Tag: pastor
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Chips are Bad for the Heart: 4 Reasons Why You Can’t Minister with a Chip on Your Shoulder
I think most people can admit that, deep down, you have a love for chip. Save your comments on saturated fats and cholesterol, I know they’re not healthy, but can we just admit, that apart from the health factors, chips taste amazing? As you are reading this, most likely you are imagining not just a…
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Kingdom Health: 3 Pastoral Lessons from the Vineyard
One of the strategies of preaching that I’ve really tried to learn from Jesus’ example was the ability to connect the Kingdom to present surroundings/experiences. He was a master at helping to give people understanding by turning people’s attention to things like fields, birds, lost coins, and sheep. A tangible metaphor helped explain the Kingdom in a way that people…
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Pastoral Mentors: My Thank You to Joel and Donna Stocker
One of the greatest lessons I’ve ever been taught as a believer and minister is summed up in one line: “The enemy works in isolation; God works in community.” …and that lesson came from Joel and Donna Stocker. This past Sunday, two of the greatest mentors in my life announced their 2017 retirement to the congregation of…
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Anniversary Blog for My Parents: 43 Lessons They Taught Me About Ministry
There’s a lot of who I am that is certainly what God has shaped through His presence while using my own personality. And there’s also a tremendous amount of ministry philosophy and practics that were modeled by (IMO) the greatest ministry mentors a pastor could have: my parents. Don’t get me wrong, as they’ll tell…
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Pastor to Pastor: 3 Key Connections and 3 Key Questions
I sincerely love my neighbors, the Chandlers. They are a retired ministry couple that have the sweetest demeanor about them. Whenever I can, I love to look for opportunities to help them. In the winter “try” to assist them with the snow removal on their sidewalk and driveway. I will say last winter, to God be the glory, I NOT ONCE sucked up…
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Pastor to Pastor: Getting and Gathering Sermon Ideas
Prepping for sermons…well, I love prepping (said in the voice of Stanley from “The Office” from the pretzel day episode). I love preaching. Declaring the love of Christ to people is such an amazing privilege that I do not take lightly. It’s why I go full-tilt on my preaching preparation. My wife will tell you, my…
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Pastor to Pastor: 4 Next steps to follow when a fellow pastor has failed.
My heart is broken this morning. Sitting in a pool of tears in a coffee-house this morning, I’m sure I must be concerning the baristas and customers looking my way. All morning, I’ve been fine, but sitting down and reading articles about the resignation of a favorite pastor of mine has brought be to a…
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Pastor to Pastor: 4 Thoughts About Wearing Your Own Shoes
Pastoring is pressure. In other news, water is wet and the Detroit Lions are disappointing. There are a number of “pressure” statements that we as pastors hear. There are very few bigger pressure statements than this one: “You have big shoes to fill.” In almost 20 years of ministry, I’ve held 3 positions and I…
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Pastor to Pastor: Master the Mundane
Every day I get to wake up and do my dream job. It’s not necessarily how I envisioned my life as a child (or a teenager for that matter), but it has become what feeds the passion of my soul. I think that’s really what the “dream job” looks like. It’s that fit, that situation,…
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Nine Considerations for Church Members This Easter
I wanted to re-blog this outstanding post by Tom Rainer. I’ve added my own thoughts in blue. Enjoy: It will be one of the highest attended days of the year for your church. It may be the highest. There will be some people you don’t know. Some of them are guests. Others are members who…
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