A TIME OF TRANSITION Every church experiences a time when the previous pastor leaves and the congregation confronts the challenge…

A FRESH APPROACH A Company of Pastors offers a fresh approach to overcoming the type of loneliness that seems inherent…

(Continuing reflecting on Elijah and you and your call.) GOD’S INVISIBLE HAND Keep moving forward through your first position in…

YOUR ELIJAH EXPERIENCE I’ve been thinking lately of Elijah’s experience in responding to the call of God 1 Kings 17…

BEYOND JUST PUTTING OUT FIRES I have invited Alan Baroody to share some suggestions that the Committee on Ministry or…

SIGNS TO NOTICE Below are listed several possible negative SIGNS in the life of clergy. Think about clergy you know…

LONELINESS HAS ITS VALUE I have explored some of the toxic features of the loneliness experienced by pastors, but here…

A UNIVERSAL LONGING There is something in human nature that yearns to be part of something more. Even if you…

AN AGE OF SPLINTERING We live in an age of fractured community. As sociologist Brene’ Brown suggests, it is a…

EMBARRASSED BY RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE Think about it. You are called by God to offer a faith perspective from  which to…

The Presbytery Pastoral Care Network 15th Annual Conference Rediscovering the Beloved Community: Overcoming Isolation October 27-30, 2014 First Presbyterian Church…

The Presbytery Pastoral Care Network 15th Annual Conference Rediscovering the Beloved Community: Overcoming Isolation October 27-30, 2014 First Presbyterian Church…

IT HELPS TO LAUGH By late September I will be releasing on Amazon a new book for the pastor, God…

48TH ANNIVERSARY Today will be a short post celebrating an event that still amazes me. Today I celebrate the 48th…

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT EXPANDED We need to reinterpret the fifth commandment. “Honor your father and your mother, so that your…

WORDS CREATEWORLDS In Walter Brueggemann’s Israel’s Praise, he develops the idea that words create worlds. It is not the objective experiences…

BEING DRAWN INTO ANXIETY A challenge for any pastor in this anxious age is to not absorb the anxiety of…

I want to emphasize 3 of the 10 commandments as an antitoxin to anxiety. NO OTHER GODS It is the…

(CONTINUING TO LOOK AT VULNERABILITY AND ANXIETY FROM TED TALK BY BRENE’ BROWN as applied to the pastorate.) HIDING FROM…

BEFORE THE BEGINNING Consider what has happened before the new pastor arrives at a congregation. Let me describe some of…