Weekly Blog Post

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…

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…

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….

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…

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…

Based on 1 Thessalonians 5:14–18 Scripture Focus: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks…” — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Thanksgiving—real, heart-deep Thanksgiving—does not begin with a holiday. It starts with a heart posture. Paul wasn’t writing to believers sitting in ease but to a community pressed, stretched, and learning to love one another through difficulty. And…

“I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” (Psalm 34:4–5) There are days it feels as if the universe is watching. Ministry is not just a glass house, but a revolving door of constant input, questions,…

My husband coined a phrase during a particularly tough time in ministry. “Words spoken in honor empowers the Holy Spirit to make you look better than you really are but words spoken in dishonor empowers the enemy to cause you to look worse than you really are.” We live in a world where, unfortunately, even in the…

I first posted this story in 2015. What’s interesting about this post is that I don’t remember Joseph. I’m embarrassed about that, especially when you read on. It was a divine appointment for me that day. God sent a messenger to speak to my heart. It is a reminder to me today that He is…

The last time I wrote to you, I encouraged you in the area of what to say and not to say when ministering to persons who have experienced tragedy. Today, I want to discuss faith when this life doesn’t make sense, and it feels as if all “hades” has come against me. I have experienced…