Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (Acts 3.19) Not too long ago I saw a bumper sticker that announced, “Jesus is the Answer.” The driver (who was speeding in fact) was Continue Reading
March 12, 2013
Difficult but Necessary: Relinquishing Leadership in Winter to Renew in Another Season of Ministry
March 11, 2013 Dearly Beloved in the Lord: I greet you in the name of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. I write you to also make an announcement that must come on the heels of a series of providences that both surprised me and have tried me—body and Continue Reading
March 1, 2013
The Wordsmith Journal Magazine Interview
The following interview was conducted by veteran journalist Mary Nichelson of TheWordsmithJournalMagazine.com and appears at http://www.thewordsmithjournalmagazine.com/interviews.html. Quoting from the site: "Mary supports publishers by interviewing Continue Reading
February 16, 2013
Why This Presbyterian is Praying for the Next Pope
The picture on the opinion page of the Wall Street Journal, page A13, has a picture of lightning flashing over St. Peter's Basilica from last Monday when Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would step down. The picture is worth 1000 words, or at least Continue Reading
January 24, 2013
Are You Called to be a Military Chaplain?
Frequently I am asked to share my experience of the call to the chaplain ministry. In my case, I have served and continue to serve as a US Army Reserve chaplain, not an active duty chaplain. Yet the call to give one's life to the work of the Lord in this Continue Reading
January 13, 2013
Finding Your Pastoral Mentor on Canvas
“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.”[1] Those words of impressionistic artist, Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) have provided an aspiration, and inspiration, for my own pastoral work in serving Continue Reading
January 6, 2013
The Shadow of a Godly Pastor: Oh How We Need An Anointed Ministry Today!
Our people need to sit beneath the shadow of a godly pastor. "So that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them" (Acts 5.15 ESV). I was preaching at Continue Reading
December 28, 2012
The Best: A Charge to our Married Men in Seminary and a Letter to All
My beloved students in Christ, I write to you, as this old year is winding down, and we count off the hours before a new one, to remind you of the best gift God has given you. It is not your gift to preach. It is not your gift to counsel. It is not your Continue Reading
Being a Pastor and Speaking Out in Today’s Culture
A pastor I know recently told me that he was criticized for being “too political.” He has heard such an indictment all his ministry, he said. Today he leads a major ministry in America and battles daily for the rights of pastors to speak so that Continue Reading