June 2, 2017
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Creation Care Preaching Challenge
Calling all pastors! Have you ever talked about creation care or climate change from the pulpit? We encourage you to participate in the Creation Care Preaching Challenge.
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May 21, 2017
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Last Lectures, Commencement and Calling
So: what is your calling? How do you frame how God has gifted you and formed you for His purposes? You don’t have to be a student on commencement or a retiring faculty member to be a person of calling.
May 17, 2017
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Clergy Mental Health
"You need to do something about this,” the pastor pleaded. He urged, “I won’t tell you the details, but you need to do something to address the mental health challenges pastors face.”
May 10, 2017
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Are You 'Losing Your Faith' or is Your Faith Being Refined?
On a leave of absence from my ministry position, I committed myself to face — with “ruthless honesty” — the spiritual questions I had been unwilling and/or unable to face when I was preaching and leading a church.
March 29, 2017
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The Pastoral Practice of Self-Reflection
Self-reflection is difficult. It encourages us to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge our limitations. It requires that we ask ourselves personal questions, the answers to which will force us out of comfort zones.
March 22, 2017
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So, What Do YOU Do?
“Pastor” is a word that I like. I have good associations with it and sometimes it’s helpful to use because it opens the door. But sometimes I have to let it go and find more creative ways to communicate what I do.
March 8, 2017
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Beware of Dissing the Preacher
As I read through sermons by the great Reformer Martin Luther, I got stuck on a sermon from Luke 2:41-52. Was I concluding that Luther preached a good sermon but did not preach the text?
March 8, 2017
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Preaching to the Unconvinced
The best preparation for preaching to the unconvinced is to build relationships with the unconvinced. If you don’t know any unchurched people, you won’t preach well to them.
March 1, 2017
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Getting Sand in Your Shoes
I've seen people struggle to make adjustments to living and ministering in Florida. I've seen ministries not connect to their local community because they aren't willing to get a little sand in their shoes.
February 13, 2017
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How Should the Church Respond to Trump’s Travel Ban?
To stand in solidarity with refugees and immigrants is not to politicize the church. It is to fulfill the exhortation of Christ in Matthew 25:45, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do it for me.”
February 6, 2017
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A Matter of Life or Death: Theological Precision
At an ornate church in London, England, there is a special memorial for the "Unknown Soldier." The memorial has four inscriptions that sounds great on first flush but risk being nothing more than sentimental humanism.
February 1, 2017
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When Were You Last Filled With Awe?
I am challenged by Acts 2:43 but am also encouraged that God is still orchestrating awe-filled moments if we only pay attention with open eyes, open ears, and especially an open heart.
January 26, 2017
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Let's Get People Talking
You're probably wondering how Inspire 2017 might inspire your local congregation or Classis. Here are a few ideas to get people talking about your mission and how this event might support the local church.
January 9, 2017
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Six Months In: What We’ve Been Learning
Curious what the Connections Project teams have learned after just six months of talking to congregations and individuals about ministry resources? Keep reading to find out.
December 29, 2016
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What Do You Treasure?
The memories that sustain us and the treasures that last are always framed by relationships. In this season, I will never forget the privilege of coming to the bedside of that young mother who died on Christmas morning.
November 30, 2016
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Sorrow, Joy, and Gratitude
We sometimes separate praise and lament—which are really just outcries of our joys and sorrows—as if they don’t belong together. But I've found that the relationship is more complicated than that.
November 28, 2016
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Make Disciples
Many of us, including me, have keen regret when we look back on ministry with little accountability for disciples being trained to make more disciples. And seldom did my disciples make disciples.
November 2, 2016
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On Being the “Vrouw Dominie”
Lots of ideas come to mind when people think “pastor’s spouse.” Playing the piano. Leading children’s worship. Making coffee. But I've never felt tied to these traditional expectations and it's made all the difference.
October 11, 2016
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A Fresh Perspective on the Lord's Supper
In discussing and teaching about the Lord’s Supper, we commonly give most attention to the bread and the cup. But let's notice something else about the Lord's Super from I Corinthians.
October 6, 2016
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Entering Solitude
Who has the time to practice solitude? Well, we all do. If you’re willing to schedule a lunch with someone or schedule a meeting, you can schedule a meeting with God and just be present with him.
October 4, 2016
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141 Years and Counting!
On Sept. 7, we celebrated the beginning of our 141st year of ministry as Calvin Theological Seminary. While we weren't present when the ministry began, our commitment to teach and pray remains. Thanks be to God!
September 22, 2016
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BBQ, Preaching, and A Little Handbook
A mentor told me that good preaching was like a good BBQ. You’ve got to take your time on the prep work. This summer I’ve been brought back to that image as I’ve worked my way through A Little Handbook for Preachers.
September 14, 2016
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The Empathy of Christ
We’ve all had moments where we’ve empathetically suffered with others to the point where it really did feel like we’d suffered the loss ourselves. What if Jesus empathized like this all the time?
September 12, 2016
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How to Compose a Sermon in 10 Super Simple Steps
For those of you write sermons, or will need to write sermons, or are just curious about the process, check out my super simple 10-step guide on writing a sermon.
September 8, 2016
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The Trailer and the Movie
“When we worshiped yesterday,” he began, “I told the congregation that our ninety minutes together was just the trailer for the movie, a tiny glimpse of the kingdom to whet our appetite."