Latest Posts
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Which way do we go?
I’m sure you have wished from time to time that heaven would open and God would say, “My will is that you do A, B, and C.” A nice map of how and where we are to live our lives would be great. However, we know that this is not the way of God, at
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A Worthy Ambition
Pastor, what is your ambition? I ask this because we are not immune to dreams of greatness. Perhaps we want to pastor a giant church. Perhaps we want to become a national sensation, invited to speak at all the conventions and significant events. It could be that we see ourselves as the next D. L.
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Ministry Lesson Learned from the Army
All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum argues that the most important lessons for living a meaningful life are learned at the lowest level of education. They are simple and include things like cleaning up after yourself and not taking other people’s stuff. Some of it reminds me
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Why grow?
Recently, leaders of another church asked me how they could grow their church. Even though this was not my church, it is a conversation my own has had—like all churches. The question is commonly asked of a new pastor or pastoral candidate. Last time I went through that process, I was asked, “What would you
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Debate or Debacle
We’ve all experienced it. You share biblical views on gender and sexuality, and you get called homophobic or transphobic. If a man speaks on the immorality of abortion, he is shouted down because he doesn’t have a uterus. A woman who speaks against abortion is deceived and self-loathing. Anything a white person says comes from
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Difficult Sheep need a Strong Shepherd
“Lord! Why have I not found favor in your eyes, that you make me responsible for these people?” Many of us pastors have uttered similar words to these. It may be: “Lord, why did you call me to this church?” “Lord, why don’t you give me a better church?” “Lord, if I were a better
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Is the grass greener?
When I was in the Army, we used to say, “The best post is the one you just left or the one you are going to. The worst is the one you are at.” This is a form of the “It’s always greener on the other side of the fence.” As pastors, we can
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Church DNA and Change
Years ago, my son took a DNA test to research his ancestry. He shared the interesting results. They said that he was half-Japanese. That shocked his mother because she is Korean—and quite sure he is hers. Not long after, they sent an email telling him they had made a mistake and that he was Korean
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Four Answers to Every Question
As pastors, various people and groups often ask questions. Several years ago, I was asked to consider serving at a particular church. An elder of that church called to chat, and we discussed several questions. This practice is common. We talked for about 40 minutes, and things went well. His last question was, “What is
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Pastor Lightning Rod
As dark clouds rolled in, accompanied by flashes and rumbling, the two-way radio crackled to life: “Storm warning! Expect lightning and high winds. Take appropriate action.” After ensuring the doors were secure and everything was in place, I placed a camp chair on the insulated stool. This was a heavy four-legged stool with insulators on
Little Church Big Heart 