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Jesus teaches us to always aim for the center. And repeat.

Moses has never been one to keep his mouth shut.

The golden calf isn’t a terrible idea. It’s just not God’s idea.

The book of Numbers reminds us why it matters who we count.

Rules help us sustain life in community, whether we like it or not.

Where does one learn how to assert their pastoral authority?

I remember the very first time I heard this question asked, which was also the first time I seriously considered what the correct answer might be. It was the summer after my first year in seminary, and I was in the beginning days of an intensive clinical pastoral education chaplaincy internship. The topic of pastoral authority was raised in a group conversation with my fellow interns. We were all very eager but also very nervous about beginning rounds on our assigned units in a busy hospital in the suburbs of Atlanta.