Preach Better with a Few Relational Boundaries Each week, the most important time for all of us who preach or teach for a living is our preparation time. If you don’t hear from God in the study, you’re not likely to be used by God in the pulpit. Satan knows this, so if he has anything to say […]
Thriving Ministry Family
How to Raise Pastor’s Kids who Love Jesus
A church planter once confessed to me, “I’m struggling with this call. I don’t know if I’m willing for my son to grow up hating the church.” His statement took me back to dozens of pastoral nightmare stories of PK’s who have walked away from God and the church because they felt forgotten and forsaken by […]
This is What Makes Pastors’ Families Resilient
I remember the day I told my son that even if he were a criminal in jail, I would still love him. He had made a teenage kind of mistake, and we were working through the aftermath. After I affirmed my love for him, I saw him stand up, go out and do the right thing, and navigate […]
Do Children of Church Planters Suffer?
As New Song ramps up to plant a church a year for the next several years, I’ve had conversations with five of my key guys about becoming church planters. Church planting is one of the most challenging sub-categories of pastoral ministry. One of my guys confessed recently, “I’m struggling with this potential call. I don’t […]
4 Reasons My Kids Turned Out So Well
This is the month of Father’s Day and weddings, so every June I get asked, “What did you do to cause your kids to turn out so well?”
At this writing, Bryan is 24 and Amy is 23. By God’s grace, both of them love God more than I do. They’re committed to ministry, and purity, and integrity. They have great people skills. They’re leaders. And people love being around them. How did this happen? Here are my honest answers: