Is S&M the new normal? How do we as pastors talk about this in council?
Well... is it? It certainly is becoming more mainstream, normative in media and general cultural conversation. But is it a socially accepted genre or it is still a closeted vice that should stay there? As our culture progresses more and more liberally, you can expect S&M to become more commonplace, and therefore something...
Why is winning so difficult? What an easy slide it was into an addiction to pornography, I wish my natural inclination was to chase purity just as hard as it chased destruction.
I have always struggled with disciplines. I am the last minute guy it’s feast or famine when it comes to exercise, bible study, prayer, sermon prep, maintenance. While the thought of being ‘found out’ was my greatest...
Young people, dating and marriage: What Are We Teaching Them?
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are ending their marriage of less than 3 months. Reportedly they collected 10 million dollars for their wedding which breaks down to about 139,000 a day. Scarlette Johansson defended her revealing photos to be released in an upcoming issue if Vanity Fair says, “It’s not like I was shooting...
You put your right foot in, right foot out, right foot in now shake it all about…
I’m not much of a dancer, in fact I have been compared to a plucked chicken connected to the mains power (that’s 240volts here in New Zealand) yet I side stepped, leaped, and Hokie Pokied like a pro to keep the darkest part of me a secret.
One moment I am all in, preaching the word of God, visiting the hurt ...
Seriously. How could think for one second that the issue of compromise is an unworthy topic of conversation to discuss in an open format? What are you waiting for: some pastor to screw up so bad it taints the whole of Christendom? For church to get a bad name, or be called irrelevant because they won't talk about the gritty things in life? Really, what's the hold up?
You're scared....
Are you clear about the boundaries you’ve drawn in you’re life?
We set boundaries for all sorts of things in our lives only to break them hours later. My worship guys at our church are always setting food boundaries, specifically pizza boundaries, which they never keep. Maybe you have set boundaries connected to the food you eat, the number of weekly counseling sessions you will offer, how...
It's all the rage these days. Pastors who lead their church with showboating excellence, when behind the curtains there exists a fragile and broken leader; afraid to live out who they really are. Unable to confess their junk and be real with their staff, their elders; their congregations, they align themselves squarely in the corners of the Pharisees, the one group Jesus challenged more...
Tired? Exhausted? Fatigued? Can you relate? You spend your entire day attempting to meet the needs of your family, staff, and attenders in the midst of crafting a teaching for weekend services. Who is taking care of you? Where are you finding rest? Where are you re-energizing your batteries?
I know I can relate. I am in the midst of an intense ministry season that seems to gain momentum...
My counselor asked me to share my story with a group of pastors recently. The Pastor’s meeting was focusing on ministering to the broken and he thought my story would be helpful. He also asked me to share how ministers helped me through my sexual addiction recovery and how they could have helped me. Most of my thoughts have to do with the Crisis Stage of Sexual Addiction, the immediate few...
James was a man who longed for something deeper in his life. For years he was bound by the trappings of pornography. Porn soaked its way into every aspect of his life: His work, his personal relationships; everything. It literally controlled him. Church was never a part of his context, so when the church I serve at offered up a Sunday devoted to the topic of porn, James decided to attend....
