state go deeper in their practice of the Christian faith, and learn how to join up with spiritually curious neighbors Jesus loves who don’t go to church. Before joining Bishop Loya’s staff, she was the rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul for 16 ½ years, and before she served rural and suburban congregations in Virginia, with a special focus on Christian formation. She has a Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.