Pastoral Ministry
How Do We Pray in Accordance with God’s Will?
Have you ever prayed for something that didn’t happen? You poured out your soul before God, begging him to come through, and your prayers seemed to go unanswered? I think that’s the experience of a lot of Christians. There are some today who would even teach that if you have enough faith and you pray,…
Read MoreWhat Is God’s Will, and How Do I Know If I’m Doing It?
When I talk with Christian teenagers and college students, discerning God’s will for their life is a big concern. They all seem to want their future to be perfect—or at least as perfect as they can dream it should be in light of the things that matter most to them. So often for young Christians,…
Read MoreHow the Information Age Distracts Us and How Solitude Can Help
It’s funny to me when high school students think they’re free thinkers because they act like their friends and not like their parents. Adults who think of themselves as free thinkers are not any less silly. There are no free thinkers; there are simply persons animated by either the Spirit of God or the spirit…
Read MoreHow to Eat Your Bible: A Three-fold Method for Understanding the Scriptures
There’s a lot of books out there on how to read a book. You might want to start with the one called How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. Another great one is the book Lit! by Tony Reinke. These books exist because reading is a lost art. We know how to read words…
Read MoreYou Don’t Know Who is Listening on Easter
You climb into the pulpit, weary after a year of ministering under duress: COVID, racial tension, economic uncertainty, natural disasters, and a bitterly divisive election. People are divided and nervous and afraid and mad. How do you preach in a world so confused, so torn? Is anyone even listening to preachers preaching anymore? But you…
Read MoreDiscipleship: A Local Church Responsibility
Just before Jesus ascended back into heaven, he gave his disciples one final command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you…
Read MoreThe Discipleship Wheel: A Road Map for Church Discipleship
On the first Sunday of every month, our local church, Christ Covenant Church in Atlanta, Georgia, offers a class we call, “First Sunday.” It’s an orientation to our church. Like a new member’s class, it’s required to join our church, but our hope is that the class would help everyone who attends—even those who don’t…
Read MoreFitting the Bible Together with Covenants
For many people, opening up the Bible can feel like a daunting task. A person might open up God’s Word and begin to read through Genesis and this goes fine. But then when reading through Leviticus or the prophets, things begin to get more confusing. It’s important for us to have a frame of reference…
Read MoreWhat Is Theological Triage?
When I (Brian) worked as a paramedic, we did triage in the field. Here is what I mean. We used tags in four different colors to mark the severity of a person’s injuries. A black tag was used for someone who had already deceased. A red tag was given to someone who had experienced serious…
Read MoreLessons from Failure in Ministry: Part 2
Failures are going to happen. This is a life-reality “no brainer”! Still, we struggle mightily whenever we say or do the wrong thing, make the wrong choice, or pursue the wrong path. One of the most difficult consequences of our failures is how it affects other people. None of us starts off in ministry wanting…
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