Dear ______: Yes! I did promise some better approaches to hearing God’s call. Sorry to belabor the ones that aren’t so spiffy. One of my favorites comes from Presbyterian theologian and novelist Frederich Buechner: Neither the hair shirt nor the soft berth will do. The place God calls you to is the place where your […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: What to Do at a Fork in the Road
Dear ______: Yes, I suppose it is hard to just set aside your feeling that hearing God’s call is kind of scary. You’ve come to a fork in the road. You must choose. You might get it wrong. What is the worst thing that could happen? Yes, sometimes there are serious consequences. In my first computer programming class […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: Guidance and God’s Character
Dear ______: Yes, I suppose it does sound like I’m making my theological judgment based on personal taste. I said that thinking God has a specific plan for each step of your life makes faith feel like a tightrope walk. I admit, it is my own metaphor, rather than something from Scripture. I do think it […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: God’s Plan vs. God’s Goals
Dear ______: You ask whether, with all these ways to go astray, if there is a reliable way to find God’s plan for your life. That’s an interesting question. Possibly even more interesting is the question of whether God actually has a plan for your life. Many assume that God does. Some will put that […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: “Specialness B”
Dear ______: Yes, you are right: I did say that in ministry God brings out gifts in ordinary people. And that can lead people to do extraordinary things. That is true everywhere in life, actually. But please don’t let that lead you into thinking that ministry makes you special. That dangerous way of thinking is […]