Lewis warns that our desire to be a part of the inner ring might cause us to set aside our morals. We’re so desperate to be a part of the inner ring that when they approach and ask you to bend a rule, look the other way for just a moment, or participate in their well-intentioned but off-the-books plan, that you’ll compromise your principles as your price of admission.

One of the more common patterns that appears in the church is when people find themselves in the midst of suffering, they believe they have a license to sin. Sometimes they do this consciously, although at times it might be an involuntary reaction.

I’m not saying that every person who makes a big deal about a particular doctrine or conviction is blowing smoke. But I am saying that many who do so are creating a smokescreen to hide their sin. Whether you’re a pastor or not, keep this in mind. Be observant. Don’t be fooled by the smoke.

I have entered into the church, sat down, participated in worship, smiled at the people around me, and then after the service walked out, entered my car, and departed without anyone saying hi, welcoming me, or extending hospitality to me.

One of the challenges that pastors and their families face is life in the goldfish bowl. In many other vocations a person can go to work, do his job, come home, and his home life and family stay out of view. My father worked for a tech giant for 37 years and I can count on my fingers the number of times that I interacted with my father’s co-workers. The same cannot be said about the pastor and his family.

Yes, digital communication is convenient, but in counseling and debate situations, it’s best to conduct these face-to-face. Sit down over a cup of coffee and counsel or engage in debate.

If you want to be more productive, you must train yourself to do it. You don’t have to swear-off technology and switch to a dumb phone and a typewriter, though there could be some advantages. But you should be deliberate about your work habits.

I suspect that few think of the important role that churchmanship plays in a pastor’s ministry.

When I first entered the pastorate I told myself never to preach to any one person in the congregation, and it seems like Providence confirmed this decision time and time again.

A good library is necessary because, as well trained as a minister might be, when he gets his spiffy new diploma upon his graduation, it is not an ending but a new beginning—it is his license to learn.