What can we Learn from Samson & Donald Trump?
We all have heroes. My childhood hero was Captain James T. Kirk, commander of the Starship Enterprise. Captain Kirk led the crew of the Enterprise on weekly treks to “explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!” But that’s science fiction. I have other heroes, real men and women who acted heroically in the face of great danger. Jesus Christ is the first to come to mind. But there are others: Athanasius, George Washington, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Martin Luther King, Jr. As a child, one of my favorite biblical heroes was Samson. What makes a hero?
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Core Values for Ministry Leadership
I am currently team-teaching a leadership class with Dr. Lamar Vest, former presiding bishop of the Church of God (Cleveland, TN). In a recent assignment, Dr. Vest asked our students to prepare a brief presentation about their core values. Everyone leads (or misleads) from their core values. I decided to participate in the assignment.
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Reflections on the Pastorate from the Outside
It’s been two months since I left the pastorate. The transition has been more emotional than I anticipated. Please don’t misunderstand; I’m confident that I made the right decision to accept the new ministry position at Pentecostal Theological Seminary. Even so, I find myself suffering grief. After thirty-eight years of pastoring the transition has taught me a few things.
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I am a Pastor. Really, I am!
Serving as a pastor is all I ever wanted to do. I’ve been doing this since 1980. Now, whether or not I’ve been a good pastor is for others to judge. I must admit that when I judge myself I get discouraged. I’ve never succeeded in building a mega-church and I’m not in demand as a camp-meeting/conference speaker. By the contemporary standards of Pentecostal ministry, I’m about average. But, according to my colleagues and supervisors, I’ve never fit the pastoral model. Since I was a young man I’ve had to defend my call.
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Equal Heirs, Equal Participants
Over the past several months I’ve had many conversations with friends and colleagues about the biblical perspective of women in ministry. Of course, I believe the biblical perspective is that men and women are equal in the body of Christ and are equally called to participate in the mission of God. Since, the adjournment of the Church of God General Assembly, I’ve reflected on those conversations. I must admit that I am deeply disappointed in the position that many in our church espouse.
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Why I Changed My Mind about Women in Ministry
In my recent blogs, I have offered explanations as to why I believe in the full equality of women in Christian ministry. It may surprise some readers to discover that I didn’t always believe this.
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