The folks in the Corinthian church were a mess. Paul wrote to them in love, concern, and frustration. In 1 Corinthians 4:21 he even asked them if they would prefer he come in a spirit of love or with a rod of discipline. They just didn’t seem to be able to get along with each …
I have lost count of how many times I have been warned, “Do not sacrifice your family on the altar of ministry.” I want to encourage you not to sacrifice your ministry on the altar of your family. I do not deny that many pastors have lost their families because the church became their mistress, …
I have a bad habit of developing huge Clark Griswold-like expectations about family functions. You know, the kind of expectations that can never be fulfilled, and then on the back end of those unmet expectations I struggle with disappointment. Usually, it is all my fault. For instance, I may plan a movie night for my …
Do not make the church your mistress. It is important to encourage pastors to avoid sacrificing their ministry for their families, but today I want to encourage you all to avoid the cliff on the other side. If you lose your family, you lose your ministry. There is great danger in idolizing your family to the …
Offering a bad apology is much easier than offering a sincere apology. In fact, I have found it to be something of an art to apologizing appropriately. I suppose that is primarily because my sinful flesh does not like to be wrong. I want to be right. An apology acknowledges that I am wrong and …
We just walked through a difficult death in our church family that affected our entire community. The woman who died unexpectedly was a devoted wife and mother who loved Jesus, her church, and the middle school students she taught. She embodied much of what Proverbs 31 describes as an excellent wife. It was my privilege …