Yesterday, I ran across an account of a priest in Italy who was stricken with COVID-19 and on a ventilator. USA Today ran an article about him and his sacrifice. Don Giuseppe Berardelli, 72, was the archpriest of Casnigo, a town in northern Italy about 50 miles northeast of Milan. According to Italian news site Prima Bergamo, Berardelli died…
Category: Random Thoughts and Ramblings
To Pastors and Churches Having Online Worship Today
Dear Pastors Leading Worship Online Today: I see you. More importantly, God sees you. I’m in this boat with you so I’m experiencing this “new normal” with you. And, like you, I will get the experience of leading prayer, proclaiming scripture, and preaching a sermon in an empty worship space (minus two musicians and our…
Got a Smartphone? You Can Stream Your Service
With COVID-19 causing many congregations to shut their doors to the public, there has been a lot of discussion of streaming worship. There have been articles about everything it takes in order to stream, several of which includes a laundry list of expensive equipment to buy. I’ve been streaming my sermons since 2015 and when…
Pastoring in a Pandemic
This has got to the most challenging time for ministry so far, at least in my short career. When I began candidacy and seminary, I never imagined that I would find myself ministering in the midst of a global pandemic. There were no classes offered on how to manage a congregation in the midst of…
The Clergy-Laity Disconnect
When Methodism was getting on its feet in the 18th Century, the movement was largely one spread by… wait for it… the laity! That’s right, it wasn’t ordained or licensed pastors who were out beating the bushes with the good news of the gospel for all people who the church either couldn’t or wouldn’t reach…
Women, Preach! A Response to John MacArthur
John MacArthur telling Beth Moore that she and other women who preach ought to “go home” has been well documented. He further insisted, “There is no case that can be made biblically for a woman preacher. Period. Paragraph. End of discussion” (something I believe is a load of bunk). Except with those whom also espouse…
My Tribute to Dani Workman
To be honest, this week has been a pretty tough one for me. The biggest reason is due to the loss of a very good friend of mine. Her name is Dani and I’ve known her for nearly ten years. However, I’ve never actually met her. Dani and I met online but we became among…
Christian Hero Worship and Kanye West
The latest headlines in the Christian news arena have revolved around one person: Kanye West. His profession of faith in Jesus has been well-documented and rehashing it is therefore pointless. First, I want to say a couple of things on that: I give glory to God for anyone, no matter who they are, giving their…
“Offer Them Christ” (A Response to the Recent Pew Research Report)
I remember when I was taking classes to become a lay speaker before I went into the ministry. In the initial class, I will never forget that our instructor said that the best thing we could do when we preach is to do what John Wesley instructed his early preachers to do: “Offer them Christ.”…
Being One is Not Being the Borg
“Being one does not mean that we all think alike.” Bishop James Swanson on “The Power That Makes Us One.” Last week, Bishop Swanson – the resident bishop of the Mississippi Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church – was in my district where he met with the pastors followed by preaching at a district-wide…