Michael Krahn : The Ascent to Truth

Developing other leaders and mentoring them is a core component of pastoring. Matt Perman (Desiring God | What’s Best Next) makes some excellent observations on the difference between “what I’m good at” and “what my strengths are” and the difference between skills and talents:
1. “What I’m Good At” vs. “What My Strengths Are”
People should make [...]

John Starke dishes out four things every Pastor I know (myself included) needs to hear. These are a few things for the ambitious — those who tend to make an idol of work, accomplishments, and their self-worth — to keep in mind:
1. You cannot accomplish everything – only God can
God limited the day to 24 [...]

Do you keep a Sabbath? Do you have one day every week where you ignore the phone, your email, and your “to do” list? I was going to write a great post on what it means to take a sabbath… and then I saw that Darryl Dash already had. In “God’s Gift of Sabbath”, he [...]

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Pastors, if you become one of these… RUN! Run far away… possibly into a desert:

(Image courtesy: http://www.nakedpastor.com/)
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“It is important to remember that bold preaching will surely bring opposition from some. You must be prepared for opposition, even persecution. It is part of the cost that must be counted as you seek to become a better [...]

Rick McKinley (Imago Dei – Portland) doesn’t blog much, but he should make an effort more often. Here are six things about ministry he posted a while ago. Sadly, the actual post seems to have disappeared.
1. The subversiveness of love is the primary work of the pastor.
2. There is disaster awaiting the one who gets [...]

Read part 1 of 2 here.
7. Promote people who don’t self-promote / Don’t promote people who self-promote.
Inevitably as a Pastor, you are approached to support, say a good word about, or promote an event, musician, or itinerant speaker. Do your congregation a favor: weed out the people who push too hard or push their book [...]

One year ago today I got the call. The good people of the Aylmer EMMC church met the night before and decided that I would be their new Pastor of Worship and Missions. It was the exhilarating culmination of an 18-month journey that I had expected to take four or five years.
So today I want [...]

Not long ago, when I was being awakened to my calling as a Pastor, I was so excited by this awakening that I sometimes mistakenly saw the same thing in others. Because of this, when I would see similar qualities in a friend or co-worker, I would often interpret it as a sign that they [...]

Here is the audio from my January 10, 2010 sermon titled “Changing and Unchanging – The Certainty of God’s Promise” The sermon was based on Hebrews 6:13-20. You can listen to the audio below or download the MP3 and listen on whatever device you normally use. Enjoy!
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
(Direct download here. [...]

Kevin DeYoung’s 10 questions for healthy pastoral living:
1. Am I spending time slowly reading God’s word and memorizing Scripture?
2. Am I having consistent, focused, extended times of prayer, including interceding for others?
3. Am I disciplined in my use of technology, in particular not getting distracted by emails and blogging in the evening and on my [...]