I didn’t recognize the phone number that appeared in my voicemail notification, but as soon as I began listening to the recorded message, I knew the voice of my old friend Jim. We hadn’t seen him or his wife, Pat, for a few years, though Christmas letters and occasional e-mails kept us in touch. Jim’s […]
Columns
Reporter’s Notebook: Legal pot’s a bad deal for Illinois
The State of Illinois reported customers spent nearly $3.2 million on legal marijuana at 37 dispensaries on January 1, 2020 – the first day in the state’s history recreational use became legal. More than 77,000 people purchased the drug from dispensaries, which also sell medical cannabis, that are spread throughout the state except for nine […]
Don’t limit God
Question: A counselor once encouraged me to build on my strengths, rather than my weaknesses. But isn’t an awareness of my sin part of being a Christian? I want to improve as a husband, father, and a believer. How can I balance building on my strengths while acknowledging my limitations? Answer: Strength is a gift […]
Too tired to quit
And if you don’t like it, there’s the door!” Those words spoken from the pulpit by a ministry colleague introduced me to pastoral burnout. After delivering that doozy of a sermon, he broke down sobbing. After a month away from ministry and a year rebuilding spiritual, emotional, and physical strength, he had decades of effective […]
Take time to mentor teens
My oldest son showed signs early on that he is a gifted teacher. When he was a teenager, he had opportunities to serve in our church’s youth group. But as his pastor, I missed a strategic opportunity to help him grow. I should have paired him with that church’s master Sunday school teacher, Miss Norma, […]
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