Come and see

The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.” Nathanael responded,Continue reading “Come and see”

Supervisor…

This saying is reliable: if anyone has a goal to be a supervisor in the church, they want a good thing. So the church’s supervisor must be without fault. They should be faithful to their spouse, sober, modest, and honest. They should show hospitality and be skilled at teaching. They shouldn’t be addicted to alcohol or be aContinue reading “Supervisor…”

Authority

23 When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him as he was teaching. They asked, “What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus replied, “I have a question for you. If you tell me the answer, I’ll tell you whatContinue reading “Authority”

A Teaching on Divorce

He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them. 2Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3He answered them, “What did Moses commandContinue reading “A Teaching on Divorce”

Humble thy self…

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; notContinue reading “Humble thy self…”

Up or In?

I was talking with someone yesterday about my call story and how I became a pastor. I ran in the beginning as most of my clergy friends did. We think God really isn’t calling us to be a pastor, we know who we were and where we had been and what we had done, soContinue reading “Up or In?”

Why do I persist?

I was asked yesterday by a friend, “When is it time to give up?” Now most of you know that I am an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and I have been on leave from call for the past 16 months. I have been diligently seeking where God is callingContinue reading “Why do I persist?”

Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd… Many of us call the pastor of a congregation a shepherd. The pastor is the shepherd of the flock, the one who leads this group where they need to go. The pastor is the one who shows the good water to drink, the good grass to eat, the right timeContinue reading “Shepherd”

Straining Forward…

It would be so easy for me to worry about what has happened in my life. Up until last Wednesday I was a called pastor, and that was my reality for the last 5 years. You see yesterday was the first Ash Wednesday in 5 years that I was not leading a gathered body ofContinue reading “Straining Forward…”