The Word and the Work: Thoughts on Preaching, Pastoring, and the Christian Life

Autism Awareness is a term that makes me smile. Every time I hear that said it makes me think about my wife's coffee cup. Some years ago we were in a Bed, Bath, and Beyond store and saw a large Tervis tumbler that was on sale. It had a multi-colored puzzle piece and said "Autism Aware" instead of what it was probably supposed to say, which we believe was "Autism Awareness". We laugh whenever she uses it and find ourselves saying "boy are we aware of autism". We, like many families in our community, have a child that has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD). These families are much like your own but are tasked with living in the Kingdom of Autism along with the everyday world that everyone else lives in. Let me tell you a few things about the Kingdom of Autism. It is simultaneously one of the most amazing and magical places you can imagine while also occasionally being a place of great hardship. There are things that happen in this kingdo...

  Autism and Gospel Communication I do not claim to be an expert on autism. I am not even an expert on the individual that lives in my home who is autistic. What I do see as a father and a pastor is a great need for Christian parents and churches to be better equipped to try to have spiritual conversations with those in their lives that might be affected by autism. This is no simple task and it is something that needs a great deal of thought, research, and prayer. What I want to offer are some basics about having spiritual (and other) conversations with people who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). There is no one size fits all approach to autism because it is so diverse in the way it impacts people, but hopefully this will be a start for someone who is grasping for help and finding no resources to help. I know that there are people at different places on the autism spectrum for which some of these principles may not be as applicable. However, it is my pra...

          Acts 2:42 (NKJV)   And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.          Gathering with God's people is a great privilege given to us by God.  More than that, we are commanded as God's people to gather for the express purpose of praising God corporately.  I have said many times that worship is the thing that God has used in my life above all else to minister to me in days of difficulty.  When we come together and worship the Lord for who He is and what He has done in our lives it places our worldly troubles into proper perspective.  We recognize as we worship that there is a God in Heaven who is sovereign over all things, who has a plan that is beyond our comprehension, and who is completely holy and good.  Worship fixes our eyes on the things above so that we can walk properly through our lives here in this worl...

I am the SENIOR PASTOR of Chestnut Grove Baptist Church.  Not that there is a junior pastor.  There is just me, but the title remains.  I am simply the pastor.  So, here I am 2 months into my first pastorate.  I probably know it all by now, right?  Not hardly.  Luckily, I was blessed with a salesman's brain so names are coming easy, which makes things much more smooth. So, 8 weeks in I was hoping to have some great pearls of pastoral wisdom to share, but again I say, not hardly.  Anyways, I will tell you a few things.  The first thing is that people here are amazing.  They have been a blessing to both me and my family.  We have been provided with a great home and much more. Secondly, I will confess that I love my job.  I know I am not supposed to call it a job, but it is that and a lot more.  It is a calling, a lifestyle, and really just a lot of fun.  I have had some great and not so great moments already, but I ...