This morning I was thinking about the law… My Tuesday morning bible study has been walking through Galatians these last few weeks and it has been good.  I have greatly enjoyed seeing the example that Paul puts forth when it comes to dealing with conflict in the church and being gracious.  This morning was a little different as Paul started to walk through how the law does not make us righteous, but serves as a [...]

I tried to avoid the word “never” when I spoke about my future in the church. I knew I couldn’t return to the same kind of church and ministry that I’d come from, but I also knew that church did many things well. There were a lot of good people seeking God, and I couldn’t overlook that. Everything wasn’t terrible. The same is true for just about every other church out there. We may pick [...]

I have a confession. I often find myself utterly convinced that God needs my help. I have a hunch that there are many of us in church leadership that feel this way… that God would not have wired us the way that he did and called us to what he called us to if he didn’t feel like he would not succeed without our help.  And so we go and make our plans to ensure [...]

You may have noticed that I have been camping out in Galatians lately.  My Tuesday morning men’s group has been walking through the book together and it has been rich.  My last post on Paul spoke about some thing that I see in my generation that are troubling to me.  This morning I was struck by how Paul deals with conflict and drift in the church: When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to [...]

Sending an angry e-mail to a close friend about my disappointment with both serving and attending church marked the low point of my own struggles with church burn out. At my most pessimistic, I saw the church as this monstrous machine that consumed people as its fuel, and I blasted off a series of stinging bullet points to make my case. When anyone rants about the church or questions the wisdom of the current Sunday [...]

Matt note: I have been a fan of Ed Cyzewski’s writing for quite some time.  His blog In a Mirror Dimly has been on my daily reading list for quite some time.  Last week he began writing on ministry burnout, something which I have both seen and experienced in my time serving churches.  Ed has graciously allowed me to repost his series here.  Enjoy. Pastors aren’t the only ones who burn out from church and [...]

When we are young we instinctively know the power of the word why.  “Why is the sky blue” turns into asking why when told to do something.  Somewhere along the way we buy into the idea that “because I said so” or “because that is the way we do it” is a legitimate answer and begin to ask why less and less. While answering the question of why can be frustrating at times, it is [...]

During basic training at the Air Force Academy the phrase “Attention to detail” was drilled into our heads.  The idea was that if we paid attention to the little things the big things would naturally work themselves out.  Late last week Spence Smith shared the story of Van Halen and brown M&Ms.  Basically, Van Halen would request a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown ones removed at each show.  This was done not because [...]

This morning I woke up to my own hazy shade of winter as it is sleeting outside.  Working through my morning reading list I came across two posts that got me thinking about how we in church leadership approach time, and those things that sidetrack us and keep us from doing the things that only we can do. Last week I wrote about the people that you meet while planting a church and how we [...]

I have a secret. I generally dread going to pastor conferences. I enjoy the teaching, and I love the chance to meet new people and connect with old friends. I enjoy getting free stuff (I mean, who doesn’t?) and seeing what is going on in other parts of Christendom. What bothers me is the numbers game that seems to be played way to much at some of these conferences. Take for example the most recent [...]