by David Lamb | Mar 15, 2023 | Anger, Emotions, Fear, Happiness, Pain, Thanksgiving
About ten years ago, I was teaching a course on the psalms for my seminary students in the midst of a personal health crisis. It wasn’t in my notes, but I spontaneously ended up sharing with my students about my pain, my frustration, and my struggle to understand why...
by Scott Bullock | Mar 8, 2023 | Leadership, Ministry, Preaching, Storytelling
The Master & His Workshop I remember first walking into my friend Andrew’s new workshop, housed in a colonial-style barn and situated on an expansive wooded acreage on the Eastern Seaboard. Think Bob Villa and “This Old House”! The barn had been refurbished to...
by Mike Kenyon | Mar 1, 2023 | Conflict, Leadership, Ministry
Have you ever whispered to yourself, “I didn’t sign up for this?” I confess those words have passed through my mind more than once over the years. When I started out in ministry, more than 30 years ago now, I didn’t anticipate how much energy would be spent...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Feb 26, 2023 | Aging, Ash Wednesday, Death, Essentials-Sermons, The Founder's Desk
Do you remember the first time you started to feel your mortality? Or perhaps, the first time you realized their was something wrong with your body? Your mind? At some point (for me it was my twenties), I started having aches and pains in my back and my feet....
by Mark Roberts | Feb 22, 2023 | Aging, Third Third of Life
Earlier this week I led a workshop for a national gathering of pastors. My subject, as you might guess, was church ministry with people in the third third of life. My workshop was entitled, “Unlocking the Third Third Potential of Your Church: How to get started...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Feb 14, 2023 | Book Excerpts, Book Reviews
Adaptation from Lent by Esau McCaulley Adapted from Chapter 1, “Facing Death and Finding Hope” Traditionally Ash Wednesday has included a reading from Joel. To ward off God’s judgment (described in Joel 2:1-2), the prophet calls on the people to fast. Joel’s hope is...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Feb 8, 2023 | Liturgy, Worship
What a small topic! And clearly one I am definitely not the best equipped to answer. But why don’t I share a few thoughts, hopefully, that can help shape a conversation about worship. A New Discovery? But why don’t I begin with a short story. A few years ago, I was...
by Scott Bullock | Feb 1, 2023 | Uncategorized
We were 25 pubescent 13-year old boys in music class stuck to the straight-backed plastic chairs by our sticky sweat following a raucous hour of physical education at the parochial school we attended. We’d have a lecture on music theory, sing some corny songs, and...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Jan 25, 2023 | Change, Legacy
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or. what’s a heaven for?” Robert Browning A part of our desire at The Pastor’s Workshop is to help pastors connect the stories in our culture with the stories taking place in culture. This is a...
by Jerry Deck | Jan 17, 2023 | Leadership, Ministry
Do We Stay or Do We Go? It was June of 2020 and we had a major decision to make. As we went around our group of elders, each was given the chance to give their opinion: do we go back to worshipping in our sanctuary, or do we continue worshipping online? As the elders...
