Pastor’s Life
This e-newsletter arrives every month as our gift to help your ministry. Each issue contains a brief reading, along with links to a helpful resource, an upcoming event, or video.
Readings include book reviews, theological reflections, quotes from popular novels (think sermon illustrations), and wisdom for preaching and teaching.
The Pastor’s Life is compiled by Dr. Joe Small and occasional guests.
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Grace for people who have messed up
Mark 2:13-17 (NLT) 13 Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me...
Take and Read – Systematic Theology, Volume 1: The Doctrine of God
Augustine heard the voice of a child saying, “Take and read, take and read.” He opened a Bible, began to read, and was set on the path of committed discipleship and faithful pastoral ministry as the Bishop of Hippo and...
God is establishing a new rhythm
"God is rhythm. I think, without rhythm, you can’t create - there is no art" ~ Alejandro González Iñárritu My son, Joshua, is a jazz pianist. Many nights while I am making dinner, he is playing the piano. I have...
Good Shepherds
“What is the status of your soul?” My pastor/preacher cohort offered this question to each gathered from across the country on a video call recently, well into Lent. After each responded, the one who shared before them, prayed out loud...
Friendships Among Pastors
Psalm 63:1-4 (NRSV) 1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon...
A Prayer for Spring
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 This verse may seem like a stretch in early February as the promise of a...
Five Lessons I Learned from Churches
During my six and a half years with the Presbyterian Foundation, I visited at least two hundred different churches throughout the states of Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and the little slice of Nebraska in the South Central region I...
The Gift of God’s Abiding Rest
Pastors long for rest after the frenzy of Advent and Christmas. And appropriately, many pastors take their vacations in January to recharge (or recuperate). Although practicing this kind of self-care is an indispensable discipline for every pastor, the text from...
Preaching generosity in January
With Christmas Eve services in the rear-view mirror and all the planning and joy that went into Advent a distant memory, now we face the winter doldrums. There isn’t anything particularly exciting in our liturgical calendar during the stretch from...
Grace & Gratitude
Karl Barth, the greatest theologian of the twentieth century, also served as a guest preacher and counselor in the Basel city prison. Because of his service, he was invited to speak to a convention of German prison chaplains and social...
