Articles
Tranquility Pt 2 – Steadfast Minds
Is peace a state of mind that comes naturally to you? Could you honestly say the words, “I feel completely at peace right now,” and truly feel it? In many ways, finding peace is a lost art. Your world may be filled with distractions and meaningless babble that capture...
Tranquility Pt 1 – Steadfast Minds
THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY FOR YOU TO FIND AND FEEL A SINCERE PEACE THAT FILLS YOUR HEART AND SPIRIT You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. ISAIAH 26:3 Is peace a state of mind that comes naturally to you? Could you...
Language and Truth: A 25th Anniversary Essay
Here is a question: the classics of Christian literature over the last 1800 years or so—a bunch of old, dusty books or great and profound Christian thought that we should not ignore? Of course, there is some of both. Opinions will vary, but the very best of...
How to Make the Most of Your Online Services
Now that we are about a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, most churches have adapted to the “new normal.” This means nearly every church has started offering online services. Perhaps you feel like online services are not making enough of an impact. Or maybe you’re...
You Are What You Measure…In Missions
Do you like statistics and measuring metrics? Pastors everywhere love numbers, right? Are super inflated ones the best kind? Tongue-in-cheek, everyone knows that pastors get a bad rap for wanting to measure, measure and count, count and grow, grow. While acknowledging...
Alone, So You Wouldn’t Be
The most tragic reality of last Easter and too many other Easters is that so many people spend holidays like this alone, with no human connection; 2020 was agonizing because it brought funerals where loved ones couldn’t gather to mourn loss, empty bedsides where those...
How to Memorize Scripture by Accident
Full disclosure: You can’t memorize Scripture by accident; it does take effort. But if you put these following steps into practice, you will discover that it’s a lot easier than you think. These are the steps that I use to memorize Scripture, so I know they work and...
Feeding the Virtual Flock
Church emails can be a real blessing, communicating encouragement, concerns, information about the activities of the church body, service schedules and details, links to online services and classes, expectations for the future, and even teaching—a wide variety of...
Max Lucado: Give Your Fears to the Father
Are you struggling with fear today? Is it the pandemic, a job, food, something else? Are you seeing the size of your worries and not the size of your Savior? I think I can point you in a direction that might help you right-size your fear. I’d like to start with a long...
What About Stewardship?
Thoughts from the Back Pew The earth is the LORD’s and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it (Psalm 24:1). Everything I have belongs to God. Am I a good steward of the blessings God has given me? What does God desire I do with those gifts? We must be...
PILFERED WHILE WE SLEPT: Sacred Things Being Stolen
Pastor Resources · PILFERED WHILE WE SLEPT: Sacred Things Being Stolen Pilfer (intransitive verb) to steal; especially to steal stealthily in small amounts and often again and again. For example, a few grains of wheat in a large sack pilfered by a rodent in the...
105 Ways to Follow Jesus
Pastor Resources · 105 Ways To Follow Jesus If you pay close attention while reading the Gospels, you discover that nearly every time Jesus talks with someone, He uses a new approach. He does so for good reason. After all, each individual starts at a different...
How to Memorize Scripture by Accident
Full disclosure: You can’t memorize Scripture by accident; it does take effort. But if you put these following steps into practice, you will discover that it’s a lot easier than you think. These are the steps that I use to memorize Scripture, so I know they work and...
A Love Letter to the Church from and Autistic Pastor
Pastor Resources · A Love Letter to the Church from and Autistic Pastor I have learned from responses to my autism diagnosis that whenever we eat the proverbial fruit, we lose faith in the very idea that God created humanity to be human and to be free from the...
The Enneagram Goes to Church
Pastor Resources · The Enneagram Goes to Church Adaptation from The Enneagram Goes to Church by Todd Wilson Adapted from The Introduction, “Pastoring Is About People” After months of sitting with the Enneagram and sharing in its insights, my mind turned from me, my...
Be Inspired: Studying the “Great Cloud of Witnesses”
Pastor Resources · Be Inspired: Studying the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” I haven’t figured out whether it’s acceptable or not to have a favorite book in the Bible. I mean, it’s God’s Word, and every word is a gift! But let’s face it, there are books we tend to...
12 Million USDA Farmers to Families Food Boxes Delivered
Over 12 Million USDA Farmers to Families Food Boxes Delivered to Families in the “Last Mile of Need” by Faith-Based Community Network continues to expand for round five Bakersfield, CA (January 20, 2021) Since the United States Department of Agriculture...
Four Common Excuses for Not Implementing a Cancer Prevention Plan
In 1930, the cancer rates in the US were one in 30. Today, the rates have increased to one in every two men and one in every three women. Years ago, the American Cancer Society blamed genetics, but today they know better. Research clearly shows that lifestyle is the...
Barriers to Inclusion
As a pastor who is learning to navigate life with my own autism diagnosis as well as lead a church, I am often asked by special-needs families how to find a church that can help meet their spiritual needs. What are some of the ways that families can determine if the...
Lead from the Strength of Your Home
I remember one evening many years ago, in a season when all my kids were little, they all had a massive meltdown at the dinner table. No joke, all four were melting down. Steve and I looked at each other across the table and knew something had to change. Steve had...
