“Fifty years hence it will matter very little how these people treated us. It will matter a great deal how we dealt with the work of God.” William Booth As a younger pastor, I am not sure I was fully prepared for just how critical some people could be concerning my leadership and my service. Ministry life is truly life in a fishbowl. Not only me but my family was being observed as well. That goes with the calling; and though it is not one of the more pleasant aspects of mini

“But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” —Jeremiah 20:9 When a man is called of the Lord to preach, preaching ought to be the passionate pursuit of that man. Every preacher understands that passion to preach the Word. However, passion is not sufficient by itself to consistently provide the teaching and preaching God's people need. It must be blended with elements such as purpose, planning, a

“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” —Psalm 145:4 I am now part of that “One generation…,” you know the one, the one that talks about how it used to be - we walked up the hill both ways in the snow to go to church and win souls! Being a member of the older generation does not have to be a negative; it can be incredibly positive. If older men stand around and talk about how they used to do it, I get it, that may not be earth-sh