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...

A business owner decided to settle her accounts.  Known for her graciousness, she had given out several loans to her employees.  As she began this process, she scheduled a meeting with a man who owed her over 2 billion dollars.  Since he was not able to pay, the owner explained that she would have to begin filing the papers for a lawsuit against the man.  Knowing this woman was well connected with the legal system and had strong grounds for the suit, the man knew he would lose everything, including his wife and kids.  At this, he fell to his knees before his employer and begged, saying "Be patient with  me. I will pay back everything. Just give me more time. I will pay it back." The employer knew better.  She knew he hadn't yet paid him back and that the debt was so great that it would be impossible for him to even make a dent in what he owed.  So, she took pity on him and forgave the entire debt.  He left her office with a huge weight li...

Prayer for a Neighbor's Salvation I pray that ________ will both hear and understand the gospel,   will both see and perceive it. Please soften ______'s heart so that they may see with their eyes,  hear with their ears,  and understand with their hearts. I pray that _____ turns toward you Christ,  so that you might heal them. Amen. (Matthew 13)

A friend wrote me an email asking how one can evangelize when being a Christian often carries a cost.  My answer was that the story of Jesus does not end on the cross, but it continues through the resurrection! Too often when we witness we focus on hell/heaven, the crucifixion, or even the Kingdom of God as the right way to live.  But the gospel is the Word and the Word is Jesus Christ!  When I share Christ, I want to share that Jesus is a personal savior who brings restoration and resurrection to that which is broken and needs restoration and brings life to that which is dying.  We aren't leading people to heaven or leading them to the cross (although we do this too), rather we are leading people to Jesus Christ and He'll lead them the rest of the way!

I came across another youth ministry article today that was addressing purity in teenage dating relationships.  Since getting married I have some very strong feelings about how the Christian sex/dating/marriage education thought-process is missing the target.  Here are just a few of my thoughts: 1.  When I was a teenager much of the focus of "purity" lessons was on the physical aspect of purity, but little was said about the "heart" aspect.  I remember people commenting on how quickly a young man could undress a young lady with his mind, but little was said of how quickly a young woman may marry a young man in her mind.  (And of course nothing was said of how quickly a young woman may undress a young man in her mind or how quickly a young man might marry a young woman in his mind.)  Instead of focusing on what a young woman should wear or how she should keep physical boundaries (which so often is focused upon), shouldn't we address how quickly she com...

A good friend of mine who is a pastor in Iowa recently blogged about the tension she feels as a person and a pastor in regards to her attendance at a caucus.  I appreciate what she wrote, so I want to share a link to this post: "Confession of Repentant - Iowa Caucus" Here is my response to what she wrote: "I'm glad you wrote about this.  I was wondering the same question this morning.  I know how Iowans feel about pastors expressing themselves politically - more than one pastor has lost his/her job as a result.  I understand and respect the boundaries of the pastoral role, but I too wondered how this works itself out in a caucus situation.  If you attend the Republican caucus, no one may know how you voted, but they know that you attended the Republican caucus.  If you attend the Democrat caucus, everyone who also attends knows exactly how you vote.  I thought about the importance of attending to show the value of participating in this US American...