There is a lot of tension in being a follower of Christ. If you haven’t noticed, you haven’t been reading the manual very closely. We often call them a paradox: to be first, you must be last; to save your life, you must lose it; what good is it to gain the world and lose your soul? You know, little things like those. But, I recently have been pondering a grace and works tension. Not regarding salvation, no, no! There is nothing to add to or take from the work Christ did for us on the cross. I…

I am not grateful enough for Jesus.  I am thankful I am aware of this, and I am crying out to God to help me become more tender to all Jesus has done for me and asking Him to increase my gratitude. Writing this to you is a way for me to do that. I always learn more when I teach than any learners do, so this is my hope. I know Jesus loves me and that He loves me more and better than anyone else can or would. But, the truth is that my wife loves me, there is no doubt. My kiddos love me; I know …

Pastors are leaders, not a groundbreaking statement, but what kind of leaders are they? Very often, leadership is considered a binary issue. Either you are or you aren’t. You have the gift, or you don’t. You’re leading a crowd or taking a walk by yourself. But what if leadership had levels? That would help you know where to place people with the “gift “of leadership in your church. And it helps discern where you are as you face the challenges of leadership daily. This concept surfaces in Exod…

Good Friday. I know we have all heard the sermons about Good Friday being misnamed, because it was anything but good.  Brutal, yes. Sad, absolutely Agonizing, without a doubt. So, we have been pointed in the direction of identifying the irony of calling such a vicious day a “good” day. I don’t disagree; I’m sure I have preached that message in the past. I know we’ve also been taught to view this as Good Friday because of what takes place later. In other words, it’s only Good Friday becau…

This is the second of two articles I was asked to contribute to a series of seven articles about why some churches die. At the end of the article will be a link to this entry where you can also find the other articles in the series. The joke landed well in a room of 300-plus denominational leaders and pastors. The laughter sparked numerous spontaneous testimonies and anecdotes – that apparently needed to be shared immediately. It took a minute to get the room back to the speaker. What was th…

This is the first of two articles I was asked to contribute to a series of seven articles about why some churches die. At the end of the article will be a link to this entry where you can also find the other articles in the series. The lights came on that day in eighth-grade Physical Science class. Our teacher/coach/driver’s ed instructor pushed a chalkboard eraser along the edge of his teaching desk. He was dangerously close to making it fall over the edge. “I know it’s hard to see, but the…

The following is an excerpt of “Doing More together” which is a free resource available to you through The Rural Pastor Podcast. Principle #1: Bible preaching, relationships and vision are the holy trifecta of a healthy church. Too many times we look for some secret sauce, like those late-night television commercials that promise you can lose weight, change your financial future, or make a bass boat out of duct tape. The problem is, they’re almost never the truth. This first principle is ac…

Thank you to the rural church pastor. I am one of you, and I want to thank you for some things most people would not understand Thank you for the fact that holiday weekends are more weekend to you than holiday, and a weekend means a Sunday when you will be ready. Thank you for the countless times others’ emergencies have become your emergencies because pastoring is a 24/7 calling. Thank you for missing football games and naps to make time for sermon prep.  Thank you for working the “other job…

This is Andy Addis speaking here. I want to share with you a letter sent to pastors from a friend and mentor who is the Associational Mission Strategist of the Heart Of Kansas Southern Baptist Association. Glenn Davis is a treasure to me, and I hope this letter is a treasure to you. Father, On this occasion of Pastor Appreciation Month, I come to You to pray for the men who lead churches across this association. Heavenly Father, I come to You because You are good, and You are gracious.  Your…

The following is an excerpt from the introduction of  “Doing More Together” which you can download in its entirety on the resource page resource page! His old late ‘90s pickup rolled up in front of their house and seemed to settle into place with familiar creaks in the suspension and pops of gravel still stuck between the treads from the dirt road that brought him home. After he turned off the ignition, he sat for a moment, enjoying the quiet. A couple of bicycles littered the front yard, ex…