I pray these words give you hope. read more

Your local law enforcement will certainly appreciate these acts of kindness. read more

The Bible is full of health rules and guidelines. Here's a reminder to leaders of some principles from God's Word about building a healthy body. read more

How does your congregation respond to you during the Christmas season? Do you feel appreciated? read more

Find out why some ministers will be paying additional housing taxes, and just who this ruling affects. read more

Rick Warren says this list isn't deeply theological—but it's very practical, usable advice for ministerial leaders. read more

When the black starts to descend, our first inclination is to work harder. Find out why it should be the opposite when we're feeling stressed. read more

If you're in a position to lead, you need someone to listen to you and give you advice. Here are 10 traits of a good confidant. read more

It's difficult to please everyone all of the time. Here is some advice for the times when people do a complete 360-degree turn about their feelings for you and your work. read more

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Have you felt appreciation from your congregation? read more

Mark Brewer suddenly found himself with a new calling after dealing with numerous church leaders who left the ministry in frustration. Find out what his Ministry Lab is all about. read more

God did something amazing in my heart recently (but it's not about me). God did something amazing in our church (but it's not about us).

I could share stories and testimonies with you all day (and maybe one day I will), but right now they're too dear and precious to my heart. They're too fresh. I know you understand. read more

I heard the story again last week. A pastor I know announced his resignation. No moral failure. No severe crisis at the church. No major family problems. No sickness. He was simply burned out. That’s how he described it. He said he had gotten to the point that he was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other.

So he quit, without another job. His church family was stunned.

I admit I haven’t seen recent statistics on pastoral burnout but, at least anecdotally, it’s high. It seems that hardly a week goes by that I don’t hear another story of a burnout victim in pastoral ministry. read more

Prayer and fasting is one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines in the life of the pastor. We know that prayer and fasting was not only a part of the lifestyle of many major leaders in the Scripture, but even in the life of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I want to focus on prayer and fasting in the life of the pastor.

What Is It?

Fasting is abstinence from food with a spiritual goal in mind. It is when you neglect the most natural thing your body desires, which is food, in order to pursue the God of heaven to do something supernatural in your life. Prayer and fasting is not a hoop you jump through in order to try to catch the attention of God. It is far more significant than a self-determined tactic to get God’s attention. We cannot manipulate God. read more

For more than 30 years now, through three churches and a season of church consulting, I’ve keep two unique files. One is titled Beefs. The other is titled Bouquets. It may sound a little strange, but it has proven to be a great tool for reflection on both sides of a life given to ministry.

Ministry always has two sides, and much like God’s Word, there is grace and law. Most of us prefer the former over the latter, but they both represent an equally important part of reality. read more