Blogs

Say it in a Sentence
“One Thursday afternoon I went for a walk with my pastor. He asked me what my sermon was about for later that night. Four minutes into trying to explain what my sermon was about, my pastor interrupted me and said: “SAY IT IN A SENTENCE!” He said I wasn’t ready to preach until I could state what my sermon was about in one, clear sentence. That piece of advice transformed my preaching.”

Pastor Stress Statistics
“Why aren’t these pastors overflowing with the love, joy and peace of the Lord in their lives, families and ministries? What is the cause of their emotional problems and moral failures? A major factor is overwhelming ministry stress:

  • 75% report being “extremely stressed” or “highly stressed”
  • 90% work between 55 to 75 hours per week
  • 90% feel fatigued and worn out every week
  • 70% say they’re grossly underpaid
  • 40% report a serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month
  • 78% were forced to resign and 63% at least twice, most commonly because of church conflict
  • 80% will not be in ministry ten years later and only a fraction make it a lifelong career
  • Seminary trained pastors last only five years in church ministry
  • 100% of 1,050 Reformed and Evangelical pastors had a colleague who had left the ministry because of burnout, church conflict, or moral failure
  • 91% have experienced some form of burnout in ministry and 18% say they are “fried to a crisp right now”

I Live with OCD and Tourette’s—Here’s What Anyone Who’s Facing Anything Can Learn with Me
“Medication was a turning point in my healing process. It completely changed my world for the better. After almost a year of chaos, I was slowly able to start living my life again. I wasn’t the kid I used to be, but I was able to establish a new normal. I could go all day at school with no panic attacks. I could hang out with my friends without fear that something bad was going to happen, and most of the irrational fears began to stop! I was able to jump back into sports. This was huge for me! After about 10 years, I was able to stop taking medications, and that was a great thing for me, too.”

How Porn Is Sidelining Missionaries
“Pornography isn’t just an affront to a holy God; it’s an oil leak in the engine of missions. If unaddressed, an engine with an oil leak will, drip by drip, cease to operate. And dose by dose, porn renders a heart unfit for missions. Just last week, I was asked twice why I think so many godly ladies are signing up to engage unreached peoples, while the men seem to be content on the sidelines. My answer: internet pornography.”

What you should know about women and pornography
“A myriad of reasons can lead to women watching pornography, such as curiosity, loneliness, boredom, rejection, stress, dissatisfaction, curiosity, comfort, connection, or to escape from reality.”

Mommy Drinking Is No Joke
“Since God wants to “set a guard” over “the door of [our] lips” (Ps. 141:3), here are three good reasons to think before speaking (or sharing) that “mommy juice” joke.”

Kindle Books

Making Sense of Salvation by Wayne Grudem $3.99.

How to Enjoy Reading Your Bible by Keith Ferrin $1.59.

Evangelism in a Skeptical World: How to Make the Unbelievable News about Jesus More Believable by Sam Chan $2.99.