Dear pastor, Have you ever had the privilege of pastoring a strong-willed person? Hopefully you are already smiling at my use of the word “privilege.” Ministry is already hard enough without putting strong-willed, obstinate, cantankerous and contentious people into the mix. And yet that is precisely what many of us face week in and weekContinueContinue reading “Pastoring contentious people”
Author Archives: Michael D Johnson
God can sanctify our work
Dear pastor I want to encourage you to find joy and fulfillment RIGHT NOW, in this PRESENT MOMENT, for the Lord is with you, even now. So much of life and ministry can seem mundane, boring or like wasted time. And yet when God is present, He is sanctifying that very moment. I remember theContinueContinue reading “God can sanctify our work”
A sense of grief
I have a sense that something is off in this world. It is a sense of grief that weighs on me, a burden that God has placed in me. Let me define this grief: A sadness because of the divisions in relationships, homes, churches and nations. A sadness because of the anger, judgmentalism and condemnationContinueContinue reading “A sense of grief”
Watch out for this trap
There is a trap in the contemporary church and culture; this trap is the lie that “the gospel is not enough” So we try to add to the gospel with marketing, programs, fun, cool, cutting edge, etc. Here is the good news of the gospel that we need to declare plainly, consistently and with greatContinueContinue reading “Watch out for this trap”
Pastor Encouragement 