Author Archives: Michael D Johnson

Dear Pastor, If you’re anything like me, you can keep going so long as you can either see progress or if you believe (by faith) that progress is being made “behind the scenes”. The hardest part is when it seems that everything you see/perceive is telling you that you are not only NOT making progress,ContinueContinue reading “Progress”

Dear Pastor, Whatever you are going through on any given day, there is tremendous help, hope and strength in meditating on the nearness and goodness of God. Far too often we entertain unhealthy, accusatory and fear-inducing ideas (such as “Here we go again”, or “I don’t have what it takes”, or “This is so hard”).ContinueContinue reading “Practice saying this”

Dear Pastor, One thing I know about life and ministry is that you carry a heavy load. You carry it for yourself, family, friends and for your congregation. Somedays, by the amazing grace of God, it seems like the load is so light that you forget it’s even there and thank God for the joyContinueContinue reading “Heavy Loads”

Dear Pastor,  Life and ministry can be really, really hard. There are expectations, obligations, emergencies, obstacles, opportunities and more!  And as we seek to navigate through all of this and yet remain faithful to God and to our calling, we make mistakes. We make mistakes of judgment, we make mistakes of stewardship, we make mistakesContinueContinue reading “Do you give yourself grace?”