Charles R. Swindoll's Blog, page 15

As I scan the lives of those I most admire in Scripture, I quickly discover that very few of them were loners. Not long ago, I spent almost a year studying the aging apostle John—a man who was still active...

I thought we should start off the New Year right by reminding ourselves of an essential role we have as pastor-teachers. Take some time right now and watch this message I delivered to those about to enter ministry. My challenge...

Do you feel the tightening squeeze this time of year brings? On top of an already demanding schedule of preaching, teaching, counseling, and calling, you have had to add Christmas parties and programs, a creative Christmas series that you've never...

I'll never forget one man's criticism of me that helped me as much as anything I've ever heard. I was about to graduate from seminary. I had completed the finest courses in theology, Greek, Hebrew, and homiletics—you know, I was...

Occasionally, when Cynthia and I attend a party, she'll say to me, "Let's not be the center of everything. Why don't we just sit on the side and listen for a change?" That's a great reminder in our narcissistic culture,...

The temptation of any child of vocational Christian ministers is to see the work of the ministry as just another thing, just another religious occupation. Breaking through the wall of "public religion" must be the intense responsibility of the parent-minister...

Isolation . . . Loneliness . . . Solitude. Though surrounded by scores of people, pastors know these feelings all too well. Our position as shepherds, separated from the flock in many ways, can cause us to become closed off...

Are you an aspiring Superman? I'm not talking about pulling on a pair of blue tights and a red cape and putting a fancy "S" on your chest. I'm talking about an attitude: "I am self-sufficient," "I need no one...

Our jobs as pastors are not without work-site hazards. We don't wear hard hats, of course, but maybe we should! The hazards I'm speaking of are those within our hearts. One of the greatest of these is what I call...

A number of years ago, Randy Alcorn wrote a little sidebar called, "Consequences of a Moral Tumble," in a magazine titled Leadership. I've carried it with me since 1988. Trust me, if you review such consequences regularly, your lust will...