Recently in our morning service we read a confession of sin that included these words: “I have not loved my neighbor as you have commanded, nor have I rightly loved myself.”  Afterwards a young man very respectfully asked me if it was proper to love ourselves.  “All of my life I have battled self-loathing . [...]

Recently I saw Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Inception, with my son and another teenage movie buff. It is just the kind of mind-bending, heart-stopping, action-packed drama the three of us relish! We also like to ask after every movie …

One conversation I have had about burnout was with Joe Novenson during a wedding we recently did together.  Joe and Barb nearly died this past year with respiratory illnesses they contracted after an exhausting holiday season.  Their loving session demanded that they learn different habits for pacing themselves in ministry.  After numerous consultations with high [...]

In the past few months I have had similar conversations with colleagues who range in age from early 30s to early 60s.  In one way or another each was describing burnout.  By the way, I have about one such conversation per month with colleagues across the country.  The conversation usually begins something like this, “George, [...]

I want to thank the dear family at First Presbyterian Church for praying for our 38th General Assembly.  It seems to me the Lord blessed us particularly with a spirit of brotherly love in the midst of rigorous debate.  As I reported to you before the Assembly, the Strategic Plan and the issue of deaconesses were [...]