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 Do not publish.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 Do not publish.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.
I have been in pastoral ministry for more than 30 years and have seen many ministers burn out, quit when they shouldn’t or even disqualify themselves because they never learned how to deal with the inevitable stress that comes with ministry. Serving the local church, or any type of ministry, can become a grind if you don’t adopt some strategies to deal with stress.
Most people think learning how to speak effectively takes 10,000 hours. But I can explain it to you in 30 seconds...
OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) – A writer spent time with a shepherd on the Texas plains. One night, the shepherd built a fire, and the sheep gathered close. Around midnight, a coyote howled in the distance, followed by another coyote from the opposite direction. The fearful sheep began bleating.
Pastor and preaching professor Stephen Rummage gives tips for preaching to an online congregation. "Your people are not expecting perfection," he says. "They do want to hear from and see their pastor and receive God's Word from you."
Pastor Stephen Rummage outlines five reasons he believes pastors should give an opportunity to respond to the Gospel every time they preach.