“A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world.” –John Le Carre I wonder if you have ever given that much thought? I haven’t, until today. Most of my life in pastoral ministry has been spent behind a desk, behind a phone, in a class room, or behind a pulpit! However, there… | Read More
As we begin our second year of serving at New Trails it has prompted some thinking and possible revisioning of why we exist and what we do. When I began to dream about this ministry, the statistics about a high rate of ministry drop outs was filling my focus. As time has gone on I… | Read More
That is some title isn’t it! But read on, you never know where this will end. By now you know that I have some eclectic reading habits. I read ‘junk novels’ for pleasure. I read a variety of religious journals and articles. I read about Fire Fighter related concerns and then I dabble in leadership… | Read More
My Father-in-Law loaned me a book a week or so ago with an interesting title, The Book of Mysteries, by Jonathan Cahn. Cahn writes the book based on Jewish wisdom literature and uses the motif of a student and teacher to convey his message. I have seen a lot of these and generally don’t do… | Read More
Does anyone really know what time it is? A philosophical question embedded in a rock song from my early adolescence. However, that existential question remains vital even today if we as the church of Jesus Christ are to stay focused on that call to be the Body of Christ in a particular time and place…. | Read More
Before we left Yankton a friend loaned me a book entitled, Thank You for Being Late, I know I have referenced this book before, but it seems every few pages this author comes up with a tidbit that sends me on a tangent. The tangent of the moment concerns stability, or what does it mean… | Read More
I am sitting on the deck of my cabin as I work with the wonders of modern technology, a laptop computer. However, today, like most days at the cabin, this one isn’t connected to the outside world, unless you consider it is truly outside in the world! But life in this part of South Dakota… | Read More
By now you know that I love the wilderness. There is something about being in a place bigger than you are that challenges and enriches in a way that a trip to an urban location just cannot do. I have written before about how God has used the wilderness in dealing with his people on… | Read More
I don’t know if you remember the movie Top Gun with Tom Cruise, but I do. One of the songs that seemed to catalyze the movie was “Danger Zone” by Kenny Logins. Being a fan of action adventure movies, just hearing that song reminds me of the scenes of jets screaming though the air, of… | Read More
What is it that sets New Trails apart from some other ministry support processes that are available to pastors today? I cannot tell you that our staff, me and my wife, are more highly trained or dedicated than anyone else. Everyone I know of who is involved in caring for and supporting pastors and others… | Read More
New Trails offers three, five or ten day sabbaticals that are customized to your needs, are designed to help you reconnect with God who has called you to service and can assist you in recovering that joy. As a long term ministry couple, we know firsthand the joys and challenges of full time service, and combined with our wilderness locations we provide the place, space and direction to assist you in creating the space to recover your passion for ministry.
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