Apprentice 2 Jesus

Ministry

  • Cracks in the Cathedral

    Fascinating commentary on the demise of the Crystal Cathedral. A powerful paragraph: Robert Schuller is not the problem—contemporary evangelicalism is. Schuller was only leading the parade of those who believe they are responsible for making the gospel relevant. The lesson is not that Schuller got it wrong or that his theology is out-of-date; it is not… Read more

  • Sacred

    In August of 2010 I took a month-long sabbatical. During my times of prayer the Lord renewed my call as pastor. There was also a direction to seek out my former pastor from college and ask him to intentionally step in as my spiritual father/mentor. In that process was also a direction from the Spirit… Read more

  • The purpose of the liturgy

    I am currently working my way through In Constant Prayer for a book review. In Chapter 4 the author tells a story about a neighbor who wasn’t getting the hang of “liturgy.” Why not just sing a couple of songs, preach a good sermon, and go home? The pastor told the man, “The liturgy is… Read more

  • Two Great Pastoral Models

    There are more and I want to develop that thought, but two great models of pastoral ministry influencing my thinking right now: Tim Keller (below left) and Eugene Peterson (below right). I am starting to learn more about Keller. Peterson I have admired for so long and LOVE his books. Keller is becoming a model… Read more

  • Finishing

    I have the privilege of meeting with a mentor in ministry every few weeks. We meet because I want to download over 40 years of ministry from his life and learn. One of the things he has on his mind right now is finishing WELL. Not just finishing… but finishing WELL. He is fully aware… Read more

  • What’s my ride?

    What does a pastor’s car look like? What does it say about the pastor? Mine says I’m not much into cars. I was tagged by Mark Stevens on this topic. I don’t even want to take time to take a picture of my car, so I’ll post a red one. (Mine is black.) It’s a… Read more

  • “Do you love pastoring?”

    I was asked this question early this morning by a fellow pastor who REALLY loves pastoring. The Lord has done so much in my life through ministry, especially in the past three years, I find myself full of gratefulness. This past month alone gives me SO MUCH for which to give thanks! I am blown… Read more

  • The Glorious Church

    Christ loves his Church. It’s his body. Sometimes we think too little of the Body of Christ. We get critical of the Church, not thinking when we do so that we can run the risk of offending Christ himself. It’s not to say we don’t point out difficulties. It IS to say we pound on… Read more

  • Why the Saraments are so Vital

      Our church has entered into weekly communion. This piece from NT Wright helps confirm our decision. Thanks to TC for posting this. Read more

  • Greatness

    I am currently working my way through the Book of John in my preaching. Today focuses on John 3:22-36. John the Baptist’s testimony was that Jesus needed to become greater and he needed to fade into the background. John the Baptist would just not fit in today. He needed to learn about “market share” and… Read more