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November 9, 2026 | When Hope Comes Home — An Eight-Week Journey Toward Advent “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” — John 14:27 (NIV) Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just get everything in life to settle down for a little while? No unexpected problems. No difficult conversations. No financial worries. No family disagreements. No phone calls that interrupt your di

November 2, 2026 | When Hope Comes Home — An Eight-Week Journey Toward Advent “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” — Luke 1:38 (NIV) Have you ever noticed how much stuff we accumulate over the years? I'm not just talking about the things we collect in our homes, although I suspect most of us have closets, drawers, or garages filled with things we haven't used in years. I'm talking about the stuff we accumulate in our lives. Habits. Rou

October 26, 2026 | When Hope Comes Home — An Eight-Week Journey Toward Advent “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” — Micah 5:2 (NIV) I've spent most of my pastoral ministry serving smaller churches, many of them in communities that most people couldn't find on a map without a little help. When people would ask me where I

October 19, 2026 | When Hope Comes Home — An Eight-Week Journey Toward Advent “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” — Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) Wait, wait, wait, wait. We hate waiting. Let’s just admit that we aren’t very good at waiting on anything. And our technology is partly to blame. We order something online and we have it on our front porch tomorrow.

When Hope Comes Home—An Eight-Week Journey Toward Advent I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It wi

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. – Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV Depending on where you’re living, the leaves are changing, the daylight is getting shorter and the landscape that was lush and green just a few weeks ago is putting on its winter clothes. And if you’re pastoring a smaller church, you may be tempted to think, “We don

“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” — Romans 12:13 Do you remember front porches? Not the decorative kind we build on houses today. I mean the old-fashioned front porch—the kind with a couple of rocking chairs, maybe a porch swing hanging from chains, and a small table where somebody could set down a glass of iced tea. There was usually a screen door behind you that squeaked when it opened and slammed when somebody forgot to catch it. On summ

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters... It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24 This week’s article hits home for me. I spent four decades as a bi-vocational pastor, constantly striving to keep all the plates spinning that come from this kind of ministry. And I know my full-time colleagues struggle keeping the plates spinning in their lives too. There are parts of pastoral ministry everybody sees

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV Pastors spend a lot of time thinking about leadership. We read books about leadership. We attend conferences about leadership. We develop mission statements, strategic plans, ministry structures, and leadership teams. We talk about vision, communication, delegation, and accountability. All of those things have their place. But one of the most powerful leadershi

The Holy Work of Ministry When You Cannot Yet See the Results “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV Today is Labor Day. For most people, that means the unofficial end of summer. Cookouts. A day at the lake. One last long weekend before fall schedules settle in. For many small town rural pastors you know how the agrarian culture functions in the cycle of the seasons. But today I find myself thinking about a different

Why Growing People Takes Time "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." – Matthew 28:19-20 NIV We live in a culture that celebrates speed and instant gratification – fast food, next-day delivery, instant messages, one-click purchases. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that we sometimes expect spiritual growth to happen just as quickly. But disciple-making has never been fast. Jesus spent three years walking beside twel

How Small Churches Can Intentionally Cultivate Gospel-Centered Community "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." – Colossians 2:6-7 NIV Healthy relationships are one of the greatest strengths of a small church. But they don't happen by accident. Like a healthy garden, relationships grow because someone intentionally pla

"Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." – 1 Thessalonians 2:8 NIV People are searching for something they can trust. Every day we are bombarded by advertisements, opinions, headlines, and social media posts competing for our attention. There is no shortage of voices telling us what to believe, where to go, or how to live. In the middle of all that noise, something remarkable still happens. People co

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." - Romans 12:15 NIV We live in an incredible age for ministry. A pastor can encourage hundreds of people through a livestream. A devotional can reach someone on the other side of the world. AI can help us organize our thoughts, create graphics, write newsletters, and even spark ideas for sermons and Bible studies. Technology has become an incredible partner in ministry. But there remains one ministry that technology

Scripture: Luke 10:17–20 "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."—Luke 10:20 NIV Every Monday morning, pastors across the country ask themselves the same question. "How many were there yesterday?" Attendance has become the scoreboard of ministry. We count worship attendance. Sunday school attendance. Bible study attendance. Vacation Bible School attendance. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with coun

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:18–27 "But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."—1 Corinthians 12:18 NIV If you've served a smaller church for very long, you've probably felt the temptation to compare. You attend a conference where another church talks about multiple campuses, dozens of staff members, elaborate productions, and overflowing attendance. You scroll through social media and see polished worship services, profe

As we come to the end of this series on Evangelism for Introverts, I want to leave you with one final encouragement. Evangelism was never intended to become one more item on your spiritual to-do list. It is not a quota to fill. It is not a performance to perfect. It is not another obligation competing for space on an already crowded calendar. Evangelism works best when it becomes a natural part of following Jesus. In many ways, that has been the central message of this entire

Spend more than a few minutes on social media these days and you will quickly discover something: Not everyone is there to encourage people. Some seem determined to argue.Others thrive on outrage.Still others appear to wake up every morning looking for a controversy to stir up. Social media can sometimes feel like a tinder box where the smallest spark ignites an argument that burns for days. That reality causes many thoughtful, introverted Christians to quietly withdraw. And

One of the biggest reasons many Christians hesitate to share their faith is fear. Not fear of persecution. Not fear of rejection. Often, it is simply the fear of saying the wrong thing. What if I don't know the answer? What if they ask a difficult question? What if I make the conversation awkward? What if I mess it up? If you've ever felt that way, you're certainly not alone. Many sincere believers carry those concerns. They love Jesus. They care about people. They want other

When many people hear the word evangelism, they immediately picture crowds, stages, microphones, presentations, and large events. But for many quieter believers, those environments feel overwhelming and unnatural. Thankfully, evangelism does not only happen on stages. Some of the most meaningful ministry in the world happens around kitchen tables, backyard firepits, front porches, and coffee shop conversations. In fact, many introverts are uniquely gifted for hospitality-base