Just keep casting your line
I’m not what you would consider a man of the outdoors, but I did my fair share of fishing during my teen years.
I’m not what you would consider a man of the outdoors, but I did my fair share of fishing during my teen years.
Adobe Stock Photo. Do not publish.
The 20th century political anarchist Edward Abbey loved the desert and once observed, “What draws us into the desert is the search for something intimate in the remote.” Abbey was not the only person who discovered intimacy in the solitude of the desert. The same could be said for some of the most influential people of prayer mentioned in Scripture. God originally created man in a garden, but He frequently recreates them in a desert.
a golfer blasts his ball from the sand trap
I have tried really hard to like golf, but I prefer hobbies that do not tempt me to say or do things I will regret later. One thing I do like about golf is the mulligan—a do-over stroke that doesn’t count. They make those terrible shots disappear into thin air.
Adobe Stock Photo. Do not publish.
For many pastors, it’s difficult to not take it personally when people leave their church. But according to a recent Lifeway Research study, most churchgoers aren’t leaving a church because they have a personal complaint against the pastor. During the research screening process, it was determined only 53% of U.S. regular churchgoers say they have attended more than one church as an adult. Among these, most say their church change was impacted by a residential move (60%). Still, 40% of church changes were driven by something other than a residential move.
A couple of years ago, I had the chance to go to Atlanta for a couple of days of baseball to watch the Braves play the Royals. On Wednesday the game was a "businessman's special," which is a noon game that many people take off work to attend or use as a way to entertain clients. Even with the thrill of being at a Major League game, I was more taken by a conversation I eavesdropped on in front of me that I will never forget.
As a pastor, it is my responsibility to guide and mentor younger individuals who are interested in pursuing ministry, especially during this time of tension within evangelicalism.
Encouraging generosity in the church is a matter I believe I can speak to because it is something I haven’t mastered, and I am working on daily. So, I write from trial and error, and a current experience of attempting to create a culture of generosity in our church for better or for worse. I want to lead a Church that is compelled by the love of Christ. As gospel believing people, we should respond to the gift of our salvation by living generous lives for God’s glory and mission.
Purity culture often talked about sex in a manner that suggested it was a bad thing and should be feared. This is a fair critique. In God’s design, nothing could be further from the truth.