I sat in my pastor’s office sharing my feelings of being pretty worthless, of feeling abandoned by my peers. I felt like I had sold my soul to the devil, or something worse. After 18 years of steady ministry as solo pastor, senior pastor, or associate pastor, I had...
I recently posted a blog on Elijah, burnout, and how important it is for us to spend extended time alone with God. If he needed to slow down and spend some long, extended time in the desert alone with God, how much more do we need to do the...
I am a recovering burned out pastor. Doing fine, thank you. But I hit the wall several years back and had to resign a great ministry. The church I was pastoring was excited about the future and eager to reach out. We did some good things, and the future...
I have recently been struck by a very simple verse in the first chapter of Romans:
“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (vv....
Change and transitions are always hard. But of course the old cliché is true: if there is one thing that never changes, it is that things are always changing. The school year ends; friends move away; marriage is forever changed with the addition of kids; the kids start going...
A post with this title could go in either of two directions. It could be about a female pastor delivering a child (and as I write about this option, I definitely picture labor setting in mid-sermon). Or it could go in the following direction:
In Galatians 4:19, Paul uses some...
I’ll never forget hearing John Piper talk about growing old to the glory of God, in several sermons years ago. Maybe you’ve heard them too. In the middle of one particular sermon about missions, Piper goes off in his characteristic bluntness on how “old people” should do missions instead...
Because I work with Bible College students, I interact with a lot of people who feel called into ministry. Many have been inspired by the ministry—and particularly the powerful preaching—of Francis Chan and similar Christian leaders.
Few admit it, but I have known a few students who want to be...
Last Sunday, I had the precious opportunity to baptize my 9 and 7 year old daughters, Kaylea and Aubrey. It was quite the emotional Sunday. I’ve never baptized anyone before, so it was a joy to have my own two daughters be my first ones. I’d like to share...