By Joel A. Hess - Since seminary, I have been told by seasoned pastors and “expert” first timers that pastoring is a tough, thankless job. They encouraged me to set boundaries so I don’t get lost in the work and forget about myself and my family. They scared me stiff, perhaps hoping I would not be … Continue reading Dear Pastors: Stop Whining
By Paul Koch - The question, “What have you done?” is a bit unsettling, at least for most of us. If it was said by my mother when I was being picked up from the principal’s office during grade school, it signaled the moment of overwhelming shame and guilt. It was the time that I … Continue reading What Have You Done?
By Tim Winterstein - The older I get, the more I realize just how unreliable my memories actually are. It is easy to assume without reflection that what we “remember” is true. Memento is one of the movies that first hinted to me that (even without a brain injury) what we think we remember is … Continue reading The Past that is not Past
By Paul Koch – Yesterday I heard over the radio that the World Heath Organization has decided to include “burnout” in its International Classification of Disease (ICD), which functions as a benchmark for many health insurers. Now, burnout is nothing new. Almost every industry in the world has used this term in one way or … Continue reading Your Pastor is Sick
By Cindy Koch - Sometimes I find it comforting to tuck a little Bible verse away, you know, one of those that you can pull out when you are having a bad day. I have even Google searched bible themes before, like “comfort” or “patience” just so the eternal wisdom of God could enlighten my … Continue reading Coffee Cup Theology: is it about me?
By Cindy Koch - There are a thousand different answers to this dilemma, most derived from experience. Too many men and women have been in marriage relationships that just didn’t work out happily ever after. Hurt, angry, confused and tired of fighting for an intimate bond that we have been told is good. Trying to … Continue reading Why marriage doesn’t work
By Paul Koch - I love reading John 20:19-31. It is read every single year on the Sunday after Easter in churches around the world, and rightly so. After all, this is the account of our Lord’s appearance to the disciples in the upper room after His resurrection from the dead. This reading contains the … Continue reading No More Hiding
