Dec 27, 2016 | Refreshment
Sunday morning seems to come every single week, doesn’t it? Without fail. And depending on your church’s typical weekly schedule, so does Sunday night, Wednesday night, Tuesday morning Bible study, and the recently popular Saturday night services. On top of that,...
Dec 22, 2016 | Personal Development
In July 2015 Grey Matter Research surveyed 4,249 pastors and discovered that 50 percent receive less than $50,000 per year in compensation with 30 percent having student loan debt averaging $36,000. Thirty-three percent have under $10,000 in retirement funds, and 29...
Dec 20, 2016 | Inspiration
The American church is having a bit of an identity crisis. People want to be entertained, and they have a long list of expected religious goods and services. Pastors can find themselves caught up in having to create “cool plays” or throwing Hail Mary’s, hoping for the...
Dec 16, 2016 | Perspectives
Several years ago, the Sunday school lesson was about judging. A young woman in the class told a story about a coworker who was of a different faith—one that does not believe Jesus is the Son of God. This man had asked the class member if she thought he would go to...
Dec 15, 2016 | Inspiration, Perspectives
Recently I looked at a job description list for a local pastor. As anyone would expect to find on such a list, I read things such as: “plan preaching schedule”; “deliver gospel-centered sermons”; “lead weekly staff meeting”; and “perform weddings and funerals.” But...
Dec 14, 2016 | Inspiration
“We d.i.v.e. deeper into God’s Word so He can dive deeper into us.” I’m a church girl, a preacher’s kid. I grew up in the church, knowing all the things about the church—the lingo, the rules, and the traditions—and my head was spilling over with Jeopardy knowledge. I...
Dec 9, 2016 | Current Events
November 8, 2016, brought an end to perhaps the ugliest, most unethical, and most divisive presidential election ever. In fact, I purposely chose to write this article before the election even took place, because I wanted to be clear that no matter the results, the...
Dec 6, 2016 | Perspectives
I grew up as an active member in a medium-sized church of about five hundred. When I was newly married I began ministry work in a megachurch with three services and over two thousand attendees each week. And now as a bit older and with kids growing up way too fast, I...
