Living life with steps of faith

I think reading the reflections of pastors from the past is a gem in my collection of tools for ministry.  Sometimes they seem so much wiser than the writings from pastors today.  Pastors who are too consumed with contemporary life to recognize the truths and principles of ministry that have stayed consistent through the years. I want to be that type of pastor. The one who holds on to and lives the core values of pastoral care.  The shepherd who knows her sheep by name and their stories by heart.  One who listens and creates sacred spaces of hospitality where God's love and grace is shown.  A minister who keeps Jesus Christ first and lives a life of prayer, soulful rest, Bible study, and joy-filled fellowship. I want my life to reflect God's peace.  I want to be a presence that brings people home to Jesus. I want to love and to live freely.  When people think of me and my profession, I would like them to think "pastor" before "minister." I apprec...

Dating, Marriage, and Sex High School Sunday School Class I. Letter to Parents Prior to the class, email parents to notify them of the upcoming discussion related to dating, marriage, and sex. Here is an example email: “ Although only 13% of teens have had sex by age 15, most initiate sex in their later teen years. By their 19th birthday, seven in 10 female and male teens have had intercourse.” *** Dear Parents, This coming Sunday in High School Sunday School we will be discussing the sensitive topic of dating, relationships, marriage, and sex.   I will be leading the High School class and will organize it more in a discussion style than in a lecture style.   I am making the assumption that most of the youth have been in a sex ed. class at their school and that conversation about these topics is not unfamiliar to them and their peers. Thus this will not be a biology focused sex ed. class (S.T.I.’s, biology of intercourse, etc.), rather it will be a discussion of how o...