|
I feel the angst and the resistance against such a limitation. It feels like an imposition on my personal freedoms, my right to self-expression, and my sacrosanct freedom of speech. It feels that way because it is. Pastor, we are not free to speak as we wish without consequence. We are not free to hop on the latest flaming bandwagon of controversy and expect to disembark with voices intact and clothes free of the stench of smoke. The trust of our people will not remain unscathed by such behavior.
Read more... |
|
Ohio, can I love you? In loving you do I betray all the places I have loved before? Do I betray Idaho, the land of my healing? Do I betray Kansas, the land of my childhood? Is there space in my heart to love another place? I feel the stretching within me. I hear the creaking of my soul expanding. It hurts, but yes. Yes, there will be room. Abundance always greets obedience generously. Read More... |
|
I have stacks of books in my office devoted exclusively to the task of preaching, each brimming with wisdom from seasoned preachers. You have probably read them, too. But some things can truly only be learned by doing—trying, failing, adjusting, and trying again. The responsive and effective preacher takes the tools provided to her by giants like Craddock, Long, Taylor, and a host of others and puts them to use in her unique way, in her unique voice. One such tool I have found to be most useful in my own preaching is the tool of humor. When used appropriately, humor can enable us to connect with the listeners; confront cynicism, defensiveness, and apathy; and ultimately call our people to Spirit-empowered transformation.
|
|
I cry as I vacuum my favorite teal chair, the one you claimed as your own. I cry as I work out the dog hairs from between the threads one last time. The vacuum is loud and I allow myself to wail, telling myself the sound of the machine is loud enough to muffle my audible pain. It hurts. I hurt. I hurt because I said goodbye to you today. Read More... |
|
Pastors are not, as Eugene Peterson puts it, “the linchpin holding a congregation together.” We are co-laborers with our flocks, cooperating with the Holy Spirit who is doing the work of calling, comforting, and convicting. Our congregations need a reminder that pastoral vacations can deliver blessings as well. They are not to be passive consumers of what the “professional” pastor has to offer, but rather to be engaged, contributing members of the body of Christ.
By refusing to participate in the blasphemous anxiety to do the work of God for him and confessing the idolatry in our own hearts, we will shape our congregation to follow Jesus faithfully—more faithfully than 365 consecutive days of work ever could. Read more... |
|
We persist together because we have been given bountiful gifts and now, it is our turn to be the givers. It is our turn to forge new paths in the wilderness for our daughters and nieces, for every little girl that sits in our pews. It is our turn to do the hard work of enduring difficulty, of silencing false narratives, and of showing up even when we are alone in order to have the profound privilege of placing in our children’s small hands the gift of presumption, the audacious belief that when God calls and they find themselves endowed with the gifts and graces from God, they can and must preach the Word.
Read More... |
|
In 2015, something strange happened—99 percent of the sockeye salmon run died. Dead fish. Everywhere. What happened? The water was clear, and food sources were readily available. It was as if there was something in the water, some unseen force at work, making the environment inhospitable. In the same way, there seems to be something in the water of many churches, at both the local and denominational level—something that is hindering women from thriving at the same level as their male counterparts.
Read More... |
|
For me, living and ministering with depression is akin to running in chest-deep water; technically, you can do it, but it is twice as hard, and you become fatigued quickly. I occasionally wondered if God had forgotten about me as I strove to be faithful in a difficult context and with a difficult condition to boot.
Read more... |
|
Preacher, bear the Word. Lift up your head. You are called. You are seen. You are valued and treasured. You are of infinite worth. You are included. Not because you are mighty, or wise, or strong, but because I AM. I look upon you with favor. I will fill you to overflowing that my saving action might be made known, even through you.
Exclusion had met its match in the radical inclusion of God. Read More |
|
The temptation to slip into bitterness is so very real―even alluring at times. There is a sick sweetness to be found in reveling in one’s inflicted wounds and perceived righteous victimhood. However, bitterness begets cynicism and a hardened spirit―a spirit that loses its sensitivity to the voice of the Shepherd.
Read more |
|
"We had the tools we needed for exegesis, pastoral counseling, and leadership. Knowledge and information were not the problem—we just had no idea how to wield them as a duo. It was like being an expert at hammering nails only to be told now you must do it with a friend, at the exact same time, in front of an audience—and stay married. Brutal."
Read More |
|
"But as my husband stood up there, accepting all those pastoral symbols at his new pastorate, my heart suddenly knew. Like the first ray of sunshine hitting your eye, painfully blinding you for an instant, the possibility flashed in my mind, equally painful. My imagination burst open and I saw myself as pastor. What a seriously inconvenient time."
Read More |
|
“You are going to go. So when you go, remember who you are. You are the Church. Remember that you are on mission, to love God and love people wherever your adventures take you. Remember that you are the Body of Christ, scattered out into the world to embody this Kingdom of God Life. Go in action, Go in peace.”
Read More |
|
"The overwhelming sense I had as I inched my way closer to the pulpit was that of presumption. Who am I to stand here? Who am I to assume the mantle of authority attached to this strange piece of furniture? Who am I to presume to speak on behalf of God to a group of people made up of individuals who have been Christians much longer than I have been alive?"
Read More |
|
"How easily I am captured by the glamorous work of sermon writing and delivery, curriculum writing, speaking at special events, and praying for community gatherings. How easily I become annoyed or fatigued by the bland needs of the people entrusted to my care. Lord have mercy on my soul."
Read More |
|
Collide: Life and God, preteen curriculum by Nazarene Publishing House, contributing author
As preteens make the transition from childhood to adolescence, where will your preteens find help to successfully navigate their faith journeys? Collide is a curriculum that meets your early adolescent students where they are emotionally, spiritually, and developmentally. |
|
Collide: Life and Service, preteen curriculum by Nazarene Publishing House, contributing author.
As preteens make the transition from childhood to adolescence, where will your preteens find help to successfully navigate their faith journeys? Collide is a curriculum that meets your early adolescent students where they are emotionally, spiritually, and developmentally. |
|
Named is a small-group resource that tells the story of people from Scripture through a new lens--exploring the mystery of faith with a literary touch. Each series introduces six different characters in the Bible--unpacking one every week. Become acquainted with the people identified by God in a story as particular as you. Contributing author.
|
|
A Plain Account- An online Wesleyan Lectionary Commentary, designed to resource preachers in sermon preparation, contributing author.
|