“David took the lyre and played it with his hand. Saul would be relieved and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.” (I Samuel 16:23b) “‘You know you’re in trouble when your colleague recommends their antidepressants,’ begins …
The Culture of the Call, Part III: The Influence of the Church
“The gifts He gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastorsand teachers…” (Ephesians 4:11) What makes the local church a producer of excellent candidates for pastoral ministry? In the sacred Scriptures, God does most of the …
Creating a Culture of Calling to Ministry, Part 2
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” —John 20:21b After his resurrection Jesus’ demonstrated his own practice of leadership succession. He lingered with his disciples to further instruct and strengthen their personal faith. And he assured them …
Creating a culture of calling to pastoral ministry is crucial now
“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” (Isaiah 6:8a) Although I don’t condone its tone or tactics, HBO Max’s dramatic series, Succession, is wildly popular. It’s all about the …
Complexity and Calm
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10a) When Mike Slaughter spoke at Hopewell UMC’s Planting Seeds for Ministry event back in 2015, I recall him repeating one of his favorite lines: “Our God does some of his best …
Managing the fast pace of change
“Your word is firmly fixed in heaven.” —Psalm 119:89b “The only constant in life is change,” Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher of the sixth century BCE, taught us. But when is too much change just too much for a system to …
Be Flexible
“Who knows whether he will not turn and relent?” (Joel 2:14a) The Washington Post, on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, in the midst of Advent, led off its Sunday Books section with an inquisitive, bold headline: “Can we still change each other’s …
Drop by drop: Employ random acts of appreciation
“I do not cease to give thanks for you…” (Ephesians 1:16a) A recent card I received in the U.S. mail warmed my heart in an unusual and lingering way. It was an expression of thanks for something I had done—in-and-of-itself, …
What we have here is a need to communicate*
“We speak of these things in words—words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.” –I Corinthians 2:13 “What did you say?” Some of my best ministry ideas have gone …
Thankful Giving
In all this, I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35 …