A tense encounter outside a church revealed how easily abuse and manipulation can distort the story we think we are seeing. Reflecting on one woman’s difficult circumstances, this post considers the need for compassionate, wise pastoral care—and offers resources for learning to recognize and respond to abuse.
A tense encounter outside a church revealed how easily abuse and manipulation can distort the story we think we are seeing. Reflecting on one woman’s difficult circumstances, this post considers the need for compassionate, wise pastoral care—and offers resources for learning to recognize and respond to abuse.
Following Jesus into compassionate service can lead to complicated and uncomfortable situations. How do we keep loving others while practicing wisdom, discernment, and healthy boundaries?
Churches want to respond compassionately when people in poverty ask for help, but limited resources and complex circumstances can make that difficult. Understanding the tremendous stress impoverished people carry can help us respond with wisdom, patience, and Christlike love.
Jesus-shaped pacifism is not passive. It creatively confronts aggression, exposes injustice, and flips the script. What might happen if we moved beyond our habitual reactions and responded to difficulty with the wise, disarming innocence of Jesus?
“The Secret Fire whispers to us if we have ears to hear. It tells us things—even shows us things,” Tom Bombadil explained in The Rings of Power. “How do I learn to master its power to fight back against the darkness?” asked his acquaintance. “What does the Secret Fire need with you as a master?”…
Pastors may love biblical scholarship, detailed exegesis, and theological argument—but that doesn’t mean the congregation needs a lecture on Sunday morning. Faithful preaching must do more than communicate information: it must feed people, reach their hearts, and help heal their souls.
My professor arrived late because he had been overwhelmed by the love of God. The lesson planned for that day was never taught—but through him, I encountered the truth around which every worthy doctrine revolves.
Calling a church “biblical” often means its pastor teaches what listeners already expect the Bible to say. But genuine faithfulness requires us to wrestle with the whole of Scripture—its complexity, tensions, contexts, and varied perspectives—alongside the Holy Spirit who inspired it.
When a man ignored a congregant’s explicit request and arrived at our church anyway, I faced a difficult pastoral decision: welcome him or protect the woman who feared his manipulation. That morning reminded me that shepherding a congregation sometimes means drawing firm boundaries—even when doing so looks unwelcoming.
Jamin Bradley 