The Stickler and the Hyper-Achiever: When Excellence Becomes a Burden You Were Never Meant to Carry
When Excellence Becomes a Burden You Were Never Meant to Carry You know that feeling when you finish a sermon and, before you’ve even shaken the last hand at the door, you’re already cataloguing everything that could have been better? The illustration that didn’t quite land. The point you rushed. The transition that felt clunky. […]
“Courage to Cross the Ocean” (Refreshed)
This time of year, graduation parties are happening all around us. Families are celebrating transitions — high school to college, college to career, one chapter closing and another beginning. There is joy and grief mixed together in those celebrations, often in the same breath. Parents are proud and a little heartbroken. Younger siblings are dreading […]
Good News Bearers
As an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America I have come to lament the word evangelical in our name. Too often it’s reputation precedes it as it has grown some unhelpful arms and legs in recent years. However, I am reminded of a simple definition I once learned for the word evangelical from […]
The Pastor in Transition
Discernment, New Calls & What Comes Next Transition is one of the most spiritually and emotionally complex seasons a pastor can enter. Whether you’re considering a new call, stepping into retirement, feeling restless in your current place, or wondering if God might be redirecting you entirely — discernment requires more than a prayer. It requires […]
BYOB
Every pastor’s letter of call could read BYOB: bring your own baggage. All of us lug into our calls the stuff of life we have collected along the way which informs our practiced theology and our self-talk and the expectations we place on ourselves, often unrealistic, unattainable and unsustainable. We imagine what a pastor SHOULD […]
The Pleaser Pastor: When Caring Turns into Chronic Over-Functioning
I remember when I was working for LSS, I approached a pastor and asked if I could get some time on his calendar to share the work LSS was doing. He angrily pulled out his little red calendar, rifled through its pages and said, “it’s full, my calendar is full, unless you want to come […]
Designing a Sustainable Week in Ministry: A Step-by-Step Exercise
If most weeks feel like a blur and you’re more reactive than intentional, you’re not alone. Ministry tends to expand to fill every available space – unless you design your week on purpose. This isn’t about squeezing more in, it’s about aligning your week with your calling so you can serve from a non-anxious, sustainable […]
Quieting the “Judge” in Your Head
You probably know the voice: ‘That sermon didn’t land.’ ‘You’re not visiting enough.’ ‘You’re letting your people down.’ There is a part of you that constantly evaluates yourself, your people, and your circumstances. And then, this voice masquerades as faithfulness as it says, “If you stop criticizing yourself and pushing yourself, you’ll get lazy”, or […]
Serving Leftovers
Remember the time some 5,000+ people came to Jesus hungry and his disciples wanted to send them away? Jesus said, “no, you give them something to eat.” Then Jesus blessed a few loaves and fish and everyone was fed plus there were ample leftovers. Our people come to us week after week, hungry for God’s […]
Healthy Boundaries in Ministry: Loving Your People Without Losing Yourself
You’ve had a long day, you’re about to go to bed and your phone pings, “Pastor, can you talk?” and thus begins your internal tug of war. “It is my “call” to be available.” “This is a small town, and I want to be seen as responsive and caring.” “I don’t want to come across […]
