Here are several things you might find yourself doing that will unintentionally shrink or even kill your group: Prepare your Bible study late in the week. You’re a busy guy, and you’ve learned to put your lesson together on Saturday. You did it once in an emergency, but hey, no one in the group c … [Read more...]
The Fine Line Between Working Hard and Letting Go
by Michael Hyatt Some of my favorite memories of growing up are building model airplanes with my dad. I remember him showing me how to assemble, sand, and paint them. I think back on how proud I always was when we finished a project together. On one occasion, I remember struggling to get two parts … [Read more...]
Work and the Meaningful Life: Part 2
by Fr. Gregory Jensen In my last post (here), I talked about the search for a meaningful life. The argument I made is that together with marriage and family life, work is the natural context for meaning. Unfortunately many clergy frequently undervalue or dismiss work as valuable for the spiritual … [Read more...]
The Top Seven Regrets of Pastors
By Thom S. Rainer If you are preparing for a life in pastoral ministry, you should master vicarious learning. These insights will serve you well as you attempt to overcome the burdens of the pastoral office. Learn from the veterans. I recently interviewed more than twenty pastors who had been in … [Read more...]
Today’s Need for Bright and Transparent Cassocks
By Monk Moses the Athonite Lately there is a lot of talk about clergymen who have forgotten their mission, or they preach and are occupied with alternative projects. They rightly condemn the far right, but they also flirt with the known left. The first supports violence, racism and non-freedom. … [Read more...]
Ten Things Pastors Hate About Pastoring
By Thom S. Rainer Some of these things are universal among pastors. Some, like funerals, are nuanced by the Orthodox experience, but I (Fr. John) say, if you're not talking about the Resurrection at every funeral anyway, you don't understand the difference between the purpose of the wake and the … [Read more...]
Palamas’ Prayer for Priests
St. Gregory Palamas wrote this prayer for priests and I would ask that you make this part of your daily prayer. Pray for priests that you know as they minister daily to God’s people. O Lord Jesus Christ, enkindle the hearts of all thy priests with the fire of zealous love for Thee, that they may … [Read more...]
