Short-timer’s syndrome, according to one online definition is “a psychological and behavioral state where a person loses motivation, focus, or emotional investment in their current role as their departure date approaches.” Short-timer’s syndrome can be the malady of a pastor or ministry leader as one prepares to transition to a new role, or as retirementContinue reading “Stay Faithful to the End ”
Tag Archives: pastor
Revival Living
“Revival” and “revivals” are not necessarily the same thing. A revival could refer to a series of special church services where preaching, singing and fellowship took place. Revival, on the other hand, could be defined as an experience or season in the life of an individual, or a church, where a closer walk with God,Continue reading “Revival Living”
Know Yourself to Lead Yourself
I have heard it said that the most difficult person you will ever lead is yourself. I think that is generally true for a number of reasons. We tend to be very gracious with ourselves in terms of deadlines, self-pity, mistakes and weaknesses, and we may also underestimate our weaknesses and overestimate our strengths. Most of us are not very objective about ourselves and benefit fromContinue reading “Know Yourself to Lead Yourself”
Giving a Gospel Invitation
We invite lots of people to do many things. In 2025, both of my daughters were married, and they sent many invitations to friends and family members inviting them to join their special day. Invitations are sent for baby showers, groundbreaking ceremonies, anniversaries, birthday parties and more. Sometimes folks spontaneously invite neighbors to join them for snacks at their home. An invitation is made and a response isContinue reading “Giving a Gospel Invitation”
Mobilizing Your Church’s Voice
Kentucky Baptists make up the largest protestant denomination in Kentucky, even though technically we are not a denomination. There are more than 500,000 members in the 2,300 Kentucky Baptist churches across our state. Last year those churches gave more than $33 million to Kentucky and Southern Baptist ministry and mission causes and baptized more than 11,000 people. That kind of impact year after year has made, and continues to make, a gospel differenceContinue reading “Mobilizing Your Church’s Voice”
Making it Up as We Go
Podcaster and leadership expert Carey Nieuwhof said in a recent interview with John Ortberg that he holds to an unpublished view of leadership that most of us are “making it up as we go.” Nieuwhof seems to be saying most leaders do not arrive at their leadership position knowing all they will need to knowContinue reading “Making it Up as We Go”
Family Vacation
The first vacation I can recall with Connie and our girls came as a result of a church member giving us a free pass to a timeshare cabin in Gatlinburg, Tenn. This family had purchased a week’s lodging but was moving back to Alaska and gave the trip to us. At the time, our girls were very young, and we enjoyed a great time together. Like most young families, our finances were tight, and we would not have beenContinue reading “Family Vacation”
Consider Going to Them
Knocking on doors in hopes of sharing the gospel has been part of my life for 35 years of ministry leadership. I learned to share the gospel at age 25 and have been involved in door-to-door evangelism since age 26. Front door evangelism is not the only way to share the gospel, but it remains one way to access many people with the hope of Christ. There are plenty ofContinue reading “Consider Going to Them”
Helpful and Respectful Feedback
I recently wrote an article summarizing my time at the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting. The link to that article is here. One of our faithful Kentucky Baptist pastors reached out sharing why he was unable to attend the SBC, and his reason for not going to the annual gathering of Southern Baptists highlights some of the challenges being faced by many of our Kentucky Baptists families. I found his feedback helpful and thoughtContinue reading “Helpful and Respectful Feedback”
Lectio Divina
One of the most important parts of my daily routine is time with the Lord in His word and prayer. For all of my adult life I have been an early riser — greeting each morning with a cup of coffee, a journal, a Bible and prayer. This daily discipline stems from the pattern of Jesus in Mark 1:35. That verse says about Christ, “And rising very earlyContinue reading “Lectio Divina”
