For those of you that are Evangelical, you might see the title and think to yourself, this author is heretical. And that may very well be true. I probably deserve to burn at the stake according to the early church reformers. Church discipline may be on the horizon per my contemporaries. I certainly would not be asked to preach again at any of the churches that I have served at in the past. In my early days of legalistic thinking... Read more
I pulled up to a fast food restaurant drive thru window yesterday. I ordered a sandwich, some fries, and a drink. And waited. Then I waited some more! I got to the window and the person on the other side of the glass apologized profusely and let me know that they were understaffed and overwhelmed. She was clearly agitated and trying to not blow a gasket with her co-workers and employees. There is clearly an systemic issue happening across the... Read more
Working as an Administrative Pastor (Executive Pastor was the title, but I have no idea why it was titled that), I had the opportunity to lead our staff. One of our staff members was convinced that the only bible translation that could be used was the English Standard Version (ESV). In my quest to understand his point of view, I poured through pages and pages of scholarly writing to determine what version of the bible God would want us to... Read more
My daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia just a couple of years ago. I remember vividly sitting in the hospital room as the doctor came in, sat us down, and begin talking through the diagnoses and treatment options with us. We were shocked. Just a few weeks before, our daughter had been a happy, healthy child, and now she was dealing with cancer that was in her blood stream. The Doctor talked through the various options for treatment. One of the... Read more
I recently ran across an article by a prolific blogger and Pastor in Canada. I have respected Carey for years and have gained much wisdom from his writings. As a Pastor, I was a fan of the articles that he wrote and the content that he delivered. I recently came across his article discussing “Disruptive Church Trends that will Rule 2021 (The Rise of the Post-Pandemic Church)” and encountered conflicting thoughts going back to my days of leading people. Below,... Read more
I could see desperation in her eyes. She needed something, anything to give her life again. I’m an alcoholic, not a drug addict, and so the title is confusing to some of you. It’s true. I’ve bought meth before. I even intentionally did it. It may have been one of the more defining moments of the past several months for me as it relates to the recovery journey. There are many ways in which one can encounter God, and this... Read more
I recently ran across an article that was widely distributed on news sources from around the country. A child had 100 bags of the deadly poison in his bedroom. What he was doing with these no one is positive of. I have seen too many people in the recovery community die from drug usage, laced with Fentanyl. It may be more of an epidemic than even the COVID 19 scare that we have endured for nearly two years. The issue... Read more
I had been drinking for days straight. I drank whiskey, alot of it, to try and quell the deep seeded fear and anxiety that I had felt for years. As a professionally paid Pastor, what if someone found out that I was an alcoholic? What if someone knew what I had been doing? Or worse, what if they found out that my ‘beliefs’ and ‘values’ were not what they were supposed to be? I sat in my car, questioning whether... Read more
2 Corinthians 12: 7 Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant. 8 I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the... Read more
The Secret For years, I was a part of churches that were led by “Elders.” These were men that were ‘called’ by God to lead the church and make decisions that protected the ‘flock.’ Elders were supposed to be the men of integrity, those that had shown themselves approved in their walk with God, and were ‘elected’ to the office by the church to serve. In the contexts that I served in, they were always men, because that is the... Read more
The Addict Pastor
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