Nursing Home Ministry: Getting Started
In my previous essay I provided a biblical rationale for the ministry of nursing home visitation. But what may such a ministry look like practically? Ministry is always contextual. Fulfilling this ministry will look different from place to place. However, despite where or who you may be, here are some suggestions for church members and leaders. Remember the Difficult Conversations People Are Having: Ministry requires teachers to equip...
Nursing Home Ministry: A Critical Need
Visiting widows with my mother is a vivid memory from childhood. My father and mother did much to help the elderly in our small community, but they especially cared for widows who were either childless or whose children didn’t live locally. For my mother, this ministry often meant preparing a pecan pie and taking me with her on a visit to someone’s home. I recall these visits well for two reasons. First, I remember trying to entertain...
The Any-benefit Mentality
I regularly find myself looking for tools to help increase my productivity. Whether they are productivity books, blogs, or apps, I’m always intrigued by the possibility of doing things more efficiently. That’s why when my friend and fellow Forum contributor Matthew Bracey recommended Cal Newport’s book Deep Work, I immediately ordered it and started to read it as soon as it arrived. The book has been extremely helpful for me in many...
Recommended Books (Spring 2017)
When the sweet showers of April have pierced The drought of March, and pierced it to the root, And every vein is bathed in that moisture Whose quickening force will engender the flower; And when the west wind too with its sweet breath Has given life in every wood and field To tender shoots, and when the stripling sun Has run his half-course in Aries, the Ram, And when small birds are making melodies, That sleep all the night long with...
Words of Wisdom from Pastors with Tenure (Part 2)
A 2011 Lifeway Research poll found that the average tenure for pastors in a local church is 3.6 years. Some have suggested that the number may be higher. Nevertheless, pastors who stay at a given church for ten, twenty, thirty, or more years are a rare occurrence. Yet the pastors that we tend to admire the most are those who have stayed at and labored in a single local church for an extended period of time. Furthermore, some...
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