Forty-eight Scattered Thoughts about Pastoral Ministry and Being a Pastor

by Scott Slayton

By God’s grace I have been able to be a pastor for the last thirteen years, both as a church planter and the pastor of an established church. What follows is not everything I could say about the ministry, but are some things I have been learning and thinking about lately.

General

a. Find your identity in the Gospel. God the Father loves you, God the Son died for you, and God the Holy Spirit lives in you. Looking here will sustain you when looking at the fruit of your ministry will either puff you up with pride or lead you to despair.

b. Look for every little evidence of grace that God is working in your ministry. The discouragements feel bigger than they really are, so you have to work harder to see the good things happening.

c. When we talk like we have the hardest job in the world we sound ridiculous. Read more …

Seems Clear to Me (a day is a day, and a word is a word)!

photo from Phalcon Photography

In reading God's Word (the Scripture, the Bible), it is clear what is to be taken as historical and literal, or figurative; such as creation.

As you read Genesis 1-3, there does not seem to be even a hint of figurative language, or God using "evolution" to accomplish His purposes; for He "spoke", and it was done and in a certain time period, "six days."

It is interesting to read the confirmation of creation in certain number of days throughout Scripture, such as in Deuteronomy 4:32, "...the DAY that God created man on the earth..."

And how did God create? By the simple miracle of the spoken "word." Psalm 33:6 and 9, "By the WORD of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the BREATH of His mouth all their hosts...For He SPOKE and and it was done; He COMMANDED, and it stood fast."

In your faith, is it too hard to believe in the almighty power and miracle working God to create instantly and by a simple word?

Does the Bible mean what it says, and does it say what it means?

When It Comes to Book-Reading, Let’s Raise the Bar and Expand Our Minds

by Randy Alcorn

One reason I write in-depth books is because I believe we are dumbing down not only our culture, but also our churches. I think teachers, writers, publishers and pastors sometimes greatly underestimate people's ability to study and think. If we always put the cookies on the lower shelf, young people (and older people too) won’t learn to reach for anything higher. We popularize everything, and as a result, books and Bible studies and discussions of substance are becoming progressively unpopular. Not because they aren’t important and stimulating and enriching but because in a culture dominated by television, movies, video games and social media, our attention spans are decreasing and we’re shrinking both intellectually and spiritually. Read more ...

Theology and Unity Matter: A Better Way to Fight Racism & Injustice

by Julie Roys

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is facing sharp criticism because it promoted Black Lives Matter at its Urbana 15 student missions conference last week, but spe­cifically excluded to two student pro-life groups. In an op-ed in the Christian Post, Students For Life President Kristan Hawkins and Rock for Life President Erik Whittington wrote: “While InterVarsity denied Students for Life and Rock for Life an exhibit table, they devoted an entire evening to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, a movement which has publicly called for the lynching and hanging of white people and the death of police. One of their Black Lives Matter speakers even took the time to publicly disparage the pro-life movement during her remarks.”

No doubt, InterVarsity had good intentions when it decided to invite Higgins and promote Black Lives Matter. As Ed Stetzer noted in his article on the topic, the 75-year-old organization has a long history of opposing racism and promoting justice. InterVarsity also has an exemplary record of advancing the gospel and global missions.Read more ...