It has been two years since my ordination as a vocational deacon into the Anglican Church. This has been a blessed time in my life and I am thankful for the leading of the Lord into this place of ministry. October 11 was feast day for Philip the deacon and evangelist. I cherish this collectContinue reading “In gratefulness to God for my ordination”
Tag Archives: Ministry
The heartbreak we refuse to acknowledge
It’s easy to point out the big failures in the American church. Another one happened over this past weekend. We will wrestle with another celebrity pastor and how their church failed to handle the situation. Tish Harrison Warren reminds us that for all the press coverage of a failed leadership problem there are so manyContinue reading “The heartbreak we refuse to acknowledge”
Pastors and trauma
I listened to this podcast interview and found many similar parallels to my own journey. The trajectory of this pastor’s journey and struggle was very similar to mine. (I didn’t end up in Puerto Rico, but not all of us could, I’m sure.) In a time of polarization and “great resignations,” the American conservative churchContinue reading “Pastors and trauma”
I didn’t understand deception
This passage meant something entirely different for me when I was in my 20s that today: 2 Timothy 4:3–4 (NLT)3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears wantContinue reading “I didn’t understand deception”
A year as ordained deacon
I am approaching my one year anniversary of ordination as a vocational deacon in the Anglican Church in North America. It has been a journey from 30 years of ministry in one tradition and now entering ordained ministry in a new (to me) tradition. The vocational deacon is still being “formed” in the ACNA. ItContinue reading “A year as ordained deacon”
Quick observations on Exodus
I heard a preacher say (probably more than one preacher): Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody; 40 years knowing he was nobody; and 40 years discovering what God can do with a nobody.
Our continued hardness of heart
The past few years have done everything possible to crush the “eternal optimist” in me. Politics. Racial justice. Women in ministry. Sexual abuse in the church. I’m grateful that I cling to Christ. Yet, in my search for what the Church can do in Kingdom work, I continue to be crushed and disappointed. All weContinue reading “Our continued hardness of heart”
The church can do better
Twenty years ago the scandal of the Roman Catholic Church in Boston broke wide open with the series of stories of sexual abuse in the Boston Globe. Those revelations rippled through the Catholic Church year after year. I can remember the profound impact it had in the Twin Cities when I pastored there. Over theContinue reading “The church can do better”
From fishermen to shepherds
When I first came into ministry it was the days of leadership development under guys like John Maxwell. There was the mantra: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
This deep love for the Church
And he is the head of the body, the church… (Col. 1:18) There are little snippets from Colossians and Ephesians that cause my heart to leap out of my love for the Church. They give me life and hope all over again. While I am hard on what I see in the white conservative AmericanContinue reading “This deep love for the Church”
Apprentice 2 Jesus 