As pastors, laboring among broken people (and being broken ourselves!) there’s a lot of mess. Sometimes it feels like all you do is clean up the mess: “Clean-up on aisle 10!” So much work and effort, and it is most often unnoticed and unrewarding. I recently concluded teaching a class called “When God Hands You … Continue reading The Daily Grind
“Finally, brothers,rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” – 2 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV) “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.” – George … Continue reading The Restoration Tree – a Parable for Exited Pastors
I heard this wonderful piece recited at a recent conference by my friend, Peter Reid. Peter is connected with Lamplighters Ministry, and was the featured speaker. I asked him to send it to me, and I am pleased to share it with you. It reflects the yearning of my heart on many occasions. I trust … Continue reading Back to Jesus Alone
“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
I have lived through hurricanes. When I was much younger, growing up in Florida, there were several times when my family huddled together in our boarded-up home, lighting candles when the power went out and listening to the fury of the passing storm. Once the “all clear” was given, we would step outside to survey … Continue reading Exited Pastors: The Ruined Landscape
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
I have mentioned this very impressive TED talk before, but it bears repeating here due to its direct impact on how we look at conflict. It opens the door to the final step in finding hope in the middle of strained relationships and sticky situations. Management expert Margaret Heffernan, in a thought-provoking talk given at … Continue reading Finding Hope in the Midst of Conflict – Part 3
What a beautiful thing it is when the Church - perceived by many to be a place where we shoot our wounded - becomes the means of healing and restoration for its own! This last weekend I had the privilege of observing, firsthand, how a small suburban church has welcomed a burned-out pastor and his … Continue reading Healing Our Own!
“From life’s first cry, to final breath Jesus commands my destiny… Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.” – from,” In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty & Stuart Townsend It is good to be back after taking a bit of a break for the holidays. Spending time with family and a few friends, enjoying … Continue reading The Illusion of Control
We are once again coming into the final days of Advent – a time when cards are filled with wishes for hope and good cheer - a time when our anticipation of celebrating goodwill should be at its peak. Yet the events of the past few weeks seem to have cast a pall over these … Continue reading Christ, Our Hope!
AN ENCOURAGING WORD 