Articles
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...
One Nation Under God, Liberal Theological Revisionism, and Confessing Pastors
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States contains the phrase "one nation under God." The word "God" is capitalized making it a proper noun. A proper noun is a word for a particular person, place or thing, and is usually capitalized. The person named in the...
The Permanent Values of Family Worship
How would you answer the question, “How do we pass on the worship of God to our children?”? One can falsely assume that worship of God can be communicated and passed along once you begin to have regular family evenings. This is not so. You may pass along to your...
4 Ways Senior Church Members Can Stay Fit
It is important for seniors to stay fit, but they often feel intimidated by the younger crowds at the gyms and fitness centers. Seniors who are active in their churches, however, can take advantage of the welcoming atmosphere of the church and begin fitness and...
Passing on the Worship of God to Your Children
What is the nature of worshiping God? In 1920 a famous strongman known as Kid Dundee lifted a barbell that weighed 1,454 kilograms (about 3,200 pounds) – roughly the same weight as the original Volkswagen Beetle with passengers! How would you have reacted if you had...
What is God Doing in Perplexing Times?
For ten years, Hezekiah lived under the threat of the Assyrian empire threatening to pillage the southern tribes of Judah. I bet he wondered “what is God doing?” Habakkuk watched his nation deteriorate into chaos—injustice, evil, idolatry, and violence prevailed....
