I tried fasting from coffee two consecutive years but never made it past the second or third week. Best fasts I ever did. I learned it was next to impossible for me to be productive without obscene amounts of caffeine….
In Oklahoma and Georgia, two Baptist congregations bade farewell to their buildings last Sunday
Some pastors may dread having to move their congregation from a prominent church building into former retail space with a liquor store on the property. But not Jakob Topper, senior pastor of NorthHaven Church in Norman, Okla. “I’m actually excited…
In pandemic year 2, pastors finding help through mini-sabbaticals
It’s amazing what four weeks off can do for a minister after a year spent leading a church through a pandemic, said Leah Grundset Davis, pastor of Ravensworth Baptist Church near Washington, D.C. “I came back with more bandwidth, and…
Pastors, speak your truth while you still have time
“Make your peace with being honest in ministry today. Don’t wait until you’re older or find the ‘perfect’ church. If you aren’t honest today, you may never make it that far.” I was a youth minister when my pastor and…
Clergy mental health is a choice between life and death
I took a leave of absence in 2020, and it saved my life. I serve as pastor of a church in Oklahoma, and it’s been a heck of a year. Even before the pandemic, we navigated painful staff changes and…
Second Easter during pandemic brings greater sense of hope nationwide
Easter 2021 was filled with tears for many Christian worshipers across America, but this year they often were tears of joy as congregations met in-person for the first time in a year. Even if those services were held outdoors, they…
Racists don’t get to define racism
Last week in Norman, Okla., where I serve as a pastor, our high school girls basketball team was playing in the state championship tournament. During the National Anthem, the team took a knee. The announcer, believing his microphone was turned…
Someone I know was killed by the police
Someone I know was killed by the police. When a friend from college texted asking if I saw that a former football player at our alma mater had been killed, my stomach dropped. Could it be someone I knew? I…
Too many pastors are falling on their own swords
“Well, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been imagining killing myself,” the pastor said. I was on a Zoom call recently with 10 pastors across three denominations, when one of the participants shared a struggle with…