Most Pastors, (and many other church work professionals), could use a Jethro. Jethro was the guy who told Moses, “Slow down! One person trying to do it all by himself was never God’s design for ministry!” (See Exodus 18 for the full story.) Sometimes we honor God by doing less. Read More
I’ll get a new car when the wheels fall off my ’06 Malibu. I’ll probably get stranded by the roadside one day, but I’m okay with that. I only drive it around town and my contingency plan to Uber over to a used car dealer will work just fine. I’m… Read More
The mission of Grace Place Wellness is to help you ask and answer the important questions: “How are you, spiritually, physically, relationally?” “What brings you the greatest joy in ministry? How’s your joy?” Your answers to the questions help you seek the healing grace of Christ for vitality and joy… Read More
Frederick Buechner said, “There is no joy for any of us until there is joy for all of us.” Joy is communal, God’s gift to the Church. Have you ever felt all alone at church? We’re made to share joy together. Where the Spirit leads his people, it’s a journey… Read More
Best t-shirt ever: WORLD’S OKAYEST PASTOR This is not a competition, you know. Pastors may like to compare advanced degrees, mission trip destinations and average weekly attendance (how’s that working out this year?), but God doesn’t. This is not a test. You’re not getting graded on a curve. Jesus already… Read More
How’s your spirit? “Free and merry”? We’re hounded by so many “so many’s” (so many expectations, so many calls to make, so many meetings to attend…) it’s not easy to face the tasks of the day in the free and merry spirit the Lord desires. You’re not alone. It’s an… Read More
Didn’t I say to set boundaries two weeks ago? This is different. Boundaries means establishing where the church ends and your family life begins. Integrity means being the same person at home that you are at the church. We hear this complaint in a variety of forms from minister’s spouses… Read More
My last two blogs were a waste of time. Let’s fix that. I wrote, “Have a deep conversation with your spouse!” and then, “Set some good boundaries at home!” Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah. You’ve heard it all before a thousand times. I bet Barna would tell me, “Darrell, your… Read More
It’s commonly called “the conflicting loyalties of church and home.” The constant tug in both directions can make church work professionals feel like the whirling blades of a blender. The danger is that appropriate boundaries are disintegrated and church and home get mushed together into one indiscernibly muddled mess. Here’s… Read More
How do you deal with a pebble in your shoe? On our walk this morning, Carol suddenly stopped, handed me her shoe and said, “Get the pebble out of there!” I did, she stopped hopping around and put her shoe on, and we were off again. I’m the guy who… Read More
Do you ever hesitate when asked, “How are you doing, Pastor?” Do you find yourself caught somewhere between answering “Fine!” and wondering, “Do you really want to hear about it?” There are appropriate contexts for sharing how you are doing, physically, spiritually, emotionally. A big part of wellness is having… Read More
Your church has an inner life. People can look terrific on the outside, calm, cool and collected, but inwardly can be wasting away with grief, hurt and disappointment. Churches can too. Churches need peacemakers. The pandemic has swept us all up in what some are calling a tsunami of grief. Read More
The Way to Wellness for the Non-Ordained in Church and School Ministries