Pilgrimage

I was sitting in a bible study one Sunday morning where a West African Bible teacher was sharing about building a strong family.  He talked about God’s purposes for the family being a means to transmit the gospel from generation to generation.  He also spoke of the biblical role of the father to literally lay his hands on his wife and children to bless them in the name of the Lord. I had assumed that was only Old Testament symbolism and not a modern day practice. Yet upon further inspection of the scriptures, I was convicted that I had never ceremonially and spiritually blessed my family.

Although I had been through Bible college, seminary and served several years as a staff pastor, I had failed to learn an essential aspect of what it means to be part of a biblical family.  Modeling God’s favor and grace to younger generations is at the core of the gospel.  Allowing my children to not only hear me pray for them, but also feel me physically lay my hands on them and seek God’s blessings for them is a powerful witness they will not soon forget. Continue reading

“70 percent of leaders do not finish well…First, leaders who do not finish well lose their learning posture. They stop listening and growing. Second, the attractiveness of their character wanes. Third, they stop living by their convictions. Fourth, they fail to leave behind ultimate contributions. Fifth, they stop walking in an awareness of their influence and destiny. Finally, leaders who finish poorly lose their once vibrant relationship with God!” (The Ascent of a Leader, Thrall, McNicol & McElrath)

Due to being extremely busy as of late, I haven’t posted anything. I was, however, over at a friends house this weekend and he mentioned this Peanuts cartoon. I found it and thought it was excellent.

I’ve been reading Secrets of the Secret Place by Bob Sorge as part of my morning devotions.  Sorge really gives some excellent insight into the devotional life…hence the post on Thomas a’ Kempis who’s writings are classic for Christian devotion.

I am coming to believe that our sanctification and ability to wage spiritual warfare are completely tied to our devotional life.  This is why it is often the most challenging aspect of a believer’s life.  Show me a believer who is struggling with habitual sin and I will show you someone who has a poor devotional life.  As one who is in ministry and has seen the effect of “busy-ness” on the home of the pastor, I can testify to the challenges of maintaining a healthy relationship with the Lord.

My heart breaks for men of God who do not make time to spend large amounts of time with God.  Good men who desire to be faithful to God’s word can easily get caught in the trap of serving others before or instead of serving God.  Parishioners in the congregation should rejoice if they can pay their pastor to spend his entire work-week in God’s presence.  People are looking for a word from God, and the only way a man of God can deliver it is by spending time with the Lord. Continue reading

In one’s spiritual pilgrimage the realization of temporal finiteness births a longing for personal communion with God.

O my God, sweetness unspeakable, turn into bitterness all my fleshly consolation, which draweth me away from the love of eternal things, and wickedly allureth toward itself by setting before me some present delight. Let not, O my God, let not flesh and blood prevail over me, let not the world and its short glory deceive me, let not the devil and his craftiness supplant me. Give me courage to resist, patience to endure, constancy to preserve. Grant, in place of all consolations of the world, the most sweet unction of Thy Spirit, and in place of carnal love, pour into me the love of Thy Name (à Kempis 2006, 91).

This passage from Thomas Hæmmerlien’s work The Imitation of Christ illustrates the core philosophical concentration of the text: A life that seeks to become like Christ in word, thought and deed must yearn for divine grace and reject worldly enticements. Hæmmerlien, also know as Thomas à Kempis, elected to live his life in obscurity and absorb himself in the spiritual pursuit of oneness with Christ. His compilation of personal thoughts into The Imitation of Christ has served Christianity as a centerpiece of devotional literature for over a half-century. Continue reading

Conflict can be defined as a “circumstance in which two (or more) persons have incompatible needs, desires, or goals” (Shaffer 2005, 281). This is an issue from which the church is not immune. In addition to preaching, teaching and counseling, pastors often serve as initiators, moderators and terminators of church conflict. It is not surprising that there are many Christian books and journal articles to help ministers successfully navigate conflict. Crisis and conflict have been part of the social fabric of the local church since its genesis in scripture. It has been said that conflict is inevitable; therefore, professional ministers and local lay leaders have an obligation to clearly understand conflict origins, conflict management, and how to bring healing once conflict has ended. Continue reading

The socio-economic and cultural changes in post-modern society have presented an unprecedented challenge to traditional evangelical churches. While Catholics and high-church protestant denominations have experienced serious decline in the last several decades, this has only been a relatively recent phenomenon to plague some evangelical churches. Pastors, church boards and congregations are grappling with the theology of the institutional church and its relevance in addressing the myriad questions of secular society. As evangelicals seek to change the methodology without watering down the message of the Gospel, many churches are experiencing positive transformation while others are simply maintaining the status quo or dying off. Often, the success or failure of a congregation seeking change rests in the theory of change embraced by the local church. Continue reading