There are all kinds of different  sermons a preacher can preach:  Doctrinal, evangelistic, topical, and several other kinds of sermons that are not bad in themselves and have their place.  My deep conviction is that the best way to preach God’s word faithfully and accurately is to preach expository sermons. 

I started along a broken and bumpy road on January 28. Frankly, I knew this road was on the horizon but never wanted to travel there. It came with a phone call. The voice was calm but the words came like an avalanche, throwing me into a state of shock and despair. My oldest daughter was dead. Her struggle with drug addiction, that had robbed her of so much, had taken her life. The news took my breath away.

Pastors, hold fast to what you know to be true and right.  Love those who love you as you love those who don’t–at least right now.  However, don’t be surprised when you wake up one day (years from now) and find that a church member who has been cold to you for years suddenly has warmed up.

What is wise counsel before making changes in your church?“Preach the Word, sacrificially love those people, and do not change anything for a while.” That is the foundation, building form that I ask 3 questions for you to ask yourself as you move to bring the change that is needed and how to do so with discernment and wisdom.

I find many pastors, especially younger ones, are regularly wrestling with the question “how long should I preach?”. The pressure to answer this can be self-imposed, or forced by those in your church who complain your sermons are too long. Think like a shepherd as you determine the length of your sermons.  Push them to grow.  Nurture them where they are now.  Then, trust that God will use his word and your efforts to find that balance every pastor should seek.

There is no easy remedy, medication, or quick fix that can prevent the preaching “hangover”.  There are, however, several practical efforts I make every Monday that are tremendously helpful to fight through the fog. Here are 5 suggestions for your consideration.

Based on the emails, notes, and phone calls I continue to get, trust me…your pastor needs encouragement.  He needs to know that what he does week in and week out means something to God as well as those for whom he labors.

Have you ever tried to pick a favorite hymn or Scripture passage? Impossible! At least it is for me. I had similar feelings when my pastoral interns asked me to pick my top books every pastor should read. Nevertheless, they demanded this of me and I conceded.

Marriage is hard enough, but add ministry into the mix and you have a recipe for a potential mess.  My work with pastors and their families cause me to see a lot of the messiness that exists in pastors’ homes.  There’s plenty of the same mess in my own home.  The combined stress of marriage in ministry is a unique situation that demands an intentionality to keep a marriage or ministry from imploding.

“Daddy, why does our church hate us” it takes it to an entirely different level of concern.  What is a pastor to do?  I have several ideas, but I will start with this one:

Since the nursing home is commonly viewed as the transition point between hospital and home, it is good to be considerate of both taking an interest in their living space as well as any health concerns that may be present.

When we stand before God to give an account of the souls entrusted to our care (Heb. 13:17) awkwardness and uncomfortable silence will be an unwise excuse to use before our Chief Shepherd.

“Great job…good sermon…that really spoke to me.”  The list of phrases a pastor may hear as church members exit the church goes on.  Inevitably, whether the sermon was good or not, these quick comments will be spoken to us with varying levels of sincerity and it is important that we know how to respond in a God-honoring way. Here are 4 suggestions.

The rigors of tri-vocational ministry had left me deeply weary with a fatigue that I realized would not be remedied by a few days off. I needed to step away completely for the purpose of rest and a needed “gut check” in several areas of my life. I took the entire month of July off.  Unplugged from all ministry, including all social media.

One of the most helpful assets to a pastor in the local church in regard to caring for elderly widows is a stay-at-home mom. Here are five practical ways a pastor can train young moms in his church to take their children and visit elderly widows.

A pastor needs to be trained not to be reactionary regarding the dysfunction and turmoil he finds, but to have a clear plan on how his time should be spent during his first few years, regardless of what problems he inherits. The best approach for a pastor, especially when entering a dysfunctional, dying congregation is to simply be a pastor to those people.

Pastors, seize every opportunity to go to the hospital on these occasions to see new born babies.  It is some of the only times you go to the hospital to celebrate.

I get it. It is hard to invest and train leaders, then send them out. It is hard to deeply love others only to let them go. But I am reminded in encouraging notes like this that despite the real personal loss pastors and churches feel, it is still worth sending them. Pastors, pour yourself into young men and women. Train them. Raise them up. Send them out.

What made this particular funeral the most difficult I have ever done? As the funeral approached, nothing I tried lifted the burden. No matter how much I prayed or meditated on Scripture, the weight remained and it was an intensity I cannot recall ever feeling.  As I reflected afterwards, here are 5 factors that seemed to create this “perfect storm” of struggle that peaked at an unbearable level just a few minutes before the funeral began.

Through cleaning the bathrooms at my church the Lord, in His grace, taught me some of the most valuable lessons about humility, faithful pastoral ministry, and what it truly means to serve Christ and His church while cleaning toilets.  These are two of the more important lessons.