After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. John 2:12 Dear fellow travelers on the Way, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life” These words from Dallas Willard to John Ortberg captivated me from the first moment I laid eyes … Continue reading No Hurry!
I am a real person who occupies an office. David Rohrer in The Sacred Wilderness of Pastoral Ministry Then God said, ’Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…’ then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man … Continue reading To My Fellow Pastors…who are People too!
I am not sure that any time in my journey with Jesus – and as a leader in the church – has seemed more like an off-road event than this last year. The big detour sign on the “normal” lanes has put me on side roads that have turned into nothing more than tire tracks … Continue reading To My Fellow Pastor/road-warriors
“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” – 1 Timothy 4:15 One of the highest compliments I hear being given to a pastor or ministry leader is that they are “well grounded” in their teaching. It implies that they have committed themselves … Continue reading The Grounded Pastor – Patterns for a Healthy Pastoral Life, Part 3
Over the course of the last week, I had the privilege of speaking to two vastly different groups about the urgent need in the church for restorative grace for pastors. The first was a gathering of seminary students in St. Louis, at Covenant Seminary. The second group was mostly made up of seasoned pastors from … Continue reading A Good, Hard Look at Ourselves – for pastors, ex-pastors and other Church leaders.
Years ago, when I was pastoring, I asked one of the ladies at our church to create a banner around the Latin term “Sursum Corda.” She did a fabulous job, visually depicting the concept of what the term literally means: “Up with Your Heart!” Hanging for all to see at the front of the church, … Continue reading The Thankful Pastor – Patterns for Healthy Pastoral Life Pt. 2
“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”- 1 Timothy 4:16 As part of my duties as a ruling elder in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, I regularly witness ordination exams. We gather at our presbytery meetings and grill the new candidates for … Continue reading The Exited Pastor’s Golden Opportunity
In the course of keeping up with all the blogs, articles and postings on Facebook regarding the state of today’s pastors, I am noticing a trend. Most of what I am reading lately can be summed up into two groups: the “here’s the list of things that a pastor should do (or not do) to … Continue reading Peter’s Story – an encouragment to pastors
In the last couple of months, two significant events occurred in the history of space exploration. While most of us can identify the first one – the landing of the Mars explorer “Curiosity” – it is likely that the second went relatively unnoticed. Early last month, an Associated Press report marked the 35th anniversary of … Continue reading A Re-shaped Purpose – The Voyager Project and Exited Pastors
AN ENCOURAGING WORD 