Coming to the Still Waters

  My heart is humbled by this picture.  "It usually doesn't work this way" or "This seems too good to be true" are phrases that have come out of my mouth and also through the lips of others.  What you see in this picture are the leadership of two churches, about 45 minutes apart in travel time, sending an associate pastor of 9 years from one church, Shoreline Church, being sent to the other church, Weymouth Community Church, as their lead pastor.  This Sunday we will have another picture of a similar scene when Pastor Chris is received.  This transition has shown me how much more I need to look for God's hand in it all. In Machias, my previous assignment, the phrase was, "We don't want to settle" and I would add "for anything less than God's called man for this ministry."   So I need to throw this picture up of what happened in January 2021 not too long ago. My time is finishing up here and I am looking forward to the next assi...

  Me and my whiteboard.  What a Holy Week it has been.  Our goal was to walk through this presumably last week of Jesus through the eyes of John, described by himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.  We would start on Palm Sunday with John 12 and then meet each night except Saturday and cover John13-19 and then finish with John 20 on Easter Sunday.  It was a feat I have never done before but very anxious to do again in the future with other sections of Scripture that could use concentrated effort and time.  I am thankful that each night the hungry gathered and God's word did not leave us hungry but also wanting for more. What we learned: 3 groups - "still not believe,"  "believe...but," and "believe in Him" 2 options - Mary gave to Jesus, Judas took from Jesus                                                      ...

Clint Pressley is the senior pastor of the Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.  He gave a pastoral reflection at the end of the chapter titled The Reconciling Pastor of Andrew Hebert's book Shepherding Like Jesus: Returning To The Wild Idea That Character Matters In Ministry.  This book is a terrific read and I fully endorse it.  Not only do pastors need to read this book but also search team leaders and denominational vetting committees.  Andrew Hebert applies the beloved Beatitudes to the life of a local pastor.  Clint Pressley gives a list of 10 to the title of his reflection, How To Bring Healing To A Hurting Congregation.  I instantly resonated with his list as I thought of how I have tried to implement these practices not only in my interim pastoral work but also as a stationed pastor.  Let me share them with you along with some of my thoughts and experiences. First, embrace joyful exposition. It is more than just preachin...