Pray a lot. Prayer is one of the great responsibilities and opportunities of Christ followers, both public and private prayer. It is one of the “roll up your sleeves” duties. It is not a mere formality to start and end a day, a meeting or a meal. It is one of the great things you can do for a person, […]
It has been said, “You can’t give away what you don’t have.” I like that. When it comes to sharing Jesus with others, we can’t give away what we don’t have. We cannot give away a solid, mature testimony of the Biblical Jesus if we do not have it. And the surest way to be able to have plenty to […]
In pastoral ministry perspective is significance. Remember it is a job. Being a pastor is your job. It is hard work. You will need to work hard; you will need to work smart. Never apologize for being paid to do this work. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. You are not. You are, in a very real sense, a hireling. This […]
You will teach much with words. You may teach more with your example, how you live. Or at least your teaching with words will be buttressed or hamstrung by your example. Do not underestimate the influence of example. Remember, after many years of God’s proclamation to his people through the words of the prophets, he showed more clearly and completely […]
The pastoral ministry is an inexact science. It calls for experimentation. It calls for artfulness. It calls for tinkering. Plan to tinker. One of my biggest surprises in the pastoral ministry was that there is no clear path on how everything really should be done and how everything really fits together and how everything really works! After nearly four decades […]
There isn’t one. At least I never found one, and I looked hard! Go to the conferences, read the books, attend lectures, pray for insights, but don’t expect to find one silver bullet that will change everything in your ministry and provide amazing fruitfulness! There is not one thing out there that you have not found that if found would […]
I do not mean the ubiquitous water bottle. I mean alcohol. Beer. Wine. Liquor. This is a touchy topic. But it is one that must be touched. Make no mistake; alcohol is a gift from God. It is at the heart of our sacramental union with Christ. It is at the center of Paradise’s promise. (Isaiah 25:6) But it also […]
We live in a casual culture. Men leave hats on when they enter buildings. People who formerly would have been greeted with, “Hello Mr. and Mrs. So and So,” are now greeted with, “Hey Guys. Sup?” Hugging is done everywhere by everyone—no matter how casual or new the relationship. (Well, not so much since COVID.) I do not see a […]
The following will get you out of trouble before you get into it. Robert Frost remarked wisely, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Proverbs 23:10 warns against moving ancient boundary stones. In Dare to Discipline James Dobson writes about the importance of boundary setting for raising children. Make sure that you have appropriate and firm boundaries in place. You will be […]
…of sorts… This past week I finished reading (listening to) Adam Grant’s book Give and Take. It’s not a new book, but it was new to me. The subtitle is Why Helping Others Drives Our Success. Grant begins with a very compelling discussion about who is most likely to succeed in life: givers, takers or matchers. There is a great […]