Several years ago, after a difficult congregational meeting, I sat alone in an empty church parking lot long after everyone else had gone home. The meeting itself had not been dramatic. No one shouted. No one stormed out. Yet as…
The older brother was exhausted
After Easter worship several years ago, I spoke briefly with a pastor standing alone near the back of the sanctuary while the congregation drifted toward fellowship hour. Children were running through the hallways. People were laughing, hugging and talking about…
Some wounds are spiritual before they are emotional
There are nights in disaster shelters when the exhaustion becomes almost physical in the air. You can feel it hanging over rows of cots and folding chairs long after midnight. Volunteers move more slowly. Children finally fall asleep. Coffee grows…