Dec 6, 2016 | Inspiration
“If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy.” “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” This wretched exchange of dialogue between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi is only a small part of the disaster that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith brought to the...
Nov 30, 2016 | Perspectives
If you count the names on a church’s roll and compare the number to the attendance on a given Sunday, many times there is quite a difference. There can be various reasons: some move away; others attend a different church, but they are still listed on your church’s...
Nov 29, 2016 | Perspectives
“You’ll know when you go.” Many years ago a popular local commercial for my Southern town’s newly transplanted NHL hockey team repeated this phrase in order to help encourage the college-basketball-obsessed, NASCAR-enthused sports fans to give hockey a try and go see...
Nov 27, 2016 | Inspiration
CHRISTMAS! The word evokes many feelings, depending on our experiences. For some, Christmas is a happy time, filled with beautiful memories and joyful expectations. For others, Christmas is a depressing time, a season one wants “to get over with” as quickly as...
Nov 18, 2016 | Current Events, Perspectives
It has been said that the USA is the only place where people express gratitude on Thanksgiving for all the stuff they have and spend the next day shoving people over to get the stuff they don’t. Sadly, Black Friday is only the beginning. Maybe we won’t fight with...
Nov 16, 2016 | Perspectives
Getting younger people to join and stick to a church full of senior citizens can be a challenge. The desire to add younger members must be shared by the entire church. If this is your vision as the pastor, and the older folks don’t share it, you are probably fighting...
Nov 15, 2016 | Refreshment
God never sleeps, but you have to. Our mission here on earth never runs out, but you run out of energy and motivation to keep on the mission. Your congregants will never say, “We have no more problems, questions, or concerns,” but you run out of answers and ways to...
Nov 11, 2016 | Perspectives
This subject is difficult for me because the very thought of it makes me ill. If you have experienced, or are now experiencing, a situation where a congregant or a group of congregants try to undermine your authority as a pastor, you are not alone. I would imagine it...
