Is It Really Worth It All?
Anyone who ministers for the Lord is bound to get weary and one day ask the question, “Is it really worth it all?” Preachers are human, too. You take time away from your own family to help people, and they complain because you didn’t come sooner and do more. You go the extra ten miles
To Go Or Not To Go?
If the servant of God is at all faithful, he is frequently examining both himself and his ministry and honestly asking the question, “Is it time for me to make a move?” The issue is not career advancement, more money or the desire to escape from difficult problems. (There are difficult problems in every church;
A Sin In Good Standing
“Why did you preach my pastor’s sermon last night?” a student asked me at a seminary Bible conference. “I’m not sure I know your pastor,” I replied, “and I rarely get to hear other men preach. Was I in the congregation when you heard him preach it?” “No, I guess you weren’t,” he mumbled. “Maybe
If I Only Had Time!
If you find yourself saying in your sermons, “Now, if I had the time–” then beware! A pastor I know frequently punctuated his sermons with “If I had the time,” and one Sunday a deacon approached him about it. “Pastor, you keep saying ‘If I had the time.’ Why don’t you have the time? You
Relating To Other Ministers And Staff
From “When Pastors Wonder How” – by Howard Sugden & Warren W. Wiersbe. © 1973 – Moody Press. Used by permission of the author. What should be my relationship to former pastors of the church, especially my immediate predecessor? Stories about former pastors are often like stories about mothers-in-law: they are only stories. Make up
The Bad Ol’ Summertime
An anonymous wit has defined summer as the time of year when the children slam the doors they left open all winter. For the busy minister, summer can be either a season of open doors or slammed doors. It all depends on our attitude and our planning. If our attitude is negative and we don’t
I is for Illustrations
In this day of electronic equipment that can flash a picture or even a film clip on the screen, perhaps we don’t need to think about verbal illustrations. But our sermons should be prepared so carefully that if the power fails, the people will still “see” what we’re saying. Let’s try to answer some basic
Minister in a Corner
Every minister needs a corner, a quiet place where he can retreat from the duties of the day, where he can be himself and find himself, as he communes with God. Not a place for him to study theology or to prepare sermons. Rather, a place, where he can be still enough to hear God
The Minister Hurts
Somebody said something or did something, and now the pastor hurts. From a human point of view, he has every right to hurt; but he knows that his people won’t accept it. For some reason, pastors are supposed to “live above the snake line” and never have hurt feelings or broken hearts. Quite the opposite
What’s What About Who’s Who, Warren Wiersbe
Biographical preaching is perhaps the most rewarding, and yet the most difficult, kind of pulpit ministry. The Bible is a Who’s Who of people who met God, knew God, trusted God, and either glorified Him or grieved Him. People identify with people. The men and women found in the Bible are just like the men
The Preaching Of The Cross
It was said of Charles Spurgeon that, no matter what text he chose, he moved as quickly as possible across country to the cross of Jesus Christ. This is a good example for us to follow. Spurgeon said to his ministerial students: “More and more am I jealous lest any views upon prophecy, church government,
Room To Grow In
“The trouble with you preachers,” said the doctor, “is that you really don’t practice what you preach. You tell other people to obey the laws of God and you don’t obey them yourself.” “My suggestion is that you stop burning the candle at both ends and start taking time off for rest and relaxation. You’ll