How do you care for parents of a new baby in the hospital?
Our church was blessed with the birth of two new babies this past weekend, actually within 24 hours of each other. As we celebrated the births of these little ones, I began to get excited about the...
View ArticleWhat are the common excuses used to neglect visiting the sick and dying?
While in Scotland, we spent some time at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh. Dear friends, Paul Rees and Liam Garvie, are faithful and gifted pastors at this church and were gracious hosts to us while...
View ArticleHow does a pastor train his people through public preaching to see the value...
There are all kinds of ways for a pastor to help his people see the value of caring and visiting those who are sick, afflicted, and dying. The best place to start is through the public preaching of...
View ArticleHow does a pastor train his people to care for the sick through public prayer?
I will admit, praying the never-ending prayer list when the church gathers can turn into a meaningless, painful mantra. This is not what I am proposing. I am encouraging you to pick a couple of...
View ArticleShould pastors still anoint with oil when praying for the sick?
I am painfully aware that I am the guy who wrote Visit the Sick, thus naturally become the guy who is suppose to know the answer to this question. The fact is, I am still wrestling with it. While...
View ArticleHow do we face the inevitability of sickness with hope?
This past Sunday morning , I had the privilege of preaching at Immanuel Baptist Church here in Louisville, Ky, a very special and faithful congregation. One of my dearest friends on this earth, Ryan...
View ArticleHow does a pastor minister to his people when he is battling physical illness?
I rarely get sick anymore. Because of this, I am always caught off guard by it and realize I did not pad my schedule for it. Last week I had a day set aside to visit a new born baby in the hospital...
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Visit the Sick…3rd Edition!
If you were wondering why Visit the Sick has been hard to find lately, it is because Day One was in process of printing the 3rd edition, which is now available. It is hard to believe it was just 4...
View ArticleWhat does it mean for the pastor to minister the Word of God?
So many good and fruitful tasks demand a pastor’s time, and yet most cannot be accomplished on a regular basis. How is a pastor to know what is to be the main priority? The pastor’s task is to...
View ArticleWhat are 10 practical tools to hospital visitation?
Yesterday, I taught a class at SBTS on hospital visitation. I reminded them how pastoral visitation has become a lost art in the younger generation of pastors and that fear is among the many reasons...
View ArticleShould a pastor include his children in his pastoral work?
On a previous post, we talked about how a pastor helps his children appreciate his work, not resent it. This post explained how a pastor should help his children see how important his work is to God....
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What is an unexpected book request I received in Zambia?
Today, we handed out several free Practical Shepherding books to these hungry pastors Jim Savastio and I have been teaching this week in Zambia. One pastor approached me shortly after we handed out...
View ArticleWhat practical tip about hospital visitation do I find myself coming back to...
When I first started hospital visitations, I often found my efforts and time in vain. This was not because of a bad visit but because I would not get to see the sick. So I would leave and try to come...
View ArticleWhat are 10 practical tools when visiting new parents in the hospital?
I had a very sweet time with the leadership and pastoral interns at Immanuel Baptist Church this past Friday. A large part of what I was asked to do was talk about hospital visitation and caring for...
View ArticleWhat can I pray when praying for the sick in the hospital?
When all else fails…pray the gospel. One morning, I was called by a nurse at a local hospital requesting my immediate presence. The non-Christian spouse of one of our members was moments away from...
View ArticleHow do you teach what a pastor is to a child?
I once was asked to address a classroom filled with 4-6 year old children and try to explain to them what a pastor is and does. I accepted, not because I felt I could do this well (far from it), but...
View ArticleShould pastors still anoint with oil when visiting and praying for the sick?
I wrote on this subject a few years ago and engaged in a helpful discussion. You can see that previous post and those many comments here. Yet, for a variety of reasons, I am thinking through this...
View ArticleHow should a pastor approach visiting a church member in the hospital when...
Though a semi-private room is frequently seen as an inconvenience, we should recognize it as a great opportunity. We must always be polite, respectful, and sensitive so that we do not disturb other...
View ArticleWhat are some practical tips when visiting new parents in the hospital?
Heading this afternoon to visit the newest addition to our church and her proud parents. Pastors, seize every opportunity to go to the hospital on these occasions to see new born babies. It is some...
View ArticleWhat are 5 reasons Christians do not visit the sick and dying?
One of the most important tasks in a pastor’s ministry is one of the most neglected: Going to hospitals to care for the sick and dying. It has practically become a lost art in the younger generations...
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