The military chaplaincy provides a remarkable circumstance for teaching the great truths of Scripture, even in the context of some opposition from those who are hostile to God’s Holy Word, and many who are eager to hear and understand the Bible.  It also presents challenges which can be instrumental in a pastor’s own spiritual growth in grace, discernment and effectiveness.... Continue Reading

“…children learn to sing hymns with help from their parents. This past Sunday I witnessed three different sets of families where one of the parents placed their hymnal low enough for the child next to them to sing and the parent’s finger was sliding along the text and music so the child could learn to... Continue Reading

It’s a sad thing when good institutions and good people are unfairly characterized or misrepresented. It’s the kind of sadness (and anger) that I feel when vitriolic, demeaning or hateful language are directed against people because of their race, gender, or sexual identity. In both cases, we poison our public discourse and undermine our ability... Continue Reading

Leaders who understand their role as shepherds do not peer down at their people from a holy hayloft and drop an occasional bale of sustenance in the form of a finely-crafted homily. Neither do they allow their flocks to live in false peace. Shepherd leaders live among their people and pay “careful attention … to... Continue Reading

“Working multiple jobs is nothing new to pastors of small, rural congregations. But many of those pastors never went to seminary and never expected to have a full-time ministerial job in the first place. What’s new is the across-the-board increase in bi-vocational ministry in Protestant denominations both large and small, which has effectively shut down... Continue Reading

“According to the newspaper, school president Jim Montgomery has confirmed the closing, but declined to comment further pending the issuance of an official statement. Chamberlain Hunt Academy is an old school and has roots in Oakland College, which became Alcorn State after Oakland was sold to the state of Mississippi when it was unable to... Continue Reading

There are always a number of people who have gifts of mercy and are relationally strong in helping others with wise counsel. Often, they have gained these skills and character qualities through the hard knocks of life. You know who they are because people talk about how they have been helped by them.   The... Continue Reading

The Spirit impressed upon me that I must be that “servant” (singular) who stands faithfully in the breech on behalf of the church God has brought me to serve.  I am to follow the model of the Servant Intercessor, who pleads day and night for His church. My very call as a pastor is one of prayer... Continue Reading

“It started with attending pastors’ conferences. They featured well-known pastors of large churches, but average pastors were never invited to share their experiences. These events were all about success and getting results. I was in the middle of a painful season of ministry. I needed something that wouldn’t discourage me or add to my spiritual... Continue Reading

  It is now excruciatingly clear we live in a time where some people who have political power are on a crusade against people who, in their view, commit moral thought crime. A religious college loses all reason for existence if it must conform to a diametrically opposite moral code….If a religious school cannot act... Continue Reading