There’s a clear line between constructive criticism and simply being a critic. I’ve always welcomed constructive criticism, believing that I can learn and grow from anything that’s said in a loving spirit. I’ve also never been one to wear my feelings on my sleeve. In fact, I’ve always felt I have thick skin when it [...]

Sermon preparation is always an interesting thing. Ministers are always thinking, looking and studying for things that “would preach.” I’ve often thought how nice it would be if God just somehow “beamed” down the sermon wanted me to preach each week. That got me to thinking (scary, I know). If God sent me a message [...]

At the first of this week I shared with you, “10 Things that Frustrate me as a Minister.” I think it’s only fair that I also share with you this post … 10 Things I LOVE About Being a Minister… I love getting to be a part of people’s lives. What an honor it is [...]

I have always been a glass-half-full type person. I choose to focus on the positives and not the negatives. But someone asked me this week, “Is there anything that frustrates you?” They couldn’t believe there were things that got under my skin. Although I choose not to focus on them … here are a few… . People [...]

I love to preach, and I want to bring my A-game every week. Nothing KILLS me more than when I don’t feel like I’ve done a very good job presenting a lesson. I don’t know, maybe it was because I had the stomach bug this weekend, but I just didn’t have it this Sunday morning [...]

And the award for the most “unChrist-like stunt of the year” goes to… “A Phoenix-area pastor delivered a sermon titled, “Why I Hate Barack Obama,” and told his parishioners that he prays for President Obama’s death. Pastor Steven Anderson stood by his sermon in an interview with MyFOXPhoenix, which reports that the pastor continues to [...]

It would be easy if you only had two topics to choose from…

I hadn’t seen her in a couple of years when I bumped into her on the elevator at the hospital. I asked her how she was and how things were going at the church she attended. She said she was fine and then told me that they had just hired a new preacher. She added, [...]

I still remember my first real sermon. It was on a Sunday night in a small country church. They’d asked me to fill in that night while their preacher was gone and this teenager was really nervous about it. I’d done a couple of short Wednesday night devotionals, but NEVER a real Sunday sermon. I [...]

Big news story, “Pastors to Preach Politics from the Pulpit.” Me? I’ll be preaching Christ this Sunday!

The following conversation took place on the way home from church services this past Sunday morning, between Cooper (my 6 year old) and myself. Cooper: I fell asleep and took a nap through your sermon this morning. Me: I noticed. I guess I’ll just preach the lesson for you again in a little while. Cooper [...]

Ever have one-of-those-days? You know one of those days when nothing goes right? In sports it’s not uncommon for players to have one-of-those-days where everything goes wrong. The baseball player strikes out every time at bat and goes 0-4 during a game. A reliable NFL quarterback can have games where he throws numerous interceptions instead [...]

I’ve heard of comedians being heckled, but never a preacher. It was this past Sunday that I knew immediately during the evening sermon I’d said the wrong word. I made the statement, “If you don’t drink enough water you’ll get hypothermia.” As a preacher and a paramedic I immediately knew it was wrong. I meant [...]

I just wanted to share with you some of the things I’m teaching right now. I love teaching on marriage and family when it comes to sermons and bible classes. Right now my Childress family is getting a double dose. In my Young Adult class I’ve been teaching on marriage and family issues for the [...]

Sometimes when we find ourselves bored or distracted through the sermon, or we feel like the messages aren’t impacting our lives, our natural tendency is to blame … yes, you guessed it … the preacher. But I’ve noticed that sometimes the problem is not so much with the preacher as it is with the hearer. [...]

I’ve preached a lot of sermons over the past 20 years. I’ve seen a lot of “crazy” things while preaching. Here are 10… People sleeping (of course). A child playing a Gameboy. A man on the front pew clipping his toe nails. My zipper unzipped. A man doubled-over in pain in the foyer at the [...]

I’m an early riser. It’s my favorite part of the day. It’s still dark outside, I’m finishing up my 3rd cup of coffee and my quiet time has ended. I need to start dragging boys out of bed for school. I’ve a few things I need to tell you about and then, as promised, I’ll [...]

I love good preaching. I say “good” preaching because there is definitely a difference between just preaching and good preaching. And when it comes to really good preaching, I’m never without a good sermon or two on my mp3 player. When I have some quiet time or when I go running I’m often listening to [...]

I’d like you to meet Cooper! He’s my 5 year-old son. Last Sunday on the way to church, Cooper revealed to me something that I didn’t know about him. He looked up at me with all seriousness and said, “Dad, I’m sorry, but I just don’t like church.” I was floored, shocked, and had I [...]