Category Archives: ministry

Did Ye Get Healed

  In 1987, the singer Van Morrison, best known for his song “Brown-Eyed Girl,” released an album called  Poetic Champions Compose which included a powerful song called, “Did Ye Get Healed.” You may be surprised to see that the title … Continue reading

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Communion, Compassion, Growth, Healing, Jesus, ministry, Mission, Musings, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Relationships, Sermons, Social Justice, Social Ministry, spirituality | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Hope for the Holidays

  I wonder what Mary and Joseph saw when they look into the eyes of their newborn child. What did they see in the eyes of Jesus? On the one hand, they knew this was a special child, a child … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Christmas Eve, Hope, Jesus, ministry, Spiritual Growth, spirituality | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Total Depravity and Redemption

I have a Facebook friend who regularly posts about the inner peace he finds by avoiding the news like a plague. He has a kind of evangelical fervor about it (you too can enjoy this serenity, and all you have … Continue reading

Posted in A River Runs Through It, Compassion, Current Events, Evil, Growth, Hope, ministry, News, Social Justice, Social Ministry, Spiritual Growth, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Growth in Grace

    Parenting, as most parents know, can be a terrifying experience. Rewarding, yes, but also terrifying. Somehow you know, that when you hold that little bitty baby in your arms, that you are going to provide a good living … Continue reading

Posted in Church, Compassion, forgiveness, Growth, Jesus, Jesus Boyhood, ministry, Musings, Salvation, Social Justice, Social Ministry, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Transformation, Virtue | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mighty Mites

  Lucifer vs. Tit for Tat During the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960s, social scientists were working on how to respond to the nuclear threat in ways that would stop either side from blowing up the world. If … Continue reading

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Community, Compassion, Courage, forgiveness, Jesus, ministry, Mission, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Sermons, Social Justice, Social Ministry, spirituality, Theology, Wealth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Abundance of Little

In 1521 the monk Martin Luther was called to give account for his radical new teaching at the unfortunately named Diet of Worms. There were no worms eaten at the Diet of Worms. The Diet was what they called the … Continue reading

Posted in Church, John Calvin, Martin Luther, ministry, Pastoral Ministry, Presbyterian, Reformation, Sermons, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Free Book!

So, my copies of the my book Wrestling with the Word finally arrived! I am offering a free copy to the first ten people who message me, via my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/thestillpoint3/), or who email me at thestillpoint3@gmail.com. You will … Continue reading

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Fishers of People

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Community, Jesus, Meme, ministry, Mission, Spiritual Growth | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Making the Right Mistakes

The great jazz musician Thelonious Monk once told one of his sidemen, “You’re making all the wrong mistakes!” Monk was known as musician who did things differently, who played with a kind of dissonance that sounded like he was making … Continue reading

Posted in Church, Compassion, Jazz, ministry, Mission, Musings, Pastoral Ministry, Social Ministry, spirituality, Thelonious Monk | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Let Us Now Praise Famous Pastors: Eugene Peterson

To avoid being swept along by the winds of change and conducting a ministry which is mostly improvisation, one must stubbornly one’s heels into the ground.                    —Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Care More than once I have told people … Continue reading

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