Barnabas File

As I was planning to write this blog, I came across a Facebook post from a person whose career I have followed for a couple of decades.  This is a guy that I really admire.  He posted a long narrative on his FB page that said that he is no longer pursuing the “big dream” but has decided that there is a better way to do life.  He has pulled his resume decided to concentrate on a trade where he can work with his hands, something that gives him great satisfaction.   A key ingredient in this decision was his experience during the COVID crisis. He thought that eventually the financial need would cause him to get serious about finding a job and get back to the expectations that others had for him. Well, it’s not happening that way.   There are many people out there who have experienced an alternate reality during the pandemic, and it has changed their perspective on life.  Some call this “the Great Resignation” as many choose to give up their ...

“The brave   person   is not   the one  who does not feel afraid but   the one   who conquers that fear.”                          --Nelson Mandela (adapted) In interactions with a number of clergy leaders in the last two months, I have encountered a wide variety of emotions.  Some are challenged by this opportunity to try new ways to connect with parishioners, lead in worship, and care for those in need even if it means they are actually working harder and putting in more hours.  Others are struggling to keep up with the changes and doing the best they can under the circumstances.  No one I have encountered has given up, but they have felt the stress of so many unprecedented changes.  Added to this, many now face the stress of working with their congregations to identify a way forward.   I believe that we are going to see a lot of...

In the wake of the resignation of the pastor of a megachurch in our area, the local paper published an article citing the findings of a survey related to pastoral attrition: “LifeWay Research also found that 40 percent left pastoral work before age 65 because they had a change in calling, 25 percent cited a conflict in a church, 12 percent left because of personal finances and 12 percent left for family issues. The online survey conducted in 2015 asked questions of 734 former senior pastors who left in four Protestant denominations, and respondents could choose more than one reason.” In reviewing these results, most of us realize that if a person is continually dealing with conflict, financial concerns, or family issues, he or she will probably consider “a change in calling” for personal well-being and relationship health!  We expect too much of our senior leaders and often fail to provide the support they need in setting boun...

Chaplain Pierce McIntyre offers helpful insights and prayers for dealing with every day life in his regular e-mails to friends and colleagues.  In an e-mail, he pointed out that there is an inherent contradiction in the term “holiday stress.”    A holiday is “a celebratory day, break, day of rest or vacation.”  Stress means “anxiety, impatience, and nervous tension.”  The two really don’t seem to go together, but we know that they exist in combination too often these days. We are now immersed in the “holiday season’ that is inaugurated with Thanksgiving, reaches its peak with Christmas, and then closes out with New Year’s Day.  This is a time of feasting, visiting, giving, reflection, and worship for most of us.  As McIntyre notes, however, it is often a time of stress as well. So how do we deal with the stress?  What are some things we can do to deal with the stress? First, we can set priorities.  What do we really val...

In the wake of the resignation of the pastor of a megachurch in our area, the local paper published an article citing the findings of a survey related to pastoral attrition: “LifeWay Research also found that 40 percent left pastoral work before age 65 because they had a change in calling, 25 percent cited a conflict in a church, 12 percent left because of personal finances and 12 percent left for family issues. The online survey conducted in 2015 asked questions of 734 former senior pastors who left in four Protestant denominations, and respondents could choose more than one reason.” In reviewing these results, most of us realize that if a person is continually dealing with conflict, financial concerns, or family issues, he or she will probably consider “a change in calling” for personal well-being and relational health!  We expect too much of our senior leaders and often fail to provide the support they need in ...

Chaplain Pierce McIntyre offers helpful insights and prayers for dealing with every day life in his regular e-mails to friends and colleagues.   In a recent e-mail, he pointed out that there is an inherent contradiction in the term “holiday stress.”      A holiday is “a celebratory day, break, day of rest or vacation.”   Stress means “anxiety, impatience, and nervous tension.”   The two really don’t seem to go together, but we know that they exist in combination too often these days. We are now immersed in the “holiday season’ that is inaugurated with Thanksgiving, reaches its peak with Christmas, and then closes out with New Year’s Day.   This is a time of feasting, visiting, giving, reflection, and worship for most of us.   As McIntyre notes, however, it is often a time of stress as well. So how do we deal with the stress?   What are some things we can do to deal with the stress? First, we can set priorities.   What do...

Chaplain Pierce McIntyre offers helpful insights and prayers for dealing with every day life in his regular e-mails to friends and colleagues.  In a recent e-mail, he pointed out that there is an inherent contradiction in the term “holiday stress.”    A holiday is “a celebratory day, break, day of rest or vacation.”  Stress means “anxiety, impatience, and nervous tension.”  The two really don’t seem to go together, but we know that they exist in combination too often these days. We are now immersed in the “holiday season’ that is inaugurated with Thanksgiving, reaches its peak with Christmas, and then closes out with New Year’s Day.  This is a time of feasting, visiting, giving, reflection, and worship for most of us.  As McIntyre notes, however, it is often a time of stress as well. So how do we deal with the stress?  What are some things we can do to deal with the stress? First, we can set priorities.  What do we really ...