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Church and Ministry

Not Why But Who: A Meditation on Good Friday

Not Why But Who: A Meditation on Good Friday

Most of us deliberately avoid talking about the worst things that have happened to us, especially the grisly details. But in telling the story of Jesus, the Gospel writers go out of their way to linger with them. For the thirty years between Jesus’ infancy and his...

Humble Leadership and Humble Leaders

Humble Leadership and Humble Leaders

How many church leaders wake up every morning and plead with the Lord to save their ministry from themselves? Probably not many.  That is likely because we tend to underestimate the pervasive, pernicious, and powerful presence of pride in our hearts and to...

Your Pastor Needs Pastor Friends

Your Pastor Needs Pastor Friends

Before I became a pastor, I would not say I was estranged from a single soul. Almost 20 years in, the list is longer than I would have ever thought bearable. It includes some of my most intimate former friends and ministry partners: people whose names are etched on...

A Hospitality of Words

A Hospitality of Words

Have you ever had someone make an incorrect assumption about you? Maybe someone guessed you were younger than you really are, or maybe someone assumed you’d seen that super popular movie when you actually haven’t. Or perhaps you’ve experienced the more frustrating...

The Ministry of Encouragement

The Ministry of Encouragement

If you think back on your life, you will see that your story has been significantly shaped by words. Maybe your trajectory has been most deeply marked by that parent or mentor who spoke words of encouragement to you. Maybe the direction of your life shifted when a...

Hope-Full Presbyterianism

Hope-Full Presbyterianism

For some, the title of this little essay is a bit of an oxymoron. It is like “low-fat chocolate” or “non-alcoholic whiskey.” Hope-full Presbyterianism? That’s as weird as “happy Presbyterians,” am I right? I used to tell audiences that I loved the cover of my 2006...

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