Pilgrimage

“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)

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

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

Celebrating the resurrection of Christ in His church is one of the highlights of year for me. Christmas is glorious, but Resurrection Sunday gives a spiritual high that has no equivalent. Isn’t it interesting how Jesus spent the time from his resurrection until His ascension (40 days) continuing to do what he did before His death. While He was on the earth after before he went to be with the Father, He spent his time teaching His disciples, encouraging them, and telling them about what was going happen in the future. While the resurrection fundamentally changed His body (it became glorified), it did not fundamentally change His vocation. There are many applications here, but for today, let’s enjoy our redemption and celebrate with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Life is cheap…or so modern society would have us think it is. The cost of an early murder-in-utero is only a few hundred dollars.

Secular science has proven the life of a baby in the womb is distinctly separate from the mother. Secular science has proven that the baby in the womb IS NOT just tissue, but is an actual living human. The debate on abortion has moved past this concept. While in years past it would have been horrific to acknowledge these things and still be a proponent of abortion it is now becoming socially acceptable. Abortionists now argue that population control and the welfare of the more highly developed (i.e. the mother) is a more important consideration than protecting life in the womb. I have not time to articulate this slipperly slope other than to ask what are the future implications for the mentally handicapped? the elderly? terminally ill? Continue reading

Dorchester Heights was and is remembered in American history for something known as the Fortification of Dorchester Heights during the American Revolutionary War. After the battles of Lexington and Concord, Revolutionary sentiment within New England reached a new high, and thousands of militiamen from the Northern colonies converged on Boston, pushing the British back within the city limits. In June 1775 British soldiers under General Howe attacked and seized Bunker Hill, but in the process sustained many losses. Following this encounter, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia gave George Washington the title of commander-in-chief and sent him to oversee the efforts outside of Boston. Continue reading