Spiritual Checkup 2023

For years as the pastor of a growing congregation I would take time at the end of each year to be quiet and asked God to bring to my mind the significant things He wanted to teach me about the last year. I would also ask God to impart to me what changes He […]

“Crazy” Busy

If you feel busier now than ever before, and if you wonder if you can keep up this pace much longer, you are not alone. Most of us in ministry feel slightly bewildered, realizing we have more to do than we have time to do it.

In the church we seem to equate busyness with […]

Preach Patriotism

On July 4th 2022, the United States of America will be 246 years old.  In relationship with many other countries like Egypt, China, or Greece, America the republic, this experiment in liberty, is very young and yet we stand tall among the nations of the world. We continue to stand because of the principles […]

The Father Factor

My father died in a car accident when I was 16 years old and it was one of the most significant moments of my life. I was fortunate to have had my father around during my formative years. In the years that followed, I sought out lots of substitutes to fill the hole that […]

Find an Accountability Partner

Throughout the 30+ years I served in pastoral ministry I have witnessed too many church pastors in America lose their positions of church leadership because of financial or sexual indiscretions coming to the light of day. This long list of ministry tragedies might have been avoided had there been accountability relationships in place.

Accountability can […]

Be a Mentor and Be Mentored

The word “mentor” is defined as “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.” Throughout my over 30 years of pastoral ministry, I have had many trusted teachers who have counseled me, encouraged me, corrected me and redirected when I had made some poor decisions. In similar fashion I have made it a point […]

Do Sweat the Small Stuff

I’m sure you have all heard the phrase, don’t sweat the small stuff. That expression was highlighted in Richard Carlson’s book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff. In it he tells you how to keep from letting the little things in life drive you crazy. Carlson reveals ways to calm down […]

Developing Relational Maturity (Part 4)

John Donne, in his Devotions (1624) is famous for saying, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

I have always taken that to mean that as humans, we were created to be in relationship with one another. We were made to […]

Developing Spiritual Maturity (Part 3)

Luke 2:52 tells us that during his time growing up, Jesus developed in four ways.

He developed in wisdom – intellectual development.

He developed in stature – physical development.

He developed in favor with God – spiritual development.

He developed in favor with man – interpersonal development.

A full human life is well balanced. Thus, it was important to […]