Articles for Pastors

We need more than a theology of God's presence: we need the experience of his presence. He is here, now. Are we awake?

The Catechism states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, but most of the time, if I’m honest, there has been little to no enjoyment of Him. In fact, in the midst of my porn addiction, there was often no enjoyment of anything at all.

Spiritual formation and discipleship are more like horticulture than education. Good soil brings great harvests. Success in making disciples is not (at first) measured quantitatively, but qualitatively.

Jesus is not a cosmic vending machine where we put in our quarters, hit the correct button, and then enjoy the soda or candy bar we purchased.

A pastor's heart often goes through heartache. I make no claim that pastors are perfect people. We can be arrogant and uncaring at times. But at the same time, most pastors I know are genuine, faithful followers of God who love their congregations.

As church leaders, there is a connection between our beliefs on generosity, fundraising, funding, giving, and what happens in our churches. We must identify inherently negative ways of thinking and replace these thoughts with the mindset God desires of us. 

Those Christians who pause each Sunday morning to go to church need a pastor who has taken the time to read, think, and pray; someone who can deliver the good news in with power and insight. That starts with books for pastors capable of deepening our own life in Christ.

If you want to know how God works, and if you want God to work in your life, you have to be part of the church.