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The hardest job in the world

A pastor has one of the hardest jobs in the world. When I was a pastor, I was not willing to say that sentence. It seemed self-serving and whiny. I heard other people say how hard a pastor’s work is,...

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A “buyer’s market” for pastor search committees

The 21st century is proving to be a buyer’s market for many churches that are looking for a pastor. Even a tiny, troubled Baptist church can get 100 resumes from men and women looking for a church to...

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Would the real Jesus please stand up?: A Holiday Book Review

On American soil, Jesus was the subject of more evangelical hymns than the Father and the Holy Spirit combined. In fact, while evangelical hymns largely ignored the church, the sacraments, and the...

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The niche word

Current wisdom for many professions is to find a niche market and focus. You can’t just write about travel. You have to write about gay travel or traveling as a handicapped person or travel in the...

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How to welcome a new pastor to your church

When Beth McConnell was being introduced to our congregation as our new pastor, someone asked her what we could do to make her transition easier. Beth is too humble to give you this list. Over the...

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No wiggle room on a church staff

www.flickr.com/photos/gregpc/ (This blog describes a problem I have never heard named. Unfortunately, I have not proposed a solution. I hope I am starting a helpful conversation, since I don’t have a...

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Opinions!

Baptists are an opinionated crowd. We were taught to be that way. Preachers invest a lot of time and energy saying we ought to do this and that we should not or must not do that. If you grew up when I...

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Churchcraft

I have coined a new word: Churchcraft. What I mean by Churchcraft is an individual’s ability to say and do the things that will help to build the organized church. My observation is that a lack of...

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Desperate to avoid (dealing with) death

Recently I spoke at a conference of Retirement Community Chaplains. My thesis was that people who deal with the vicissitudes of life best tend to deal best with the reality of death. There are...

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Learning the unlearning curve

Leaving the familiar is critical to travel and to life. Doing something new is sometimes impossible unless you move past what is traditional, usual. An important part of human growth is detaching from...

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Does your congregation need a church search committee?

What kind of congregation do you want? That query precedes the probe into the kind of person you want as pastor? For 15 years I trained churches and their “Pastor Search Committees.” In recent months,...

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The heroics of helping others

Who prefers discomfort to comfort? Not me, but sometimes, it’s necessary. I favor tasty food, sweet smells, a good night’s rest (plus an afternoon nap, if possible). I enjoy warm, moderate...

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Beware of addiction — and know its signs

“To be alive is to be addicted, and to be alive and addicted is to stand in need of grace.” Gerald May For reasons that go back a few generations, I am interested in addiction. I have studied it, and I...

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Wedding toast

Julie and Tom come from parents and families that have been good examples to them for almost three decades. I am grateful that their success in marriage does not depend on one of us giving a brilliant...

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‘We admitted we were powerless….’

You don’t have to get on an airplane or traverse an ocean to make discoveries. About twenty-five years ago, I began visiting church basements and other community rooms where, once or twice each week,...

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Take care of yourself

About twenty years ago, as our daughters were becoming adults, I began using a parting mantra that was new to me. Instead of a simple “Good-bye” or “I love you” or “Be good,” I began to say, “Take care...

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Sacred clowns and cusswords

Tony Hillerman writes about Native American culture, mostly about the Navajos. He writes mysteries. I learn a lot about cultures different from mine when I read his novels. For example, in Sacred...

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My favorite religious films

By religious, I mean movies about faith, not necessarily Christian or so-called family values. Sometimes, the movies ask tough questions. They are not always inspirational. I have never particularly...

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The benefits and drawbacks of boundaries

I have a love/hate relationship with boundaries. On the plus side, they protect my family and me and all that I care about. Years ago a friend said, “Your right to swing your arm stops where my nose...

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My writing life

(I need to get this off my computer or I will never get any writing done.) Write Write Delete Write Edit Google Correct Re-Write Stare out the window Make sure paper tray is full Write Delete Write...

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