Teaching about budget can be a challenge, especially when church finances are behind budget. Read on for field-tested advice on what to teach your congregation about budget, including tips for when finances are behind budget, and when you are considering an emergency appeal. This article is adapted from pastor Jamie […]

Q: This month your new book was released, called What Made Jesus Mad? What did make Jesus mad, would you say? A: I think there was a theme to Jesus’ anger: Denied Access to the Father. Q: For you, what is the key story of Jesus getting mad? A: I […]

Growing up in the church, I often heard people talking about what it means to “know God.” I assumed that they meant knowing about God, presumably from reading their Bibles and paying closer attention to our pastor’s sermons than I probably did. But when I was fifteen, I visited a […]

Pruning Hurts I have a neighbor who is an expert rose grower. His front and back yards are beautiful, so I invited him to come over to my back yard and work his magic on my roses. He was a wonder to watch. He brought his loppers to do his […]

After forty years at the same church and forty-two years in the pastorate, I know something about ministerial stress. It comes in many forms—weariness, burnout, frustration, feelings of failure, discouragement, red ink, blue moods, and wolves and skunks who dress up like sheep and slip into the fold. What amazes […]