Blog
- December 14, 2012
In recent blogs I've tried to identify some dimensions of ministry that can cause pastors to feel like hypocrites. Sometimes…
, - December 12, 2012
I think I have shared an earlier version of this exercise before, but here is an updated version. An Examination…
, - December 11, 2012
If you want to know why you sometimes feel overwhelmed and exhausted, take a moment to reflect on the emotional…
- December 7, 2012
In the last blog, I asked you to name some of your own hypocrisies. I suggested you try to identify…
, - December 5, 2012
The first step in following the Hypocritic Oath for Pastors, is to name some of the times when we are…
, - December 3, 2012
I once saw a sign outside of a church that read: "The church is full of hypocrites; You too are…
, - November 30, 2012
While it is understandable that we will have periods of anger and doubt, as expressed in Psalm 22, it is…
, , , - November 28, 2012
Psalm 22 provides a biblical template for responding to the emotionally stressful atmosphere around us in a spiritually healthy way.…
, - November 26, 2012
We have just passed through the season of Thanksgiving. The power of praise and thanksgiving as an antibody to the…
, - November 21, 2012
In my last blog, I spoke of the importance of naming your feelings and begin to place your emotional experience…
, - November 19, 2012
When you have had a traumatic experience, or sympathetically shared in the trauma of another person, the feelings can be…
, - November 16, 2012
A key antibody that resists the toxic atmosphere in which we must live is the maintenance of a sense of…
, - November 14, 2012
A third part of developing your antibodies, is developing some clarity as to the limits of your ministry. The integrity…
, - November 12, 2012
A challenge for ministry is that frequently you are asked to hear and respond to other people's pain, then drink…
, - November 9, 2012
When you are listening to another person intensely while they are sharing their pain, it is natural that your own…
, - November 7, 2012
While there are certainly traumatic events that a pastor experiences in exercising the ministry, a less obvious but very real…
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ENRICHING A PASTORAL COUPLE’S ADVENT
December 9, 2016
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Let me suggest an evening conversation for a pastoral couple that can be both fun…
Family Fun During Advent
December 7, 2016
TAKE TIME FOR FAMILY FUN One of the prices we pay in our profession is that our family can feel…
OWNING GOOD NEWS IN DIVIDED SOCIETY
December 2, 2016
The nation tries to sort out the consequences of the recent election results just as the church enters a new…
850 NOMINATIONS AND COUNTING
November 30, 2016
BEYOND THE NORMAL BLOG Usually you will find this blog addressing practical suggestions for how to help clergy stay sane…
THANKSGIVING FOR THE FUTURE
November 23, 2016
THANKSGIVING FOR THE FUTURE In Psalm 138, we reflect on the power of thanksgiving as it reminds us of God’s…
EXPERIMENT IN THANKSGIVING.
November 18, 2016
ANTICIPATION As we approach the week of Thanksgiving, I want to propose an experiment in shaping an attitude of gratitude…
FAITH VERSUS VIOLENCE: A NOVEL
November 16, 2016
I am writing to ask for your support in getting my recent novel published through an Amazon program known as…
TRUTHINESS AND THE CHURCH
November 11, 2016
THE TRUTH ABOUT CHURCH Consider what is happening in our society. In recent years, almost every major institution in our…
ENLIVEN YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE
November 9, 2016
Brief Spiritual/Emotional exercise DOCTRINE, DOCTRINE, WHERE IS THE DOCTRINE Here is a brief, simple exercise that can pay good benefits…