Years 6 to 10: Fruit and Harvest. My research is not complete, but it’s more than anecdotal. A church is likely to experience some of its best years, by almost any metrics, during this period of a pastor’s tenure. Indeed, in my interviews with both pastors and members, I have heard this theme repeated. Both parties... Continue Reading

Whenever I encounter someone who claims not ever to worry about anything or who claims not to have any fears, I conclude one of three things: they are lying, they are self-deceived, or they have grown so callous and complacent to their own hearts that they don’t care about anything or anyone and are, thus,... Continue Reading

The bottom line is that we have ended up with a situation where the infantile, the immature and the self-absorbed are free to get on with ‘their’ ministries;  unaccountable, undisciplined and often leaving a trail of wrecked lives and churches in their wake. When I wrote the blog on Josh Williamson being arrested in Perth... Continue Reading

Sinners naturally look for fig leaves to hide sin, and biological causation is often cited as a means of avoiding moral responsibility. Struthers does not allow this, and his view of pornography is both biblical and theologically grounded. He lays responsibility for the sin of viewing pornography at the feet of those who willingly consume... Continue Reading

If you go to the trouble to write a book or gather a large audience to hear you speak then I assume you are seeking buy in (so to speak) from people in other churches. I am highly in favor of good books and good teaching for the wider church. In fact I recommend loads... Continue Reading

There is one area of disagreement that I would register with Dreher’s analysis. Dreher seems to agree with prevailing conservative opinion that no matter how much religious liberty is lost in the public space, traditional marriage supporters would still be safe to promote their views within their houses of worship. I don’t believe that for... Continue Reading

These truths are important to mention because there is a real danger for pastors to think that they can separate the integrity of their ministry from the integrity of their homes. Consider John Wesley, one of the greatest Christian preachers who ever lived, as an example. Nathan Busenitz at the Cripplegate Blog recently wrote an article titled... Continue Reading

Sadly, the foundation of spiritual mothering—the little moments of sharing recipes and book recommendations and driving directions—the tasks that almost any older woman can do with confidence have already been delegated. We younger women, in our quest for immediate answers to our questions, have taken what could be the start of a mentoring relationship and found... Continue Reading

When we do good and it comes back to bite us, we can feel giving up. Don’t. Your suffering doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. And your reward is from the Lord, not those you serve. Do you have a viper dangling from your hand? Shake it off and keep serving. Jesus is pleased with... Continue Reading

Cessationism then does not deny the reality that God can do whatever He wants whenever He wants. It does not put God into a box or limit His sovereign prerogative. But it does acknowledge that there was something unique and special about the age of miracles and miracle-workers that defined the ministries of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and Christ and His... Continue Reading