Learn to Listen
Sometimes we push aside the impressions we sense in any given situation. We reason them away. Could they be from the Holy Spirit?
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Ministering to the Broken
I know of a church with a beloved staff member who was greatly admired and respected. He served faithfully for many years, working and ministering alongside members of the church. Yet eventually, past transgressions came to light, forcing him to resign. The church was in an uproar, some arguing the “grace case” and others believing he had disqualified himself for ministry.
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Joy in Ministry in the Middle of Great Sorrow
Ministry does not pause for grief. Emails come. Needs arise. People gather. Yet your heart may feel shattered, heavy, and quietly undone. How do you carry joy when you are carrying loss? Paul shows the tension: “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” Not either/or but both/and. Several truths carry me through deep sorrow. Maybe they’ll help you,…
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Lent: A Season to Seek God & Pray
This year, I noticed something unusual; Lent and Ramadan began at the same time. This overlap is rare and will not happen again for another 33 or 34 years, around 2059 or 2060. While both holidays require some fasting and prayer, the main difference between them is their focus, and of course, the person of…
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Love and Prayer in Ministry
While I am away at a Refresh Retreat, I am reminded that, as we see the events unfold on the news involving Iran, Israel, and our nation, the season is important for many of our spiritual leaders. We should bend the knee often in these hours, whether or not we are practicing Lent. While Lent…
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Love and Joy in Ministry
In 1984, from her Album entitled Private Dancer, Tina Turner recorded a song entitled “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” The following words are the lyrics from the chorus: Oh-oh, what’s love got to do, got to do with it?What’s love but a second-hand emotion?What’s love got to do, got to do with it?Who…
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What is Love?
Even as I type this, we are one day from Valentine’s Day. There are those reading this who are preoccupied with the Olympics, Mardi Gras parades (where I reside currently), and other world events. I wonder, how many times within this day the phrase, “I love you,” or “I love that…”, will be repeated? There…
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Stepping into the New Year with Gentle Faithfulness
The start of a new ministry year often brings pressure—new goals, new expectations, new resolve. For ministry leaders already tired, this pressure can intensify discouragement. But Scripture invites us into a different posture. “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3). And then one of my very favorites: “And whatever…
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Reclaiming Joy When You Feel Emotionally Spent
I recently shared with someone that 2025 was the best of ministry and the hardest of ministry and personal life. At the first spring retreat in 2025, I would get word that my youngest sister had been found dead due to alcohol-related issues. I was devastated, and yet ministry loomed before me. The year was…
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When the Silence Feels Heavy — God Is Still at Work
When life changes, and we begin something new, like a new year, silence can feel unsettling. Christmas decorations are down and put away. The house can feel empty after all the holiday glitz and glitter. Perhaps you had family in, or you traveled to family, and now the house—and sometimes the heart—feels quieter than expected….
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Beating the Ministry Blues: Beginning the New Year with Hope and Joy
The days after Christmas can feel strangely quiet. The sanctuary is no longer full, the calendar suddenly looks bare, and the emotional adrenaline of Advent and Christmas services fades. For many in ministry, this season brings what is often unspoken—the ministry blues. Fatigue sets in. Discouragement whispers. Joy feels distant. If you find yourself here, you…
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What is Joy – Really?
This season, there is a major marketing push to encourage people to experience “joy”. There is a theme to suggest that if we get what we want for Christmas materially or if we spend a warm time with family and friends, we will experience joy. While it might be great marketing, most of us reading…
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