Have you ever faced the difficult, emotional experience of firing an employee? Or perhaps you’ve had to place boundaries on a relationship? In the business world, a boss might want to avoid the pain of firing an employee who needs to be fired. In Christian communities, the theology of love and grace is deeply rootedContinue reading “When do you draw the line with a difficult employee, friend or family member? – 1 Kings 1—2, Part 4”
Tag Archives: boundaries
Pastoral Ministry is not only a job, it is a life – What I wish I would have known before becoming a pastor, Part 1
“What do you wish you would’ve known before becoming a pastor?” We pastors talk about it all the time amongst ourselves. We rarely if ever talk about it with the people we pastor. Yet that’s what I did this past Sunday at Faith Church. Why? Once per quarter I pause my sermon series and haveContinue reading “Pastoral Ministry is not only a job, it is a life – What I wish I would have known before becoming a pastor, Part 1”
Have you ever felt like a relational vending machine? – John 6:22-51, Preview
How would you like to be a human vending machine? I’m talking about a situation in which you feel used. It can happen to all of us, and we usually don’t like it. Maybe in your job, you feel like people are constantly asking more and more of you. Parents can really slip into thisContinue reading “Have you ever felt like a relational vending machine? – John 6:22-51, Preview”
Sometimes healthy relationships need boundaries – Relationships: Family, Part 5
Sometimes family relationships need boundaries. As a family grows, we simply cannot care for everyone deeply, and frankly some people don’t want to be cared for. Worse, some people are toxic. Some are abusive. When people behave badly, it is okay to impose boundaries on theme. We place boundaries on relationships to stop the hurt,Continue reading “Sometimes healthy relationships need boundaries – Relationships: Family, Part 5”
How to be loving parents – Colossians 3:18-21, Part 5
When our second son was in middle school, he wanted to go to a school dance. I don’t remember what our reason was, but we said No. This led to a long drawn out back and forth, highly emotional, discussion between us and our son, in which he was pleading for us to change. ParentingContinue reading “How to be loving parents – Colossians 3:18-21, Part 5”
Current Events – (How to Avoid) The Failure of Ravi Zacharias, Part 5
This week on the blog, I’ve been talking about the recent news of the awful failure of Ravi Zacharias. He is one in a long line of abusive leaders, and started with the first post here I’ve attempted to tell his story and how we might respond to it. As I mentioned in some ofContinue reading “Current Events – (How to Avoid) The Failure of Ravi Zacharias, Part 5”
Engaging Scripture 