Category: Ministry
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Common Perils of the Professionally Holy
There are some peculiar perils prevalent among the professional holy – those in full time ministry or service for God. High on this list: We know a lot of stuff and we do a lot of good things. And it is easy to misconstrue either, or both, of these with being righteous. But neither of…
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Maundy Thursday Matters
Today is Maundy Thursday. It is a special day on the Christian calendar. But many Christians don’t know what maundy means. I imagine for some this day could easily fall just after Manic Monday, Ruby Tuesday… You get the idea. So if the term Maundy Thursday sounds foreign to you, relax, you are far from alone. The term…
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Mere Marketing Misses the Mark
This had to be one of the more irritating telemarketing calls I can recall. Some guy cold-called me at my church office yesterday and wanted me to give him a blow-by-blow of our Outreach strategy. He had a service to sell that would “enhance” our attractiveness to the community. To listen to him it sounded like a can’t…
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Recharging a Spiritual Battery
Unfortunately I’m going to miss it. Our church is hosting a seminar tomorrow. After scheduling the seminar I received notice that a committee I am on that serves our whole denomination meets the same day. So I am sitting here writing from my hotel room in Atlanta. I would not have even considered missing the…
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Cats & Dogs and God’s Global Glory
First among the Core Values at Walnut Hill Church is God’s Global Glory. This is the recognition that we do not exist, as a church or as individuals, primarily for ourselves, but for God and for his glory. Expressing this as a platitude is one thing. Getting newcomers to agree with this premise is something else. And getting people to…
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Natural Evangelism
My old friend, and one-time-mentor, Doug Pollock is releasing a new book, expected to be on the bookstore shelves in June. Doug has travelled the world sharing his faith, and has studied evangelism for the better part of two decades now. He’s also penned a number of articles and co-authored other helpful books about evangelism.…
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Blessed Are the Peacemakers
Jeff Purswell writes: Who dreamed that their church participation was so significant? Giving the world a glimpse of the consummated kingdom of God! Does such a grand vision govern our attitude toward our local churches? If it does, our participation will no doubt reflect it. We will love, serve, sacrifice, forgive, forbear, employ our gifts,…
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Pastors & REAL People
My friend Nathan Lewis has written a profoundly heartfelt, insightful post titled: Why So Many Pastors Don’t Get Close to Church Members. Nathan is an excellent writer, and has a broad spectrum of interests, so that he has written a good post is no surprise. But the theme he dares to address treads into sensitive territory: the…
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Pastors Near Pastures
The following words, along with Francis Schaeffer’s No Little People, were helpful to me when last year we accpted the opportunity to return to East Tennessee rather than pursue opportunities with churches in larger cities: “Few men have the courage to seek obscurity for the sake of its advantages, but there can be no doubt of…
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The Distinguishing Mark
As I continue to work my way through 1 John I am repeatedly struck by the way John weaves together several themes, yet seems to keep a single idea in focus. John writes to help the reader understand how we may know God – that we may know God. Yet throughout the letter he…
