DEVOTIONS Plugging Away The world values instant success and ready solutions, but God takes a much longer view. Craig Brian Larson
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Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. …
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly ...
My tiny congregation stared back in shock. Those leaders who had already heard the news had moved beyond shock to become hurt and unhappy, but I didn't care. My sense of failure disqualified me to be their pastor. What had been an exciting personal dream just five years before was now a shredded "might have been," flapping in the lonely wind of unrealized ...
Time Is on Our Side The priceless lesson I learned about perseverance. Craig Brian Larson
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In June of 1979, I became pastor of a small church in the inner city of Chicago. Twenty-five of us met on Sunday mornings in a leaky, crumbling, 75-year-old building. The weekly offerings averaged $300, from which we paid expenses and my full-time salary. We suffered none of the temptations of prosperity.
For my first year, that salary added up to $13,000, which, to put it mildly, cramped our lifestyle. ...
When It's Time to Leave Annually wrestle with this, budgeting time for self-examination and the insight of reliable counselors. Gordon MacDonald
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In February 1999, I made a leave-decision. I informed the congregation I served, Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts, that in five months I would resign and pursue other avenues of ministry: speaking, writing, teaching, consulting, mentoring.
I felt that my 60th year might be the right one to step aside in favor of a younger leader. And at 60 (at least I keep telling myself this), I felt I still ...
When Not to Leave These three principles will help to guide you. Paul Anderson
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Pastors may need to leave a bad situation. But it's possible to leave at the wrong time. Don't leave …
1. When you're not in unity with those close to you. A pastor friend recently was invited to become pastor of a church twice the size of his own. He was inclined to accept, but his wife had strong reservations. It brought several weeks of conflict into their marriage. He finally turned down ...
Pastor's Progress Learning from the dark moments on my journey to the Celestial City. Gordon MacDonald
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"Gordon, you and Gail are going through one of the darkest moments you will ever face, and you have a choice: Will you deny the pain and run from it or will you embrace the pain and squeeze out of it everything God has for you?"
The man who spoke those words changed our lives.
His words echo the theology that often gets lost in the shadows of dark moments: God can play tricks on evil, if we let him, ...
After finishing two years of advanced research at Louisville Seminary, I was contacted by several churches, one of which particularly attracted me. So I sent my résumé, held conversations with the church, and talked with people who knew something about it. I anticipated eagerly the possibility of going there. But they didn't choose me as their pastor.
Preparing to Leave I’ve gradually learned how to leave properly, so that with the tension there is also a sense of joy. Robert Kemper
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The fable of the race between the tortoise and the hare reminds me of when I've accepted a new call. It's not so much the unexpected outcome of the race or the moral about tenacity or the warning about overconfidence that impresses me. It's just that when I accept a new pastorate, I feel like both a tortoise and a hare.
As he moves, the tortoise carries with him everything he owns, with the consequent ...
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