Reflections of a Retired Pastor

 I met a Christian man at our Regional Conference last October who began attending one of our newer church plants. As he introduced himself to me he said that his goal was to be a Barnabas to the pastor of that church. That really resonated with me. Vocational pastors and non-vocational Christ-followers alike need to have a “Barnabas” and can be Barnabases. Barnabas in the Bible was a prominent follower of Christ in the early church. He was respected among those who were charting the “Way” in the early church that we now call Christianity. His given name was Joseph but the apostles gave him the name “Barnabas” which means “son of encouragement.” He supported the cause financially, vouched for Saul (Paul), and evangelized on missionary journeys. Who wouldn’t want to have a guy like that in their church? Such people are needed. Barnabases are immeasurably valuable   I am transitioning from being the pastor to being the parishioner. Definitely an interesting journey. I’m also fin...

Stepping away from active pastoral ministry has been quite an adjustment. Up until now, because of chemotherapy treatments, surgery and subsequent issues, I didn’t give it much thought. As I began to feel better and returned to some normalcy, I found myself looking back over my years of pastoring and thinking about what I might have done differently or, more accurately, how I would be pastoring if I hadn’t retired. My therapist daughter assured me that my mind is clearer now that I don’t have the weight of administrating the church and it’s okay to enjoy fantasizing.  Looking back over our life whether it be in the context of weeks, months or years, it can be detrimental to dwell on what I call the “What IFs.” What if “that” didn’t happen, or What if I had done “that” differently, etc. You get the point and we know that we can’t do it over, don’t we? But it is good to acknowledge that we can grow because of life’s experiences.  So, how do we apply this to our future. This blog...

People in the early church didn’t always have it all together. Even the authors of the epistles struggled with living out their Christianity in a godless society. Paul was very transparent about his shortcomings. Being real allows us to relate with others’ struggles and enables us to share biblical teaching from our experience. Didn’t Paul have to learn “My grace is sufficient for you?” Didn’t he have a contentious disagreement over John Mark accompanying him and Barnabas on their next mission in Acts 15? Do you think Paul endured near to death physical persecution without having some anxiety? He was human like us. I believe Paul’s experiences prompted him to exhort others with words like these, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. Let’s unpack this ...

Growing up, along with my family, we’d listen to “A visit with the Joneses” on WAVL (now WXJX 910 am) in Apollo , PA. Rev. Bert Jones always ended his program with this encouragement, “The future is just as bright as the promises of God.” Noticing how much that phrase meant, his wife Ruth, troubled by the current events of that era, wrote this song in 1943: In times like these, you need a Savior, in times like these, you need an anchor; be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! CHORUS: The Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the One. The Rock is Jesus, the only One. Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds, and grips the Solid Rock. In times like these, you need the Bible, in times like these, O be not idle! Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. (Chorus) In times like these, I have a Savior, in times like these, I have an anchor.  I’m very sure, I’m very sure, my anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. (Chorus) You may have h...

I had a professor in college who said that God calls every believer to ministry. Some to full time vocational ministry and others to every day ministry whatever our vocation may be. Of course I’ve paraphrased her —  1970  was a long time ago. And Dr. Fran Simpson was right. As Christ-followers we have not only been called but also gifted. The apostle Paul wrote ,”For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭29  NKJV What does that mean? Someone put it this  by  way: “God won’t change His mind about what He has called you to do.” What has God called you to do? Our experiences of HOW we received our call differs; we all don’t have the same encounters with God. Yours may have been an angelic appearance or less dramatic. You may have just realized that you are a good fit with what you have grown into. I’m not an expert on how God moves. My call to vocational ministry was unmistakably definitive. While attending a youth convention at the Farm ...

For the first time in my life I am attending a non-evangelical church. We decided for the time being to attend church with our son’s family where they are actively serving the Lord through being on the worship team and outreach ministries of the church. In some ways I am an evangelical invading a mainline denomination. Some things are different in the worship service. Some of the hymns I never heard before and others are familiar. Our pastor does an excellent job of integrating hymns with worship choruses which I appreciate. Elements of the liturgy have not been a regular part of my past experience. The prayer of confession, the Apostle’s Creed, the Gloria Patri and the Doxology are becoming more meaningful to me each week. (Full disclosure, Pam grew up in a mainline denomination and feels at home with her memories of the past.) What makes an Evangelical? Short answer might include actively winning souls (evangelizing), interpreting Scripture conservatively, belief in the inerrancy and...

Criticism is a part of life. It’s something that I’ve struggled with in ministry. It’s something that I’ve had to confront in my life. I can’t imagine that anyone enjoys criticism, but some people seem to take it better than others. I’m not one of them. But I’m working on it.  Some years ago a church member confronted me on this subject. He said that whenever someone criticized me I got defensive. Immediately I began to defend myself. I proved his point. Not one of my finer moments. Proverbs 15:31-33, “If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding. Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.” I needed to learn this. So I signed up for a seminar on “How to Deal With Criticism.” Probably among one of the best things I ever did. I learned in that seminar that every criticism has some truth in it and some things that are probably wron...

Do you ever forget? Sure, we all do. The older we get the more we forget. God knows we are inclined to forget and that is why He spoke about the subject.  There seems to be a mentality that we must dismantle the past in order to advance into the future. In 2020 we saw numerous statues removed from public space because of past wrongs and mistakes. Buildings and military bases were renamed for similar reasons. Instead of acknowledging where we have failed and learning from the past, the culture is inclined to eradicate the past.  It seems like some of this has infiltrated the Church. I’m not talking about adapting methods which need to recognize our culture. But we should acknowledge that there is a lot that has blighted the historical church. The Church tried to dominate the culture that resulted in the Crusades doing great harm. For centuries the Church has been guilty of spiritual abuse in various forms. The Church has become materialistic and has promoted financial gain and ...

Bob Fleming was the best Elder that I served with in my entire ministry. I affectionately called him my Gamaliel. Gamaliel was an Elder among the Sanhedrin and was a teacher who had great wisdom. When the apostles angered the religious leaders by teaching in the temple courts and they wanted to put them to death (Acts 5:33-39), Gamaliel was the voice of reason. I’ve never faced such persecution as the apostles, but many times needed a voice of reason in my ministry. Enter Bob Fleming. He was a great Bible teacher and full of wisdom. When I needed it, he was there to provide adjustment to my perspective. Bob didn’t always agree with my decisions and he let me know it in a way only he could. But he.always loved me, guided me, provided wise counsel and supported me in ministry. We’d sit down with a pot of coffee for an hour or more and what was said in his kitchen stayed in his kitchen and I left his presence the better for it.   Do you have a Gamaliel? I hope you do. None of us goes ...

I have always loved communion services. In my opinion it is the most sacred thing that the church does. Many churches will observe communion on this first Sunday of the month while others will celebrate communion on Ash Wednesday and/or the first Sunday of Lent. When and how often are not critically as important as Jesus’ instruction to “Do this in remembrance of Me” as often, or however often we celebrate it.” I have been musing lately about my experience of celebrating communion. It is wonderful to celebrate with our church family. Did you ever think about how the observance uses all of our five senses? Seeing  the elements displayed on the table focuses my attention on what they represent. Hearing the words of the celebrant reminds me of the importance of what I’m doing and that this represents His body broken for me and His blood shed for me. When I take the elements in my hands I get to physically Touch the bread and the cup which draws me into an intimacy with my Lord. ...

I wrote this post at the beginning of this year but until now my blog was not fully set up. Nonetheless it is a reflection of the start of this new year and still worth posting. Bear with me as this old guy gets drug kicking and screaming into the 21st century.  Lately sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain and the words come out discombobulated. Over the holidays I tried to greet my daughter in law and I stumbled over the Merry Christmas, Happy New Year thing and it came out something like “Happy Christyear.” That got (me thinking that I wasn’t too far off. As 2024 is already well underway, I want to wish everyone a Happy Christ Year! Wouldn’t it be great if He indeed was the center of our lives in 2024?