Articles
Faith and Humanity: Bridging the Gap Between Belief and Experience
The Gap Between Faith and Humanity Just think about your own gap for a moment, the distance between what you think you should believe about God—how to know and relate to him—and your actual life experience. Most likely, you’ve had to wrestle with toxic and shame-based...
How to Read the Bible: Intent, Methodology, and Influences
How do you read the Bible? Exploring Intent: Why Do You Read the Bible? One way we may begin to answer this question centers on intent. You read the Bible for the purpose of devotion, or prayer, or study. If you’re a preacher like me, you may read the Bible because...
Resilience in Brokenness: Finding Faith and Strength
“Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” Psalm 116:7, CSB Recognizing Brokenness and Choosing Resilience It was just a broken ice maker. It wasn’t a catastrophic event. I was safe. I was in a good place. And I was looking forward to spending...
Prioritize Worship Before Work: Insights for Ministry Leaders
For ministry leaders, the new year brings fresh anticipation for where God will lead us next. As I approached the new year with my own hopes and expectations, God led me to Joshua 5:13-15. It’s the end of a 40-year trek in the wilderness. Israel has crossed the...
Combating Religious Persecution in Pakistan
The Harsh Reality of Religious Persecution in Pakistan Imagine stepping out of your car, unknowingly treading on a few pieces of paper on the pavement, only to be arrested and charged with offenses that could lead to a life sentence. In Pakistan, this nightmare is a...
A Practical Guide to Parenting Adult Children
Understanding Your Relationship with Adult Children How would you describe your relationship with your adult child? Your answer to this question will reveal where you need to start or pick up if you desire a growing relationship. Because human relationships are...
Developing a Church Mental Health Strategy
Why Church Mental Health Outreach Matters Churches are often the first point of contact when a family member has an acute mental health need. Individuals and families are more likely to connect with their church in a mental health crisis than they are with a licensed...
Understanding Faith Deconstruction
“I’m deconstructing my faith.” Perhaps someone has said this to you recently. A friend, child, spouse, parent, coworker, or congregant. You don’t really know what they mean, but it doesn’t sound good. Just from the name, you can tell they are taking something apart....
Mastering the Emotional Effects of Negative Thinking
Understanding the Emotional Effects of the Fall The emotional effects of the fall have had a persisting impact on all of humankind. Consider for a moment the following questions: Do you struggle with worry about minor matters or perhaps worry about things that might...
Ministry Transitions in Genesis 12
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to go into something new and leave the something old behind. I am in the middle of a ministry transition. After about 9 years on staff at my current local church (a church I also grew up in for about 9 years before being on...
Pastoral Commitment to Young Adult Groups
During our five-year study, we witnessed constant negotiations be- tween young adult innovation teams and the larger congregational leadership structure. Those in senior leadership roles often struggled while learning how to engage with young adult leaders or...
Trusting God When Life Feels Uncertain
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV) Why Trusting God Is Difficult I’ve been studying the topic of trust lately. And what I’ve...
Discovering Joy in Beauty and Salvation
You know it when you feel joy. She “jumps under one’s ribs and tickles down one’s back.” But joy dodges our attempts to pin her down. She is tricky to define. Trying to catch joy with a definition is like fishing with a shoelace, like trying to describe a friend to...
The Call to Be a Good Church
In 2001, Jim Collins published a book on business management titled Good to Great, concerning the steps companies had to take to be excellent institutions. This book became a bestseller and even influenced the American church, with many churches endeavoring to become...
Bach’s Music: A Testament to God’s Glory
Johan Sebastian Bach’s music has long been considered among the greatest artistic expressions in human history. When eminent scientist Lewis Thomas mused about what was the greatest testament of earth’s achievements to send into deep space, he replied, “I would vote...
Caring for Spiritual Orphans in the Wake of the Church’s Great Resignation
The hot Haitian sun beat down on our metal tap tap as we bounced along the dirt road of a small town just outside Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. My hands wrapped around the metal bars, I squinted into the high noon sun as we came to a slow stop, our driver pointing towards a...
Silent Prayer: A Path to Soul Health
Our souls long for health and the practices that will bring that health, but we have become adept at ignoring or suppressing that longing. That’s why it’s so important to engage in practices that elevate us above the fray of our lives, practices that help give us an...
Peacemaker Discipline: A Grace-Filled Approach to Parenting
When many of us hear the word discipline, we immediately assume it to mean “punishment.” This isn’t a surprise—our society teaches us over and over that accountability for wrongdoing must be retributive and punitive; that is, we have to pay for our wrong behavior...
Time Management Tips for Pastors
Effective time management is very important for pastors who juggle numerous responsibilities, from sermon preparation and pastoral care to administrative tasks and outreach efforts. This article provides practical tips to help ministers manage their time efficiently....
Understanding Leadership Trauma
All leaders have unknown or unacknowledged drivers that fuel behavior. Sometimes, we have attitudes, words, and actions detrimental to ourselves and those we lead. Our inner critic screams, “You’re not good enough.” Sometimes, we chastise ourselves for failing to see...
