I slipped into his room late one evening as I arrived home from work only to find him wide awake, snuggled under the covers.

"Hey Dad, it's Wednesday," my 12-year-old said. "Tonight was our date night, Dad! You forgot!"

Somewhere between the deadlines and the donors and the to-do list, I'd forgotten the most important ministry God had entrusted to me, that of my family. It had been weeks since my wife ...

I never cease to be amazed at the incredible paradox of seeing many unhappy people in a world that has so much to offer surprises me even more is the sight of so many Christians who have succumbed to busyness, unhappiness, tightness, and boredom. Many suffer from a nagging sense of guilt that no matter how much they do it is never quite enough.

Words like wonder, joy, rest, and freedom have become ...

Why is it that many of our pastors—the people we respect and admire most—lead lonely lives?

And why do many lay leaders feel frustrated in their attempts to build a friendship with their pastor?

On the one hand, there is a tendency in every congregation to canonize the pastor in a way that Catholics wisely reserve for those long dead. We don't often argue politics, complain about the schools, ask ...

Personal management involves being attentive to how we are doing in each of the following areas:

• Our relationship with the living God. Are we abiding in Christ? Do we remain yoked, growing in intimacy with the Father? Are we still in love with Jesus? Are we responsive to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit?
• Our relationships with our spouse and children. Are we moving toward greater closeness and trust? Do we view our spouses and children as the first recipients of our Christlike love? Or do they always get the leftovers?

Can you think of any greater privilege than to be called to be a leader in the church of Jesus Christ? The church is his Body, his Bride, the Temple of his Spirit, his Flock, his Army, and his Family.

Can you think of any greater responsibility than leading his church?

This is why God's Word has laid before us such challenging requirements for Christian leadership. The standards are rightly high, not ...

A bowl of soup with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.
Proverbs 15:17

This past week was rough. Last night I I attended a banquet honoring the young people who will confirm their baptismal vows and become adult members of the congregation. The previous night I had a late afternoon visitation and an early evening funeral followed by dinner. The night before that, the executive ...

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After ...

Full of anticipation, I look forward to Monday mornings. My husband has fondly nicknamed our group SOCM, "Spouses of Crazy Ministers." The senior pastor's wife, the youth pastor's wife, the ministerial candidate's wife and me, the associate pastor's wife, all come together weekly. We are women who share the bonds of having husbands who are called by God to serve in full-time ministry. We are also ...