Baptists are an opinionated crowd. We were taught to be that way. Preachers invest a lot of time and energy saying we ought to do this and that we should not or must not do that. If you grew up…
Healthy self-care is essential for a pastor
Self-care includes developing and maintaining good physical, spiritual and mental health, a uniquely challenging but crucial discipline for a pastor. While these three areas of wellness are intertwined and inseparable, in my own life and the experience of many of…
Get off my Back, Leonard Sweet, I am trying to get some work done here!
Play? How dare my friend, Len Sweet, suggest I interrupt my lifelong commitment to workaholism and please God with play. I’m too busy working for God to play with God. Fortunately that is exactly what Len Sweet does for me…
Should CVS Caremark be praised or confronted?
CVS is my pharmacy of choice. I am in their store a couple of times per month. I have always been aware they sell tobacco products. Yet I hardly notice them since I have no interest. Recently they announced that…
Praying for death
A year ago we took my mother home on hospice care. She died three days later, mercifully freed from a series of chronic health problems that were cascading out of control. But getting her out of the hospital—her sixth time…
Every pilgrim needs a notebook
Hebrews 11: 8: “He set out, not knowing where he was going.” Parker Palmer: “From our first day in school, we are taught to listen to everything and everyone but ourselves.” Hardy Clemons: “Treat your journal as a sacred object.”…
Between the lullaby and the requiem
The hospital waiting room on the fourth floor at Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center in Anniston was empty and quiet. The only sounds were the dinging of the elevator in the distance and the clanging of the food cart as…
Grieving summer: a Havdalah
For many people, summer is a type of Sabbath: a slower pace; vacation; more interaction with neighbors as the warm weather invites people outside; a deliberate pause between academic years. Even people whose lives do not operate solely on an…
spare your face the razor
*Author’s Note: For maximum poignancy, please listen to The Oh Hello’s The Truth is a Cave repeatedly whilst reading. You’ll thank me later. A few mornings ago, as I stood staring groggily into the poorly complected face stubbornly greeting me each…
Absolutely there is life after burnout for pastors
Would you be willing to tell your story of Christian ministry after burnout as a pastor or staff minister? Recently I wrote a post entitled Is There Life After Burnout for Pastors? According to the number of hits this story…
In + Out: a few thoughts on breathing
Some time ago, thanks mostly to the Comcast home page usually concerning itself with tracking the intricate and myriad movements of the Kardashians, I came across an article ranking the “most stressed out” countries in the world. In the study…
Is there life after burnout for pastors?
The short answer is Yes! I have traveled constantly for three weeks. This week, with my return to my home office, I have stumbled upon numerous situations of burnout among senior or solo pastors. When I am reminded of the…