Dec 7, 2021 | Disappointment, discouragement, Doubt, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Podcast
“God, why am I going through this incredibly difficult time while those who don’t love you are living the good life?” Has some version of that thought ever crossed your mind, or some version of those words ever crossed your lips? The truth is, God is good . . . but...
Nov 18, 2021 | Confusion, Disappointment, discouragement, Doubt, Grief, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Resilience
God is good . . . but we’re not exempt. This thought has been running through my mind all week. Our interim pastor taught on Psalm 73 this past Sunday. The psalm tells the story of Asaph; a psalm writer, worship leader, and lover of God. In Psalm 73, Asaph revealed a...
Nov 11, 2021 | Difficult people, Disappointment, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, People Leaving, Relationships
When people leave the church you pastor, God often mourns—and so should you—at least for a while. As a young pastor, the worst days in my life were when people I cared about decided to leave. But now I understand those didn’t have to be my worst days. When people...
Oct 7, 2021 | Disappointment, Doubt, Leadership, Loss, Ministry Leader, Pastor, People Leaving, Uncategorized
Today, Jaime Hlavin writes a post on a subject nearly every church in America is dealing with: How do we move forward in light of the huge organizational (and personal) losses we’ve experienced during the past 18 months? Enjoy ~ John During those early weeks and...
May 20, 2021 | Abuse, Anger, Bitterness, Depression, Disappointment, Hatred, Jealousy, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Uncategorized
In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto noted 80% of Italy’s land was owned by 20% of the people. He became somewhat obsessed with this ratio, seeing it in everything. The 80:20 ratio of cause-to-effect became known as the Pareto Principle. The Pareto...
Apr 29, 2021 | Anxiety, Calling, Disappointment, discouragement, Fatigue, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Stress, Uncategorized
Today, a brilliant and encouraging post from our teammate Jaime Hlavin, written to encourage pandemic-weary pastors and ministry leaders. Enjoy ~ John One beautiful sunny day in March, I received a text from a friend who hadn’t yet been back to church in person. She...
