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Excellence and Rest: Handling the Tension
One of the most challenging aspects of following Jesus is learning to live within tension. Not every question has an ‘either-or’ answer. In fact, many of the deepest expressions of Christian faith require us to hold together truths that, at first glance, seem to pull in opposite directions. We can welcome the moving of…
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The Slow Drift: Guarding Your Relationship with Jesus
There’s a quiet danger that lurks in the life of every ministry leader. It doesn’t announce itself loudly. It doesn’t arrive with scandal or collapse. It comes slowly, subtly, almost imperceptibly. It is what we might call the slow drift. And by the time you recognize it, something valuable has already been lost. If…
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There Are Always Two Sides
Our Innocent Beginnings When Peter and I first entered ministry, we were a young couple from a small town, raised in loving families. We had experienced kindness, stability, and the blessing of people who generally meant what they said. Looking back, we were wonderfully innocent. We trusted people. If someone told us they had…
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Don’t Die Before You Die – Live While You Live
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way people age, because, well, I’m aging. Just so you know, when you’re young you feel like old age is forever away. It’s not. Then when you realize you are “old” it’s honestly a shock. If I get asked if I qualify for the seniors discount…
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Love & Marraige – Building A Strong Marriage That Lasts – Part 2
My parents shared their marriage vows in the warm summer of 1955. Like so many couples, their marriage followed a winding road. There were house moves, career changes, two kids, and all the ups and downs that life inevitably brings. What I witnessed every day growing up was a life marked by love, faithfulness,…
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Love & Marriage – Choosing a Lifelong Partner – Part 1
I still remember standing at the front of the church in my white tuxedo. Yes, it was the 1980s after all. The groomsmen stood beside me, the bridesmaids across the way, and then the music began. I looked down the aisle and saw my beautiful bride walking toward me with her father at her…
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Authentic Faith Begins at Home – Raising Jesus Loving Kids
Parenting is one of the hardest things we’ll ever do. The responsibility feels heavy, our lack of experience is obvious, and there’s no manual that comes with the job. But don’t worry. Children don’t need perfect parents. They need parents who genuinely love Jesus and are willing to follow Him day by day. He’ll…
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The Truth About Forgiveness
Forgiveness is one of the most challenging, yet freeing, practices we are called to embrace. It is not a one-time decision, but a lifelong journey, one that stretches our hearts, humbles our pride, and draws us closer to God. Scripture calls us to forgive not just once, but continually. Matthew 18:22 “Then Peter came…
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Compassion Fatigue – Sustaining the Soul While Serving Others
Ministry is more than a career. For pastors, it involves walking closely with people through the most intimate and vulnerable moments of their lives, grief, illness, conflict, doubt, and crisis. Pastoring is a privilege and deeply meaningful, it also carries a hidden cost: compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is the emotional and spiritual exhaustion that…
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His Strength in My Weakness
There are moments in ministry that most people never see. Moments when a pastor stands before a congregation, preaching about faith, hope, and courage while wrestling with their own feelings of inadequacy. Moments when we pray for someone who is hurting, yet wondering if we truly have the words or wisdom they need. Moments…