10 Lessons I’ve Learned as a New Pastor
A strong courageous leader must learn to overcome past mistakes and failures in Christ.
Ministry
Episode 27: The Need for Church Planting and Revitalization
Both church planting and revitalization are very difficult.
Why I Am Still a Southern Baptist
What is Southern Baptist anyway? Why are you Southern Baptist? Here are 6 reasons why I am still a Southern Baptist.
Why Sharing Your Faith Matters?
We must get serious about reaching people who are far from God. There is a battle going on out there, and the church is losing ground.
6 Ways God’s Grace Transforms One’s Life
How can we withstand the attacks of the enemy for such a time as this? How can we go forward with this as we are being sanctified in the image of Christ?
Episode 25: Struggles of Reaching the Next Generation
Is your church or ministry struggling to reach the next generation?
Can We Love Without Being Vulnerable?
Just recently, I was told by one of our core leaders in the church that I couldn’t be vulnerable and share about my past as it would get people worried that their leader didn’t “have his life together”.
7 Ways to Pray for Church Leaders
The last year or so has perhaps been the most disruptive and draining time for any church leader. This perhaps is not only for pastors or church leaders but was the most difficult year to survive navigating through making very difficult decisions.
Episode 24: Disciplines of an Effective Leader
Leaders can be effective by giving room and not pidgin-holding in a box and limiting others.
Episode 23: Destructive Nature of Private Sin
Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it this way in his book Life Together, “Those who remain alone with their evil are left utterly alone.”
Four Leadership Principles to Avoid Burnout
Pastors today have a lot on their plates and the stresses of leadership, burnout, and moral failures are all too real.
The 3 C’s for Leaders: Control, Competence, Clarity
Over the past decade or so, I have been in the second chair and now in the first chair and can see from both perspectives. Without the proper three C’s, teams can be frustrated, apathetic, or even chaotic at times.
5 C’s on Essential Characteristics for Leaders
Hiring can be such a challenging task for churches. Why? For hiring the wrong person that does not fit the culture of the church can often cause so much heartache and havoc.
The Question of God’s Existence in the Practice of Apologetics
People from all walks of life will often ask one or more of the following metaphysical questions: Why should I believe the Bible? Is there salvation outside of Christianity? How do we know that God exists? Given evil, how can one justify God?
Episode 19: Things I Wished I’d Known Before Ministry
What were bits of information that would have been helpful to known before entering into ministry? Here are five things that bible college/seminary did not teach us but has been helpful knowing serving in the local church.
Heretical Advice of “Just Be Yourself”
When we look deep down in the soul, what do we find? What part of our self are we supposed to be, “true to”?
Three Dangerous Leaders
Lately, I have had an opportunity to pull back from all the busy activities of ministry and to simply stop, reflect, and think. Here are three lessons I’ve learned about leadership over the past 10 years.
Can a Person Mess Up So Bad to be Disqualified from Ministry?
Could someone who struggles with past sin be disqualified from preaching? At what point does a man who struggles with pornography be disqualified from ministry altogether? Can a man who is divorced or remarried be a leader in a church? Can he ever be restored again?
Episode 9: A Healthy Church is a Singing Church
Here are the five important biblical solution to creating a healthy church that becomes more a singing church.
How to Evaluate Your Worship Service
“How was your worship service?” That’s the question I often hear. Over the lunch table, after service, in restaurants…. What is the basis of determining the effectiveness of the worship service?
What is the Greatest Challenge you Face in Ministry?
So, for the church NOT to disappear, what should we do? That is the fundamental question that daunts us on a day to day basis.
20 Quotes by David Powlison on Biblical Counseling
Powlison’s wisdom and his love for the Word transformed every way I approach pastoral care and counseling.
Episode 4: How Do You Deal with Criticism in Ministry?
If you are in church ministry, you are going to face inevitable criticism. The questions is, how do we deal with all sort of different types of criticism?
10 Weirdest Criticism Received in Ministry
What’s the strangest criticism you’ve received?
Here are the 10 weirdest criticism I have received in the past 10 years of ministry.