2 Fundamental Reasons to Pray

In what follows, we want to share with you two of the most fundamental reasons we pray. God Calls Us to Pray The first reason to pray is that God, our Heavenly Father, created the medium of prayer. It was His decision to make an open line of mental, emotional, and spiritual communication with mankind. […]
Sabbaticals: An Exploration on the What, Why, and How of Pastoral Sabbaticals

When I mentioned the idea of taking an extended sabbatical to our elder chairman, a man of proven character and wisdom, he hesitantly said, “Huh, okay . . . I guess I’ll need to hear more about that. I come from a tradition where we . . . well . . . work.” I smile […]
Pastoral Burnout: How Silence and Solitude Restore Us

*Author’s note: This is my third article dealing with pastoral burnout. Recent Barna research revealed that 33% of ministers had given serious thought to quitting.[1] My own research for a graduate studies project showed 63% of those surveyed had given or were giving serious thought to quitting the ministry. In the first article, I wrote […]