Characteristics of a Healthy Church Community
Here is a question, are we more interested in large communities or healthy communities? This is an important question for those of us in leadership in t...
Author: Fr. Peter
Sermon: The Sin of Pride
Pride is one of those things that can be a positive and a negative it is however in inwardly directed emotion. If we view this from, the negative meaning of th...
Sometimes we Have to Climb Trees
The 19th Chapter of the Gospel of Luke contains the story of Zacchaeus and is a story that points out to us that the grace of God can accomplish what humanity c...
Withdrawing for Prayer
One of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of pastoral ministry is self-care. As ministers, we need to take care of ourselves, so we are in the r...
Christian Values, What are They?
There has been a lot of talk during this presidential election cycle about Christian values. Candidates have talked about their faith more in this election tha...
A Warning to Today’s Religious Leaders
Of all of the things that I learned during my seminary education that has stuck with me is the Eastern Orthodox sense of being responsible for those God placed ...
Sermon: The Greatest of These
You have heard me preach about love before, well I think I mention love in almost every sermon I preach. I do this because love is central to the Gospel messag...
Why People are Leaving the Church
One of the responsibilities of anyone in pastoral leadership is to be able to answer the question of why people are leaving your church. I know this will ruffl...
Disinterested Charity
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neigh...
Some Things I Have Been Reading This Week
Here are a few links to some of the blog posts I have read this past week. Finding Religion in the American Revolution Jared Ross Hardesty Lecture and Seminar, ...