Gary Neal Hansen

Theology. It's good for you.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Ministry

Letters to a Young Pastor: “Our Father Who Art in Heaven”

January 18, 2018 by Gary Neal Hansen 3 Comments

Who Art in Heaven

Dear ______: I’m so sorry for not writing for so long! Thanks for your notes. It has been a complicated time, and I’m behind in my correspondence. You bring up a very interesting issue. Some of my friends in seminary say we shouldn’t pray the Lord’s Prayer, at least not in the way we always […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Theology Tagged With: Gendered Language for God, Letters to a Young Pastor, Lord's Prayer, Our Father Who Art in Heaven

Thanksgiving for the Big Picture

November 23, 2017 by Gary Neal Hansen 8 Comments

Giving Thanks for the Big Picture

This is just a quick note on Thanksgiving Day. That’s American Thanksgiving in my family, since we have celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving last month. (Same menu, same gratitude, no Pilgrims.) I am, of course, grateful to you. I’m glad you read what I write here on my blog and elsewhere. What is a writer without readers? […]

Filed Under: Bible, Ministry Tagged With: Psalm 136, Thanksgiving

The Base Hit Sermon (Letters to a Young Pastor)

July 6, 2017 by Gary Neal Hansen 5 Comments

Dear ______: Thanks for your note, which brings me back to the topic at hand: preaching. And baseball. A couple of letters ago I was musing about the “home run” sermon you heard from a famous preacher. I suggested that when you step into a pulpit, hitting a home run is not really a great […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Seminary Tagged With: base hit sermon, baseball, preaching, Ty Cobb

Summer Reading (Letters to a Young Pastor)

June 15, 2017 by Gary Neal Hansen 9 Comments

summer reading

Dear ______: Sorry I haven’t written for a while. Between some travels to speaking engagements and countless medical visits as my hand continues to recover I have not been able to quite keep up. But when you wrote that you had a guilty conscience I had to write back. If you were confessing an actual […]

Filed Under: books, Ministry, Seminary

Can You Hit a Home Run Sermon? (Letters to a Young Pastor)

May 3, 2017 by Gary Neal Hansen 6 Comments

Dear ______: So, you went to hear The Great Preacher. He made you laugh. He made you cry. He left you with new insights about the Bible and your life. I’m not surprised. He is gifted, with well-honed skills. He left you feeling inadequate as a preacher. I’m not surprised about that either — though I […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Seminary Tagged With: Earl Palmer, Home Run Sermon, preaching, Ty Cobb

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Theology. It’s good for you.

I'm a Church historian by trade. My writing, speaking, and teaching explores the Christian past to equip today's disciples. Join me here for regular posts on the best of theology, spirituality, community, and ministry. read more…

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