One of my favorite passages relating to Christmas is found in Isaiah. 700 years prior to Christ’s birth, this prophet announced a Messiah would be born: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,…
Author: Randall Myers
4 “Musts” for a Successful Christmas Service
I really love the Christmas season. The colors, lights, the songs, the traditions, the memories, the crazy schedule and even Santa Claus! All joking aside, there is perhaps no other time when people’s hearts are soft toward the good news of comfort and joy like they are at Christmas. It raises the stakes a bit…
Keeping Christmas Merry
Four Expectations to Share with Your Spouse for the Christmas Season Guest Blogger: Rodney Wilson Hustle and bustle are alive and well in the 21st century and the holidays seem all too happy to contribute to that fast pace. The craziness is not necessarily a bad thing. My wife loves it. Selma is no Black…
Alcohol and the Holidays
Next to “Merry Christmas!”, “Cheers!” may be the most spoken expression during the Season. So many people look for reasons to drink and the holidays is just one more. Isn’t it funny that when we hear the word “drink”, we automatically assume it’s the consumption of some kind of alcoholic beverage? Maybe that reveals how much…
Taking Time for Thanksgiving
This week our entire nation will celebrate Thanksgiving. Ironically, we can miss the whole point of the holiday. We are so busy preparing, cooking, and entertaining, we barely get a prayer out before the meal. For me, I need to slow down, stop, and truly take time to thank God. LET’S TALK… The Psalmist said…
5 Reasons I’m Thankful for the Church
During this Thanksgiving time, I am reminded how much we as pastors should be thankful for our church. Sometimes in our desire to “succeed in ministry,” we forget to be truly grateful! It’s too easy to be envious about what God is doing somewhere else, while forgetting God’s blessings in our own life and ministry….
Election Reflections
Like many of you, I spent most of last night watching the election results. Wow! Was I ever surprised that Donald Trump was elected (I know some of you were not!). In fact, I wrote this blog assuming that Hillary Clinton would win. No matter who you voted for, one can’t help but be frustrated…
When People Leave:
The Private Pain of the Small Church Pastor by Pastor Karl Vaters All of us have felt the pain and disappointment of someone leaving our church. It’s hard on everyone. It’s hard to leave and it’s hard being left. A while back I read a blog about this very issue written by Pastor Karl Vaters….
The TurnAround Project
This week sixteen of our churches, with their pastors and leaders, are participating in a TurnAround Boot Camp. That’s one third of our churches! The Pacific Conference is committed to help build healthy local churches and this is one example of how we are working together. LET’S TALK… Here are four “musts” for church transformation…
Pastor’s Appreciation Month
This month is Pastor Appreciation Month. Yes, there is a “Pastor Appreciation Month” and it’s now! Focus on the Family named and began emphasizing Clergy Appreciation Month in 1994, reminding congregations about the importance of honoring our pastors and their families. If you didn’t know about it, don’t feel bad. I’m late getting this out,…
Ministry Years (The Latter Years)
By Randy and Linda Myers We have been in a series of blogs entitled “Ministry Years.” The last few weeks we have looked at some of the challenges pastors face during different seasons of ministry (You can read the previous blogs here http://bit.ly/2dPxgXI). LET’S TALK… The last years of ministry is when the pastor asks,…
Ministry Years (The Middle Years – Part Two)
By Randy and Linda Myers We are in a series of blogs entitled Ministry Years. Last week we shared two of four challenges we faced during the middle years of ministry: conflict and burnout. These years can be a time of evaluation. Hurts may run deep so we ask, “Do I want to keep doing…
Coffee with Randall 