Blog
- March 20, 2019
Celebrating God’s Imperfect Church I think it was Loren Eiseley who said if humans had designed the universe, they would…
- March 15, 2019
Can you save the church? As the early church discovered, you can’t do it alone and you can’t do it…
- March 13, 2019
For your Lenten devotionals, I offer five formats for your time of prayer. The first one focuses on the praise…
- March 8, 2019
A GAME OF SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE Most of us would like to deepen our spiritual lives but are not sure exactly…
- March 6, 2019
THE UNFINISHED STORY OF A FAMILY JOURNEY We often speak of God's call as a reference to an individual. Would…
- March 1, 2019
ABRAHAM'S SACRIFICE While we may read with horror the story of Abraham's near sacrifice of Isaac, most pastors know that…
- February 27, 2019
Sometimes you hear people say, "it's in the Bible." But what you don't know is what they are thinking as…
, , - February 22, 2019
This is an excerpt from my soon to be published Clergy Spiritual Health. It is part of a nine-volume series…
, - February 20, 2019
I offer you a sample from my soon to be published Clergy Spiritual Health. Here is a fun example of…
, - February 15, 2019
A litany of Lament & Joy To be used by judicatories in worship L: When a congregation refuses to…
- February 13, 2019
HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY In its simplest form, spirituality is how we stay in connection and communication with God. By speaking of…
- February 8, 2019
Responding to Financial Stress It is not easy for small congregations to provide adequate salaries for full-time pastors. It is…
, - February 6, 2019
PREVENT THEOLOGICAL BURNOUT Most of the pastors in your judicatory have had at least three years of training in the…
, , - February 1, 2019
PEOPLE ARE SPYING ON YOU Let’s face it, people are watching you all the time. Not only that but they…
, , - January 30, 2019
SEVEN WORD REFLECTION Sometimes less is more and fewer words dig deeper. A judicatory can encourage clergy to participate, or…
, - January 25, 2019
I'm working on the eighth volume of my nine-volume series Healthy Clergy Make Healthy Congregations. This eighth volume will address…
AN EXPERIMENT IN HUMOR AND COMMUNITY
March 26, 2021
A FUN EXPERIMENT WITH COLLEAGUES Try this experiment. Choose a couple of colleagues and invite them to participate in an…
HEALTHY PASTORS KNOW HOW TO LAUGH
March 24, 2021
LAUGHTER IS STRONG MEDICINE FOR CLERGY Go ahead, take the risk and find some opportunities for a good belly laugh.…
WHO WANTS TO BE KNOWN AS A RACIST CLERGY?
March 19, 2021
Anti-Racist Clergy Who would want to be known as a racist clergy? Certainly not people who read this blog. I…
A WIERD SET OF FACTS
March 17, 2021
THE CENTER OF THE BIBLE What is the shortest chapter in the Bible? Answer Psalm 117 What is the…
HOW DO YOU COPE WITH DESPAIR?
March 12, 2021
RECALLING THE ESSENTIALS When things are going well and there is a general atmosphere of optimism, we can grow slack…
IF YOUR CHURCH IS ANXIOUS
March 10, 2021
HOW TO PASTOR IN AN ANXIOUS CONGREGATION (I am drawing upon Brene’ Brown’s work on vulnerability and applying it to…
SIGNS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH
March 5, 2021
IMAGE OF HEALTHY CHURCH Healthy churches believe that they are made worthy, not by what they do but by God’s…
WHAT IS AN UNHEALTHY CHURCH?
March 3, 2021
IMAGE OF AN UNHEALTHY CHURCH We live in an anxious age, and the church is tempted to reflect that anxiety…
MAYBE WE ARE NOT SMARTER THAN GOD
February 26, 2021
DOES GOD MAKE MISTAKES Was God a horrible planner and made a critical mistake in choosing a “no people to…