Vote on Tuesday, even though you feel disillusioned. Neither Bush nor Kerry is all he claims to be. I understand disillusionment. I don’t like either candidate very much. Their oversimplified positions and their cock-sure demeanor is not what I look for in a great statesman. There is, however, a kind of greatness that is possibleContinue reading "Even Disillusioned people should vote"

Last week at the Vineyard Midwest pastor's conference near Carlinville, IL, I led a one-day retreat on emotional health for 21 pastors and leaders from Vineyard churches. I said at one point that being truly listened to and truly loved are nearly indistinguishable. I thought about it some more after I got home and wroteContinue reading "People need a listening ear, not advice"

Randy Tennison [Right] (the emcee for the retreat) pours the juice for the communion for our final retreat service as Terry Gufstafson (seated) helps.Dan Paxton ([wearing Colts hat]senior pastor from the Heartland Vineyard in Cedar Falls/Waterloo, IA and our speaker for the retreat) shares a steak dinner with Vineyard men Walt Farchmin and Kevin LarsonContinue reading "Images from the Men of the Vineyard Fall Retreat"

About 60 Vineyard men spent two hours sharing around a roaring campfire last Friday evening at the men's retreat. I thought the sharing would last about an hour, but it went on and on. We ended a perfect evening with ministry around the fire. Listening to the men share, I realized there are many positiveContinue reading "Sharing around the Campfire"

I’m taking 65 men of the Vineyard on a 24-hour retreat this weekend. From talking with some of the men, quite a few of them feel just like the guy in this picture. They have very little margin in their life. And you know what happens when you have no margin? You can't make anyContinue reading "When there’s no margin we’re in trouble"

Pastors and Christian leaders may not be as stressed as the poor worker in the article below (yes, friends, it's a joke!), but many are under plenty of stress and concerned about their emotional health. This was obvious to me last Wednesday, Sept. 22. As you know, Peter Scazzero came to Champaign-Urbana and led aContinue reading "Pastors deeply interested in being emotionally healthy"

Peter Scazzero, author of The Emotionally Healthy Church (Zondervan 2003), and his assistant Dan Shin came to Champaign-Urbana this week.On Wednesday Scazzero lead 165 local pastor and campus ministers in a six-and-a-half-hour seminar on the principles of emotional health from his book. As he talked, he added a 7th principle that he says he hasContinue reading "The Emotionally Healthy Church Seminar"

My emotions can change several times in the course of a day. They usually don’t, but they can. I’m normally a pretty steady-Eddie, but my emotions still surprise me. Just the other day I was listening to some old hymns on a CD in my car, and I suddenly started to weep. It took meContinue reading "Emotions are so fickle"