The Journey Blog Archives

When I entered full-time ministry I wasn’t naïve. But I was idealistic. In our twenties, most ministers are. I believed in the goodness and sovereignty of God, the truth and promises of His Word, the salvation and power of the Gospel, the beauty of the church, the privilege of serving in ministry. I believed in these things. I believed in them then and I believe in them today, even more than I believed in them…

“You’re killing me, Smalls!” Everyone knows this wonderful quote from the classic movie, “The Sandlot.” Too often, I say this.  But not with a smile.  Let me explain. I'm sitting in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport waiting for my next flight. How many times in my life have I sat in these gate areas waiting for “the next flight?” As I stood in the aisle of the plane waiting to disembark from “the previous flight” earlier today,…

The Historic Opportunity In our rapidly changing world, the church faces many challenges external and internal.  These challenges affect doctrine, daily living and ministry. But seen through the eyes of faith, these same challenges offer the church unprecedented opportunities for internal renewal and a great external move to present Jesus Christ to our world and to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28.19-20). To make the most of these historic opportunities, the church needs innovative, bold, and…

Pastor Appreciation Month October is Pastor Appreciation Month in churches across America, an opportunity to let your pastor or pastors know how grateful you are to God for their ministry. The point isn't to make celebrities of pastors, but to acknowledge their ministries as servant-leaders for God. And it's a wonderful moment for congregations to celebrate their shared life in Christ. How so? Just as family members feel love for each other when they honor…

   Preparing for change is a bit like trying to predict the future, and we humans are mediocre forecasters on our best day. Just ask your local weather man. I am in Week 5 of an unplanned sabbatical. That is not a euphemism; no, I was not fired from my previous job. My previous job was a ministry start-up. When start-up was complete, I handed-off to the next leader. Everyone involved knew that a transition was…

Armed and Ready Not long ago, I wrote here about a heart "event" I underwent three years ago. In that piece, I used that experience to show the difference between a shepherd after God's own heart and a hireling. You can read that article here. Little did I know at the time that this heart "event" would not be my last.I recently experienced my second, and this time, more grave one. Because the issue was…

It's been 13 years since that night I sat with my back to the elm tree. At times it's hard to imagine that many years have passed; and yet, I can still feel every detail of the bark pressed up against my back. There are days when it feels like I never left that spot, like my life has been one long season of bruising since then. That's not entirely true. I've had three sons…

Lessons from a Young Church Planter By Josiah SmithOriginally published October 2019 in Evangel Magazine Free falling at over 120 mph isn’t for the faint of heart, but I thought I’d give it a try. It was a sunny day in May of 2014. My friends and I had arrived in front of the small, arched building overlooking a nearby field, and just a few hours later found ourselves stuffed in a tiny prop plane…

“How is swimming in the ocean different than swimming in a pool?” It was my kids’ first time ever seeing the ocean. As I stared at the immensity of it, the dangers it presented flashed like a terrible powerpoint in my mind’s eye. I realized I had done a poor job preparing my kids for what they were about to experience. They had no concept of the dangers or the resources that would protect them from those dangers. I had not taught them how to successfully navigate the yellow and purple flags (moderate surf and…

As I have written before, during my high school and college years, I was blessed to have three true pastors, three shepherds in heart and action ( You can read about them here). Each of these men embodied the promise of God communicated through the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 3.15: “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you knowledge and understanding.” Each of them was a shepherd after God’s…

Let’s be clear: I am not a baker.  However, my wife is a phenomenal cook AND baker. One thing I’ve learned about baking is that ingredients and instructions REALLY matter. While cooking can be a bit forgiving and leaves room for creative reimagining of flavors and textures as you go, baking is more precise. It’s essentially chemistry applied in the kitchen. Yale’s curriculum on the Chemistry of Cooking calls baking “the art of precision.” One…

Less "-ing" & more "pastor-" Three years ago, I had a heart “event,” one that required a 5-day stay in the hospital. Over those five days, I met a parade of cardiologists and nurses. All of these medical practitioners were excellent: professional and personable. Except one: the nurse who woke me in the middle of the night every night to draw blood. Where other nurses were gracious and gentle each time they drew blood or…

He who is the Lord of life… came to bind up, not to break; to heal, not to destroy. (Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed) I sat alone with my back to a big elm tree, looking out over the Des Moines River valley, North toward the Kate Shelley bridge. The 16” of snow on the ground around me was actually warm compared to the cold, midnight air that stung my exposed face. But that didn’t…