Not long ago, I was officiating at a deacon ordination, and I was walking through the church before the service began as I, I sometimes do. I was a little preoccupied, thinking about things, praying about the service. And I came up the aisle, and  as I began to come around the aisle, a church…

In the Diocese of Central Florida, we recently commended some new leaders to our deanery boards. And as we did this, we handed them two symbols: a cincture (for all the deans, purple because they operate on behalf of the diocese) and a gavel (for the president). Both of these things in some way symbolize…

© Lifeontheside In Part 1 of this blog, we discussed how the call to ministry, particularly a call to a new position, can leave us feeling as though we’re in a precarious position. It’s as though we were navigating a tightrope and having to keep everything in balance. But this unhealthy perspective is far from…

A call to ministry is, in some ways, a call to a precarious place – especially when it comes to our inner attitude. I want to share a precarious attitude and then one that is more in line with what the scripture teaches about ministry, particularly a call to a new ministry position. Walking a…

“Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between…

We are celebrating the Feast Day of St. James of Jerusalem, making the distinction between this James and James, the brother of Jesus, whom tradition says wrote the book we know as James. The life and death—as a martyr—of this James gives us reason to consider the true price of being a Christian. Leadership Has…

On June 14, we gave thanks for the life of Basil the Great. Basil is called “the Great” because of the importance and the revolutionary nature of his teaching. Basil had initially planned to go into law. He came from a very well-to-do family in Cappadocia, present-day Turkey. But at 28, his younger brother unexpectedly,…

This series is for all those who are called to service in the church – in other words, every Christian. I’m addressing deacons, but these truths will benefit any follower of Christ. God is raising up men and women who are willing to serve him all over the world. When you’re ordained, part of the…

I want to start out today with what to me is one of the most chilling verses in the entire Bible, and it’s in Psalm 106: “And He gave them their request but sent leanness into their soul” (v. 15, NKJV). Inner Humility Contrast that to Jesus’ words about himself when he says, “I can…

In Part 1 of this series, we discussed three lessons from Jesus’ Parable of the Net. In this parable, the fisherman represents God, and we are the fish he “catches” in his net. We don’t have the responsibility or the ability to select who is in or out of the net, or the kingdom of…