MEMORIAL DAY MUSINGS
I’m really grateful for Memorial Day this year. It’s not because I just need a Monday off or because I’m going to eat burgers and hot dogs without restraint. It’s because I get to pause and reflect on what happened at places like Yorktown, Belleau Woods, Iwo Jima, Khe Sanh,…
7 STEPS TO AVOID BURNOUT
What should a pastor do when feeling tired, burned out, under-appreciated or even under attack? 1. Don’t isolate yourself. Solitude is a spiritual discipline and is healthy. Isolation is not. Make friends with someone not associated with the church. Someone from another church, a friend from seminary days, or even…
A SPIRITUAL STEROID
At the top of my favorites list is Charles Spurgeon. I discovered him while in undergrad at Liberty University and have read his sermons, lectures and devotionals more than I have any other. Time and again, God has used that man’s words to lift my heart to worship. He’s done it again and…
INSPIRING YOUR CONGREGATION TO GIVE GENEROUSLY
Is there a shortage of resources to do God’s work? Or is there a shortage of vision for what God wants to do? Some of our congregations are struggling financially. They wonder if it is time to reduce staff or missionary personnel or if they should sell part of the…
AN EASTER PRAYER FOR OUR LEADERS
Several years ago, when I was a pastor in NY, I was troubled with leadership and personal challenges. For weeks I had a heavy sense of private discouragement. After opening up and sharing this with my board of elders, one of the older men said to me, “Pastor, I think…
WHEN ENVY IS GOOD
I’m sitting in a leadership conference that I needed far worse than I care to admit. I’ve had my heart stirred, my faith encouraged, my mind challenged and my calling clarified. In reference to the last part, my calling, it’s less about being a District Superintendent and more to do with…
PREACHING THAT MISSES THE POINT
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But Dr. Abe Kuruvilla sure is trying. That’s how it felt for some of us last week as we gathered together in Princeton Junction at Windsor Chapel for our Preaching Refresher. 64 of our pastors and preachers-in-training signed up to be a…
Intentional Discipleship as a Way of Life
Like many pastors, or church leaders, I have this deep drive to make disciples. When I say disciples, I’m thinking beyond information alone. I’m thinking about transformation. The goal of disciple-making is helping people become like Jesus. Remember the words of Jesus regarding disciple making? Jesus didn’t say teach them everything I commanded,…
Need a miracle?
In the opening pages of Miracles, Eric Metaxas used two great quotes to set a foundation for the message of his book. He opens with these quotes to counter the unbelieving mind that rejects even the premise for a discussion about miracles. Miracles are not in contradiction to nature. They are…
Fact or Fiction? Americans Pray Differently than People in Other Countries
When our African brothers and sisters met in the lower level of our church in New York, you could literally hear them praying through the floor. When our Arabic brothers and sisters gathered for weekly prayer and worship, they prayed with hands high and spiritual energy to match it. I’ve…
Trump is officially POTUS. Now what?
Guest post by Bill Riedel, Lead Pastor at Redemption Hill Church. I pastor a church in the heart of Washington, DC. We meet in a historic building that is about four blocks from the US Capitol, in the neighborhood called Capitol Hill. A lot of attention is focused on our…
Where is your church going?
The life cycle of any church is often pictured by a bell curve. As the church grows, the curve goes up. But at some point, without direct decisions being intentionally made to continue the upward direction that first birthed the church, a church will plateau, grow stagnant, and begin a slide to…
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