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
Worship As A Moving Target Part 3
Let’s pick up where we left off in the last issue. Right now, I can hear some of my contemporary music friends saying, “Amen.” But wait. Hold on a minute. The contemporary crowd is no better. Those who lean toward the contemporary want everything to be upbeat. They never know how to “be still and
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
Worship As A Moving Target, Part 1
Recently I attended a meeting with about 20 other pastors. Each of us pastors a large, growing church. We came together from all across America to discuss what’s happening in the church today. While we were all different, we had much in common because of our size. It was a refreshing meeting and one I
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
Don’t Be A Co-dependent or Insecure Minister
I am not an authority on this matter but in my humble and accurate opinion, which I highly respect, I find that there are far too many in the ministry who have a need to be needed. Please don’t be offended by that statement. Someone once said of professional counselors, the only people crazy enough
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,
When You Have To Let Someone Go
In my ministry, there have been three times when I’ve reached the point of writing a resignation letter. In all three instances, I was (a) out of gas emotionally, (b) concerned about my base of support with the silent majority, (c) under severe attack. I can also remember that every situation was, unfortunately, staff related.
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
Seven Deadly Sins of a Church Staff
The following is not so much an article but my notes for a recent presentation with our church staff. It’s part of a leadership seminar I’m working on. If you are a pastor, you might find something you identify with. If you are a staff member, read carefully. You may not agree with all of
Meet Mr. Moody Part 2
Chapter 3: Learning Important Lessons “I do not expect to visit this country again.” Dwight L. Moody made that statement shortly after arriving in England in March, 1867. He had been seasick during the voyage from America and was also a bit discouraged with the “dull and formal” church life in England. In short, he
A Final Thought On Books and Bookstores
If you are like me, you love a good bookstore. Over the years, I’ve been blessed to find some incredible Christian bookstores that have (a)put a dent in my budget and (b) blessed my ministry. I’m a sucker for a book. Currently I have over 10,000 books in my library and around 5,000 tapes of