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.”
Read more“Build another building”
Reading in Eugene Peterson’s biography (and remembering this story from his memoir), there was the time in beginning Christ Our King church that they finally built their building. It was a glorious time. Then, people began to disappear.
Read moreMourning loss for the saints not known
As an ordained deacon one of my responsibilities each Sunday is to have “the prayers of the people.” There are certain areas to be covered with reminders and I can add as I need. It’s such a privilege.
But today I failed.
Read moreLike water to my soul
I am in the process of discernment concerning ordination in the Anglican Church in North America. As part of that process we were invited to attend the diocese annual synod and the clergy conference before the synod.
Read moreQuit talking about “servant leaders”!
This piece from Mark Galli at Christianity Today is a soul cry for me. It resonates so deeply.
I am exhausted to the point of grief over the phrase “servant leader” because the context of that phrase isn’t reflective of the term at all.
Read moreThe call to pastor
In my lifetime as a minister we’ve moved from talking about “pastors” to focusing almost exclusively on “leadership.”
I read passages like 1 Peter 5:1-5 and read articles like this one from Dennis Edwards, and my heart is stirred once again for a call to pastor. We need the shepherds once again.
The passing of a great mentor
I lost a hero today. In the past couple of weeks the internet has exploded with grief over lost controversial figures and then poured out remembrances of great entertainers. Today I lost a hero of mine.
Read moreThe failure of the shepherds
Kenneth Bailey in his book, The Good Shepherd, walks through several major “shepherd” passages of Scripture. He makes the case for seeing the Father and the Son as shepherds rather than vengeful judges. Read more
The journey changes
Today is my last day as pastor of Heights Church. It’s been a nearly 20 year journey in a place I have loved deeply. Read more
The Letter I Thought I Would Never Write
I love pastoring and I love the place where I pastor. A day arrived I didn’t think would come this soon, even though “soon” means 19 years of ministry in one place. Read more
