Thoughts on the rise and fall of pastors by Scott Sauls (scottsauls.com)

Substitute “preacher” for “pastor,” and you’ll probably find this article to be incredibly relevant. Do any of us not have preacher friends who have fallen? Please, if you’re struggling with depression or discouragement or immorality, get help. Wherever you are in your walk with Christ, read this article (if only as a wake-up call).

Keeping the faith in a faithless age: the church as a moral minority by Al Mohler (albertmohler.com)

This is Al Mohler doing what few do as well as he: adeptly looking at our culture and reflecting on what it means for people of faith. People in our pews (and we ourselves) are struggling to know how exactly we Christians ought to react to the changes that are sweeping through our country. Mohler’s comments are insightful. Here’s the subtitle that lets you know where the article goes: “The church has no right to follow the secular siren call toward moral revisionism and politically correct positions on the issues of the day.”

What kind of preacher do I want to be? by Steven Hunter (start2finish.org)

If you’re a preacher, you’ve struggled with discouragement (for that matter, if you’re a human being, you’ve struggled). Steven begins with this: “Nearly three years ago, I made the decision to leave pulpit ministry. I had entertained leaving ministry altogether. I was discouraged. I was tired. I needed a break.”

Can you relate to that?

When ball becomes baal: is your kid’s sports involvement a family idol? by Jim Elliff (ftc.co)

I wish we could somehow convince some of the parents in our congregations that it’s just not worth it . . . not if it becomes an idol.

How I discovered true masculinity by Matt Moore (thegospelcoalition.org)

In view of societal trends, I think we need to reconsider how we think and talk about masculinity. Here’s the first paragraph:

“My adolescence was a social nightmare. I grew up in the rural South but didn’t fit the mold of Southern masculinity in the slightest. Sports piqued no interest in me; roughhousing made me nervous; slaying innocent animals seemed cruel and gross. Of course I never expressed such blasphemies—I wasn’t stupid! But I was everything opposite of what my Duck Dynasty-like culture insisted I should be. I was sensitive. I liked to read. I liked to draw. I liked to journal. I wasn’t your mud ridin’, hog huntin’ kind of boy.”

The case of the atheist pastor by Gene Veith (patheos.com)

The story of mainline Protestantism in the 20th century is sad, and this is a ridiculous example of where the abandonment of Scripture leads.

Click here for a 34-second video that has absolutely nothing to do with preaching, but it’s funny. Be forewarned—it contains dancing.

What’s helping you in your ministry?

Do you have resources that you find useful in your work? Would you share them with me so I can share them here? If so, email me – I’d be grateful.