Blog
- April 25, 2012
As a Certified Lay Pastor, (CLP), you need to recognize that you are entering a phase of your life that…
- April 24, 2012
As I understand it, there was a moment in church history in which the Presbyterian Church made a momentous decision…
- April 23, 2012
There may come a time when you are unable to engage in forms of public ministry. There is a profound…
, - April 20, 2012
Sometimes, as we age, we develop physical problems that restrict what we can do in ministry. That doesn't mean that…
, - April 19, 2012
Retirement can mean a new freedom to focus on an area of ministry that was often neglected because of the…
, - April 18, 2012
Particularly in this time of economic stress among mainline churches, the presbytery wastes a powerful resource in not availing themselves…
, - April 17, 2012
It is interesting for me how many otherwise very intelligent and sensitive pastors, upon retirement, are not able to separate…
, - April 13, 2012
A game to encourage family conversation about their experience of the ministry. Divide your family into two teams. One team…
, - April 12, 2012
Many people who live under pressure also feel that others don't appreciate the sacrifice that they are making. While the…
, - April 11, 2012
While we may read with horror the story of Abraham's near sacrifice of Isaac, most pastors know that there is…
- April 9, 2012
On this Easter Monday, when we have just celebrated the resurrection and new life, let us begin building a list…
, - April 6, 2012
If you accept that the profession of being a pastor is stressful on both the pastor and his or her…
, - April 5, 2012
In the past several blogs, I have dealt a lot with expectations from the congregation, the session, each other, and…
, - March 26, 2012
When I return, we will again reflect on the pressure of the ministry on clergy families and how we might…
, - March 23, 2012
Sometimes when expectations are named, people will recognize that they are unreasonable and the expectation is altered or discarded. I…
, - March 22, 2012
From family therapy, I learned that problems can either bond or divide a couple. If, for example, long hours at…
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SPIRITUAL GROWTH THROUGH YOUR FICTION
April 22, 2016
Parables and Your Spiritual Life Lots of people try to play God in this world, but what if you could…
BREAKING THROUGH IDEOLOGICAL FRACTURES
April 20, 2016
HOW TO LISTEN The problem with our ideological splits today is that we have lost the capacity to listen to…
THE TRUTH ABOUT CHURCH
April 15, 2016
LOSS OF TRUST THAT BINDS US Consider what is happening in our society. In recent years, almost every major institution…
EXPLORING GOD’S CALL THROUGH STORY TELLING
April 13, 2016
ENTER INTO A MYSTERY We often speak about God calling someone to ministry in an almost casual fashion. When you…
TRUTH AND FICTION ABOUT GOD’S CALL
April 8, 2016
A true/false test for those who are genuinely called by God to serve the church. Those called by God always…
LOOK AT YOURSELF THROUGH OTHER’S EYES
April 1, 2016
HOW YOU THINK OTHERS SEE YOU You can’t avoid having ideas about how others see you. Your assumptions about what…
HOW CLERGY FACE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS
March 30, 2016
NAMING THE DEMON If you read the last blog, you know I believe there is no shame in having a…
HAVE A BLESSED GOOD FRIDAY
March 25, 2016
ON THAT FIRST “GOOD FRIDAY” IT LOOKED ANYTHING BUT GOOD FOR JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES. BUT GOD WAS ALREADY AT…
IF YOU JUST HAD ENOUGH FAITH
March 23, 2016
THE MYTH THAT WON’T DIE No one who has been called by God believes that ridiculous myth that because you…