This story caught my eye: “Archaeologists find rare 2,000-year-old ‘Balm of Gilead’ gemstone seal near Western Wall.” The gem holds an engraving that depicts the Balm of Gilead, a rare perfume used medicinally. This balm is mentioned in Genesis 37:25, where it was listed among the possessions of a caravan to which Joseph’s brothers sold […]
Category: Blog
My sermon last Sunday continued my series in the “I Am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John. I am posting the manuscript below as well as the video of the sermon as I revised and preached on Monday specifically for pastors. Jesus’ promise is our hope: “I am the light of the world. […]
Dr. Jim Denison shares an honest moment when, on his day off, he was greeted with, “Hello, Pastor” but didn’t feel like pastoring at that moment. Yet he knew that a pastor’s calling is 24/7.
A word from Jim Welcome back to A Pastor’s View! It’s been at least a month since our last email, but we were waiting to share good news about a new addition to our staff—which also means a revival of this weekly resource. Thank you for opening this edition and for the privilege of partnering […]
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How to love when you want to retaliate
In our last issue of A Pastor’s View, we discussed St. Valentine and what the Bible has to say about love. We primarily focused on loving those who also love us or are part of our inner circles. But what about those who are not so easy to love—those with whom we have experienced conflict, […]
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Making Jesus king of our new year
We are almost a week into 2021 and most of us are grateful to see the old one gone. How are you approaching this year? With caution? Hope? Have you made any New Year’s resolutions? It seems the Babylonians started this tradition 4,000 years ago, resolving to return borrowed farm equipment. Whether you borrowed farm […]
Mark Turman and I recorded our latest APV video yesterday (see here and here), offering an update on the pandemic in the context of pastoral leadership. Mark told me about a conversation he had with a mutual friend of ours whose pastor recently resigned. According to our friend, this pastor grew so weary from dealing […]
Santa Claus will be different this year, with social distancing and masks making it harder for children to tell the jolly man what they want for Christmas. But no matter how hard this year has been, or how different Christmas will be, Jesus is still the main focus of this holy day. And always will […]
Thanksgiving 2020 may look different from our traditional ones. With the pandemic surging again and putting limits on travel and large gatherings, more simple celebrations are anticipated. The most recent guidelines from the CDC as of this writing recommends immediate family only: “The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is to celebrate with people […]