Several years ago, my pastor-husband and I found ourselves divorcing — not each other, but a church. Leaving the congregation we had nurtured and loved, we struggled with a gamut of emotions: anger, bitterness, betrayal, jealousy and resentment. We had to give up our grudges, however, if we were to recover spiritually and serve again healthily. To do so, we needed to embrace four essential principles:
Martin Luther King said, "Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is an attitude." It is a moment-by-moment decision to be merciful and to bear the iniquities of those who have wronged you, as did the Lord Jesus. So as we left behind our pastorate, we chose also to leave behind our grudges, which set us free to serve as God intended
Have pastors today compromised the gospel and their callings to avoid hardship, criticism and involvement? Are they too comfortable in their isolated offices to mingle with their beloved as did the Great Shepherd?
An occasional hour of gossip with the girls isn't so bad -- or is it? I'd never given much thought to gossip's harm. In recent years, an unusual circumstance brought the subject of gossip into a different light.
One in four ministers will be fired at some time during ministry. One of every three ministers is serving a congregation that forced the previous minister to pack his books, empty his desk and turn in his office keys. How three families learned there was life after termination.