If you know the old hymn “It is Well,” you likely know the story behind it. Horatio Spafford, its author, lost his four daughters at sea in a shipwreck. Only his wife survived. On his way to retrieve his wife, as he crossed the same Atlantic waters where his daughters perished, he penned the song. […]
Pastor’s Justification
THE PASTOR’S JUSTIFICATION Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry By Jared Wilson I first discovered Jared Wilson on twitter. He was funny. He was a Patriots fan. And he was prolific. Win, win, and win. Turns out he’s a good writer, too. Wilson has written several books and coauthored several more. […]
Small Call
What does a call to ministry look like? Most of the call stories that get repeated are grand stories. One famous example is the call of Martin Luther. It involves a literal lightening bolt knocking him to the ground and an immediate commitment to become a monk. Now that is a call story! But must […]
Imperfect Leaders
Every leader I know, past and present, comes with flaws and failures (myself included, of course). Leaders from past generations have blindspots that make us blush now. Leaders from our day have their own peculiar shortcomings, too. So, how should we think of imperfect leaders? Should we follow them? Do certain imperfections require us to […]
Oh, Earth
In high school, the school drama troupe performed Our Town by Thornton Wilder. One line from the play struck me then and has stayed with me ever since. The line comes towards the end of the play when the young heroine of the story, who has died but is allowed to visit a day in her life, […]