So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. – 1 Corinthians 3:7-8 ESV I was part […]
Windmills
In my workshop at the 2018 RHMA conference, one of the examples I gave for the need to network for ministry in your community is a windmill field. These things seem to be everywhere that it’s flat for more than 50 acres in the Midwest. If you drive across I-74 […]
Grasshoppers!
Numbers 13:31-33 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, […]
Read the Instructions
Matthew 7:15-20 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor […]
Dry bones in Rural America
Ezekiel 37:13-14 3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’ 5 “Thus says the Lord […]
Practice?
In 2 Corinthians 4:16 Paul encourages the Corinthian believers to hold fast to sharing their faith with others and growing in their relationship with Christ. He points out that what we do here on earth as believers is preparing us for an eternity with God. One worshiping Him forever. So […]
Are you at #nywc17 ? Let’s connect!!
Are you going to be at the National Youth Workers Convention this weekend in Memphis? Come stop by the National Network of Youth Ministries booth near the idea Lab in the Exhibit Hall and say hello! We would love to connect you to a network of local youth workers in […]
10 Church Safety Questions You Should Be Asking…
In light of all the news surrounding the church shooting in Tennessee this weekend, there are some questions that those of us in church leadership should be asking ourselves. We live in a dangerous world. Yes, it’s unfortunate that as shepherds, we must help in protecting our flock from physical […]
The Church Cat.
I had a first in ministry today. A cat as a visitor to the congregation. The church I am serving is across the street from a home with several kids and a few cats. Often when I come on Sunday morning, there is a black and white cat that roams […]
What is a Transitional Pastor?
The other day, I posted an announcement about serving at Bloomingdale Friends church for the remainder of 2017 as their Transitional Pastor. I want to follow that up by writing a little about what a transitional pastor is (and isn’t). If you really want to dig into what the position […]
Transitional Assistance…
So a former southern baptist youth pastor who works for a non-denominational parachurch ministry walks into a Quaker Church… This is not the lead up to a really great “preacher joke”, this is life right now, and truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. When you follow God’s call, you don’t […]
A Fish Story
It all starts with a young coal miner named John Kuhnert. He had a young family at home, and not a lot of resources to put food on the table to feed the young growing family. John and his brothers discovered that they could get quite a lot of meat […]