Mission
WHAT GOD CAN DO
A friend and mentor of mine is Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Though he has been in high demand for conferences and events around the world for decades, he routinely hosts small gatherings of 25-50 pastors and leaders at their location on Smith Street. On a couple of occasions he invited me and some of my pastor friends…
Read MoreCARPE DIEM!
The other day a man expressed to me that I must have my hands full as a District Superintendent. He had heard a couple of pastoral burnout and failure statistics that left him incredulous. He asked me if the stats were indeed true (sadly, they were) and then asked me what I do to address these…
Read MoreLIFE WITH GOD
G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and therefore left untried.” (What’s Wrong with the World). Really living your life with God can be costly. It goes against cultural norms. Matthew 10:34-39 says that it can become a sword that separates people from their own family. It means…
Read MoreIS FEAR HINDERING YOUR MINISTRY?
This may sound a little sick, but I’m glad some of the greatest leaders in the bible were fearful on occasion. One leader I’ve considered in particular is Joshua. Joshua evidently wasn’t just a little fearful – he was terrified. Not only did God tell him three times to be courageous, but the people he…
Read More7 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 someone in town who is…
Read MoreINSPIRING 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 property to make budget. These…
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