Articles
What Happens In School and After School Can Help End Global Poverty
Pastor Resources · What Happens In School and After School Can Help End Global Poverty As followers of Christ, many of us wrestle with how we, and the congregations we lead, can make the most impact in helping those in need, especially those entrenched in a...
Can We Have The Conversation? Black and White at the Table Together …Just Like Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Pastor Resources · Can We Have The Conversation Yet another pastor confided to me: “I almost feel powerless to do anything about racial justice.... What do I know about racism? I feel like a part of the problem that can never be a part of the solution because...
COVID-19: Considerations for Re-Gathering in Church Buildings
Pastor Resources · Covid - 19 And Returning To Church I have a sister who lives in Vancouver, Washington, and another who resides in Richardson, Texas. Vancouver has few cases of COVID-19. But Dallas County, by comparison, has a lot. Yet, at the moment, Vancouver...
Running Away To Home
Pastor Resources · Running Away TO Home I was about eleven years old when we got the word that my mother, older brother, and I had finally been approved to move into the government housing project. We had been on the waiting list for a long time, and by most...
Why so many pastoral suicides
Pastor Resources · Pastoral Suicide Why are we painfully seeing more suicides in the ministry? Why does it seem like a “taboo” topic to bring up? Why does it seem that people are fearful to tell the truth when it comes to someone taking their own life?...
Longing for Revival During the Pandemic
Pastor Resources · Longing For Revival During The Pandemic Look at the nations and watch — and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. — Habakkuk 1:5 Before COVID-19 struck, life was already...
Prayer for the City in Light of COVID-19
Pastor Resources · Prayer For The City In Light Of Covid Praying for the revival of the church and rebuilding of the city is always crucial, but has a timely urgency during the present COVID-19 crisis. While hopes for urban renewal always burn deep within Christ’s...
How Not to Read the Bible
Pastor Resources · How Not To Read The Bible I’ve been reading the Bible almost every day for decades. I firmly believe that any listening and reading of Scripture is better than none at all, but I do think that some of the ways I’ve read the Bible have ended...
Mission 3:16
Pastor Resources · Excerpt - The Introduction - Mission 316 God’s mission in the world includes you. Uniquely you. Specifically you. Think through those statements for a moment. God—the Lord of the universe, sovereign over all nations, creator of all humankind,...
Are You Willing to be Forgotten?
Pastor Resources · Are You Willing To Be Forgotten - Menikoff You’ve probably never heard the name Oswald Avery. Not long after the influenza pandemic of 1918, he devoted himself to finding the cause of this horrific virus. Avery lived in a laboratory, hovering...
Move The Can: The First Step To Help A Church Become Healthier
Pastor Resources · 100 DaysHealthierChurch The Paint Can Turning a church from unhealthy to healthy is a daunting task. It starts by working smarter, not harder. Here’s an example. The Paint Can: A Parable In the 1990s, I led a small group of church members on a...
Picture It
Pastor Resources · Picture It A friend confessed to me that, for years, whenever he tried to read the Bible he would get so bored that he stopped reading after a short time. This surprised me because my friend was leading a vibrant ministry and I know he has a deep...
Faith and Fear Can’t Co-Exist?
Pastor Resources · Faith And Fear Can faith and fear co-exist? Can we have hope in the midst of fear? Aren’t we, as God’s people, especially in difficult times, to eradicate fear from among us? Easier said than done! While fear is an emotion; faith is a choice. We...
How to be Faithful in the Midst of Fear
We’d all like to say we’re faithful in the midst of fear, but the truth is the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event. None of us expected the pandemic; neither is this the spring we wanted or planned. Fortunately, God knew about the global tragedy long before we...
“It’s a Relationship, Not a Religion”: The Scientific Truth behind This Common Christian Phrase
Pastor Resources · A Relationship Not A Religion - Wilder Jesus told his followers to “Go . . . make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19). We generally read the passage to say, “Go make believers.” The difference might seem subtle, but the implications are enormous. When...
Bible Revival During the COVID-19 Crisis
Pastor Resources · Bible Revival During The COVID - 19 Crisis As was true after 9/11, the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has people turning back to the Scriptures in droves. Bible sales are significantly up, as are the number of people downloading reading...
Rediscipling The White Church
Pastor Resources · Adaptation Chapter 3 In my experiences with racial reconciliation conversations, there usually comes a moment when superficial talk gets real. Often this comes about because a person of color takes the risk to share how racism and white...
Learning to Read the Bible
Pastor Resources · Learning To Read The Bible When I was young, I had a soccer coach who told me I didn’t know how to run—and that he was going to teach me. His statement made me mad. I actually didn’t like my coach too much; I thought he was kind of overweight for...
An unusual practice to make you into a Godly leader
Pastor Resources · An unusual practice to make you into a Godly leader Four hundred years before Israel ever had a king, God gave Moses a spiritual practice that would transform the life of the king and the people he served. The practice is described in Deuteronomy...
A Deeper Question in the Pandemic
Pastor Resources · A Deeper Question In The Pandemic I dialed into yet another Zoom call. Pastors’ faces filled the screen. The upper left corner said, “So, when are you guys gathering again?” Chatter erupted about state restrictions, social distancing, and...
