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Continue reading →: Rocket’s Sabbatical Children’s Book
Rocket is Pastor Joe’s friend. Rocket will accompany Pastor Joe on his adventures during his Sabbatical. Rocket hopes to teach children about the adventures he and Joe go on, and share all the things that they learn. As part of this project, Pastor Joe will be publishing a children’s book…
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Continue reading →: Star Differs from Star in Glory
In his first letter to churches in Corinth, Paul addressed one of the most pressing theological issues of his time: Whether Jesus rose from the grave and what that means for believers (1 Cor. 15). Paul affirms quite succinctly that Jesus rose in bodily form and then poses the question:…
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Continue reading →: Tomorrow’s Dystopia
There is no better teacher of sinful nature than science. People often view science as optimistic, hopeful, visionary, progressive. That is not always the case, and science has not always led to the results that we all have hoped. Ever since the scientific revolution, especially paired with the technological revolution…
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Continue reading →: Where it All Started…
I am not entirely sure why I had so much trouble coming up with a subject for my sabbatical. I knew that in order to be competitive for the Lilly Clergy Renewal Endowment, I needed (1) to study something, anything; (2) to study something that “makes my heart sing”; and…
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Continue reading →: Meet my new friend, Rocket
Meet my friend, Rocket… Rocket was a birthday gift from my loving wife, Kristina. “You need company when you go on your sabbatical,” she said, “And what better than a rocket ship named Rocket?” She has a point. With an impending sabbatical that will take me over 8,400 miles cross…
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Continue reading →: Sabbatical: A Pastor in Exile?
I started reading Laurie Haller’s memoir of her sabbatical, Recess. She was a recipient of the very same renewal grant for which I am applying, so I thought that perhaps her book would help me discern my own journey and anticipated sabbatical. Within the first few chapters, she explores what…
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Continue reading →: On the Road to a Pastoral Sabbatical 2026
The First Baptist Church of Vero Beach aspires to afford Rev. Dr. LaGuardia a sabbatical in late summer of 2026 that will incorporate a church-wide season of renewal, rest, and refocus. What is a Pastoral Sabbatical? According to Rober Saler, director of the Lilly Endowment Renewal Project, a pastoral sabbatical…
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Continue reading →: 2025 Presidential Election Takeaways, and a Warning to the Church
Let’s get one thing straight: Kamala Harris did not just lose to Donald Trump; she lost to Joe Biden as well. I saw this phenomenon in the election polls on Election Day around 8:30 PM, when results started coming in: Vice President Harris’ numbers in Democratic counties were coming in…
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Continue reading →: The Spiritual Work of Becoming
How do you preach a sermon on the art of living? Recently, I preached on the “future vision” of our church and decided against addressing the big things that often come with ministry. I didn’t get into budgets or missions or some far-fetched dream of exponential growth. Instead, I addressed…
Engaging Heart, Mind, and Soul
Rev. Dr. Joe LaGuardia
Rev. Dr. Joe LaGuardia is a pastor, writer, and chaplain residing in Florida. He is author of three books and regular contributor to Smyth & Helwys’ Formations Series. His articles have appeared in USA Today, Baptist News Global, Christian Ethics Today, TCPalm, and Rockdale Citizen.
Baptist Spirituality explores the intersection of faith and culture incorporating biblical scholarship, culture and the arts, politics, science, and theology.
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