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  This week, I had a chance to meet with several colleagues and friends. Our meeting was a part of the ongoing ordination process for several of the participants. I am one of the mentors of the group. My role is to encourage and guide my candidate through the final phase of their ordination. Let me tell you, I am greatly encouraged! I get a chance to hear these pastors share a word from the Lord, how they are finding their place as pastors in the church, and how they are reflecting on what it means to be a witness to Jesus. They are faithful, discerning, thoughtful, and serious about their calling. Some are young. Others aren’t as young as they used to be. One candidate is actually from a church I once served and was in elementary school the last time I saw him. Yesterday’s conversation centered on conflict. Of course, conflict is natural, normal, and I believe necessary. What I’ll tell you is conflict in ministry is heavy. Not that it’s any worse or demanding than what you might f...

  Galatians 5:22-26 Click here to listen Do you love music? I do, and maybe that's why I love the image in Galatians 5. In that chapter, some versions translate what Paul writes in verse 25 as, “Let us keep in step with the Spirit.” In step. You can be in step when you're walking in rhythm, not rushing ahead or dragging behind. But what about a dance? There's some keeping in step required to avoid tripping over a dance partner. Of course, when it comes to the Spirit, we're not just keeping musical time. We’re aligning our hearts with the Spirit and with the rest of the church. Paul wrote Galatians because believers were forgetting their freedom. Some were insisting that faith required extra rules and old boundaries. Paul’s message was clear: in Christ, you are already free. Not free to do whatever you want, but free to live with God’s purpose. And free to love. So how do we know if we’re keeping in step? Paul gives us a measuring stick: Fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is...

  Galatians 6:1-3 Click here to listen In Galatians 6:2, the Apostle Paul writes, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” A burden is something heavy. It is a load to carry. In the Galatians 6 sense, it is something too heavy to carry alone. It may be grief, anxiety, doubt, temptation, illness, financial strain, or some other quiet pain no one else sees. We often try to manage those things ourselves. They're our burdens, after all. Sometimes we even let others struggle alone. But the church is meant to be different. We are not called merely to be “nice.” We are called to love as Christ has loved us. And that love has its own weight to it. It draws near to what is messy. It will sit in silence when there are no right words to say. It listens without judgment. It brings a meal, offers a ride, holds hope for someone who has lost theirs. Think of the friends in the book of Job. They did their best heavy-burden lifting when they simply sat with ...

I have always wondered whether the presidents that history claims are the worst were popular during their administrations. That is, maybe their policies, or lack thereof, proved to be failures. But that also doesn't mean they didn't have followers and people who thought they were doing well. Our current administration is experiencing historically low approval rates . But don't tell that to his rally-goers, flag-bearers, and Bible-buyers.  So, how does history determine where a president fits on the worst-to-best scale? I'm sure there's subjectivity that goes into that decision. But here's something that I found interesting that I'll use to weigh on the subject.  This article writes of James Buchanan's unpopularity, and finishes with this line:  "In comparison with strong Presidents, he said, “weak Presidents, men like Fillmore, Buchanan and Harding … bring democracy into disrepute and expose the Constitution to grave perils,” he said." How do...

I knew it. Michael Jackson died in 2009, and we all wondered who could take his place in pop culture. Now, I'm not sure anyone will be able to do what Michael did.  But in 2014, I knew who would come closest. By then, Bruno Mars was already successful. Obviously, because he played the Super Bowl that year. The man emerged playing a drum solo, and I remember watching that entire performance and thinking, 'He's the one.' He's incredibly talented, and everything he touches turns to gold.  When I listened to  his new song today , I heard what I heard back then. This is a great song! Stay blessed...john