This is a great post from my friend Steve Crosby. Steve has written and spoken extensively on issues of church leadership and abuse. The following deals with the false dichotomy some make between being and doing. Being Versus Doing: Step Away From the Cliché by Steve Crosby Clichés lodge in our minds for a reason: […]
After reading various blogs concerning forgiveness, reconciliation, resignation and Pastor Mark Driscoll, (See Rachel Held Evans , Jonathan Merritt and Matthew Paul Turner) I decided to do a show on what true reconciliation should look like for Mars Hill, Mark Driscoll and any community dealing with broken relationships. The goal is to advocate for a […]
So many respond to the Church from a place of idealized fiction. They rebuke the Church’s inability to measure up to their fantasy, unwilling to recognize that the Church is full of broken people, broken leaders and broken promises. The Church does not exist as an idealized oasis. It’s people, God and grace. God loves […]
A Private Letter to Hurting Pastors by Pastor Doug Bursch NOTE TO READER: Recently, I wrote a letter to a good friend of mine who is also a full time pastor. At the time, he was facing some really difficult relational challenges in the church he faithfully serves. I’ve decided to share a modified version […]
To my pastor friends, I know that you try really hard…you try harder than anyone really knows or even cares to know. There are areas of your calling that seem downright impossible. You stand at the edge of the assignment, consider the cost and find yourself feeling completely inadequate for the task at hand. Others […]
Too often, we present faith as the acceptance of theological distinctives, rather than the embrace of an eternal relationship. Sometimes we are more concerned with right thinking than right abiding. With this in mind, I’d like you to consider the condition of your relationship with Jesus. More specifically, what does your spiritual house look like? […]
You Might be a Pharisee… If you often communicate to prove you are right and they are wrong, you might be a Pharisee. Our Christian communication must be rooted in a sincere desire to reconcile people who have lost their way. The goal of our communication should be to lead people out of the darkness […]
(I wrote the following post for PARSE at Christianity Today) Recently, Christian author, blogger and conference speaker Donald Miller posted a pair of troubling blogs on why he rarely attends church. Miller expressed that he doesn’t find intimacy with God through singing or preaching of a traditional worship service. Consequently, he has abandoned the notion […]
Recently, Donald Miller wrote a very troubling post on why he rarely attends church as a way of finding intimacy with God. For me personally, this post was a real blow to the gut. In response, I spoke about his post on my radio show. The following are my thoughts on what’s wrong with such […]
Calm yourself by Doug Bursch Calm yourself by thinking deeply. See beyond the temporal and engage the eternal. Calm yourself by not thinking. Embrace the visceral beauty and engage the moment. Calm yourself in silent meditation. Empty your thoughts, be still and content. Calm yourself by moving, doing and speaking, be active and engaging. Calm […]