The Monday after Easter is filled with joy for pastors. We had the opportunity to preach to packed sanctuaries and auditoriums and to see people we have not seen in a while. There were grandchildren and friends from out of town. There were new clothes and pictures. And, there were several people in most congregations …
Following his “sharp” division with Barnabas, Paul set out with Silas to revisit the churches he and Barnabas started on their first missionary journey. In Acts 16, rather than taking the original route, Paul visited the cities in reverse order, beginning with the region of Derbe and Lystra. There, Paul connected (or reconnected) with a …
I have the privilege of pastoring a church with a large and vibrant student ministry. In fact, they are an incredible group of kids, and I often get asked why. Not too long ago, Adam Whiteside, our student pastor, and I did a podcast on how to create a healthy student ministry. If you haven’t …
This week, I celebrate my fifteen year anniversary as pastor of Malvern Hill Baptist Church. Today, I get to pastor a church that many people would love to pastor. Fifteen years ago, God called me to pastor a church where many pastors had served for very short tenures. Fifteen years ago, I had no real …
Pastors are lonely. We hear that often, and I know from experience that it can be true. It isn’t only pastors. Our culture is isolated and alone. Recently Lifeway wrote that even among church goers, only about 2 in 5 took it upon themselves to check on other church members during the pandemic. 3 in …
Loneliness in the 21st century is a paradox. A paradox is a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true. Loneliness today is a paradox because people are more connected than at any other point in history, yet they claim to feel more …
Several years ago we noticed a startling trend at Malvern Hill. We had no problem getting people to visit our church and get involved. Often, they even joined. But, six months or a year later, we struggled to keep them. Our front door was welcoming, but we had to find a way to close the …
How do you invite people to church? A friend of mine invites people to church with one condition: “If you’re perfect, this isn’t the place for you, because we are a bunch of messed up people.” Most people really appreciate that honesty. We Christians, if we aren’t careful about it, can give off an air …
The first chapter in the first book in the Harry Potter series is called, The Boy Who Lived. If you have read the books or seen the movies, you know that the first chapter sets the stage for the rest of the series. Young Harry Potter, only a baby, didn’t die when he was attacked …
He was old. But, since I was six, everyone seemed old. In retrospect, I suppose he must have been in his sixties. He smoked brown cigarettes. I remember that they were brown because he sat down in the dirt with me and my brother and pulled one of those lit cigarettes from his mouth and …