The Crabby Pastor

Send a text I've been on an unusual streaming journey. This is part 1 of a three-part mini-series.  This episode looks at kenotic leadership through the lens of two secular leaders: Adam Neumann of WeWork and Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos.  Support the show This is a GUILT-FREE zone! So here's your friendly nudge about self-care and its importance for your family, friends, and those you s...

Send a text Here is some help for your mental and probably emotional health. What does your sermon prep look like? Need some practical helps?  Or, share this with a "friend" who needs some helps in this department.  Support the show This is a GUILT-FREE zone! So here's your friendly nudge about self-care and its importance for your family, friends, and those you serve in ministry. C...

Send a text Got a burnout story to share? Want a leadership or self-care topic covered.? Then go HERE.... and enter your info. Your input can be anonymous... and that's perfectly fine... or maybe you'd like to be part of an episode. It's your call.  Meanwhile... we're talking about the BIG NUMBER Sundays....followed by the lows of the low Sundays that follow.  What's the b...

Send a text Leading ministry can be lonely. Some of us tend to isolate because of geography and others withdraw, Many ministry leaders believe they can handle their own “ministry stuff” in isolation…with Jesus… but in isolation. Sometimes they don’t have a safe place to talk about their stuff. Sometimes even among colleagues you don’t want to chat up your challenges and weaknesses because… in some...

Send a text I can't tell you how many ministry leaders seem to think it's a badge of honor to NOT take their vacation time. Trust me, no one is handing out medals for this. Even Jesus stepped away from the demands of the crowd to slow down and reconnect with the Father. So... here's my rant on the topic of vacation.... ****************************************************************...

Send a text Are you a human DOING or a human BEING? Another way of asking that is... where is the center of your identity? This is important because your actions flow OUT of your identity.  ************************************************************ I'm collecting topics for discussion and burnout stories. They will be used for the podcast and it's your chance to help me make sure my co...

Send a text Think for a moment about how you talk to yourself. How kind are you? How patient are you? How much grace do you extend to yourself? Can you imagine Jesus saying to you what you say to yourself? ........................................................... I'm collecting topics for discussion and burnout stories. They will be used for the podcast and it's your chance to help me...

Send a text A little bit of brain science helps mental self-care. And, today, the technology we use does indeed impact our minds. In fact, our technology becomes part of us. Don't believe me? Think about how you can keyboard (a technology) without thinking about each letter you are hitting. Slowly, over time, the tools we use become part of us. So what does this mean for self-care and taking...

Send a text Stuck? In transition? Wondering about the next steps? All these are great reasons to get a coach(which is a type of self-care). But what really is the very first step to self-care? Know this: it all begins with YOU. Click HERE for Downloadable PDF: Radical Self-care: A journal-style self-assessment to help you understand your own mindset about self-care.  Support the show This is a GUI...

Send a text Here's how a coach worked with me as  I lead the process of merging  4.5 churches... and you read correctly four-point-five churches. Don't journey alone! Click HERE for Downloadable PDF: Radical Self-care: A journal-style self-assessment to help you understand your own mindset about self-care.  Support the show This is a GUILT-FREE zone! So here's your friendly nudge ab...

Send a text Kathy, my Spiritual Director, walked with me for about 7 years… during the doctoral process and even beyond! She was a gift to me that greatly influences me to this day.   Kathy never missed an opportunity to say, “You’re living your dissertation!” So, when you pick a topic for your dissertation, (and mine was a survey about how well pastors understood being surrendered to God’s purpos...

Send a text Sometimes you get to the end of your rope with a long process. Other times you wonder if a call from God means you are operating under delusions of grandeur. It had to be ME because God does not get things wrong. Maybe I misinterpreted the Call. That could happen, right? About halfway through seminary, I discovered a master's thesis spelling out statistically how unlikely it was t...

Send a text As with most calls, once you tell people around you they all go silent. I was finally figuring out why some of that is. And then about halfway through the challenges of education, new issues come to light: my own baggage and idiosyncrasies. I thought they were already too many to count. I discovered there were even more than I had imagined. And that was on top of the fact that God made...

Send a text I honestly did not see this coming. Being raised Catholic, my options were: nun. I had this list... and it was titled: "I'll Do Anything for you Jesus, except..."  It contained things like go to a Third World (I'm a wimp, I admit it), speak in front of people (I used to break out in red blotches, ask my husband), and other such nonsense that I deemed as being beyond...

Send a text God always seems to lead one step at a time. I am chronically jumping up and down next to Jesus saying, "I wanna see the big picture plan, Jesus..."  Jesus, ever so kindly says, "Can you trust me to hold the blueprint for you??" This. Is. Humbling. And. Hard. If you are at all a visionary (someone who sees possibility ahead), it's tricky to stay in the NOW. On...

Send a text A much-needed question at a timely moment.  I chronically do things backward, which I guess has a consistency to it, doesn't it?  I attended a bible study for a year and a half before attending a worship service.  For sure I thought the walls would cave in when I set foot in the sanctuary, so oddly I attended Bible study in the fellowship hall thinking those 20 feet or so made the...

Send a text This is part 3 in a series.  At this point, I’m on government programs… Pell grant, food stamps, and whatever else assistance I can find to sustain and try to move forward. I was a stay-at-home Mom thrust into the world of figuring out how to get my feet under myself and how to become the head of a household.  Boy, I don't recall thinking things through thoroughly as I do now, but...

Send a text In this next episode in our series:  God grants friends for the journey... in a big way.  These spiritual friends were the "go above and beyond" types of Christians, dedicated to showing God's love to me in a messy time.  All of this forms the basis for why I am passionate about serving ministry leaders.  And, it's a strong call for you to surround yourself with spi...

Send a text Just when you think life is going along swimmingly, WHAM! an unexpected connection is made that frankly made me see my pursuit of self-care in a whole new light. All this time I thought this ministry was based on how I became a burned-out and fried little ministry leader after a merger of 4.5 congregations.  Ha! The roots go much deeper! Reminder: REDEMPTION: taking what is not-so-grea...

Send a text Sometimes we get so focused on what we are doing that we miss ways God might be getting us ready for a bit of a side excursion.  Support the show This is a GUILT-FREE zone! So here's your friendly nudge about self-care and its importance for your family, friends, and those you serve in ministry. Contact info: Email me at crabbypastor@gmail.com with your input and ideas for burnout...

Send a text I've stepped away after more than 15 years of pastoral ministry and a dozen years of church revitalization work to answer the call to be a spiritual companion to those who are serving in ministry today. I'd LOVE to hear your story. No, this is not a sales pitch. (I'm kinda bad at those, actually.) I learn and grow as I hear the needs of those who are leading others to be...

Send a text Take a moment to take a breath and recapture why you do what you to serve Jesus. Click here to upload PDF of the Prayer. As always, I am here to help! I'd love to hear your story! Click here to schedule a FREE Discovery Call today! Support the show This is a GUILT-FREE zone! So here's your friendly nudge about self-care and its importance for your family, friends, and those y...

Send a text Weird things can happen at a retreat. And hey, someone has to call out the chef.  Let's talk about frankness. Let's talk about honesty. But let's NOT eat those garlic pancakes in silence!  Support the show This is a GUILT-FREE zone! So here's your friendly nudge about self-care and its importance for your family, friends, and those you serve in ministry. Contact inf...

Send a text One more turkey story in honor of turkey day.  I'm pretty sure this is past the statute of limitations so it's safe to tell this true story. No harm was intended. However...  Support the show This is a GUILT-FREE zone! So here's your friendly nudge about self-care and its importance for your family, friends, and those you serve in ministry. Contact info: Email me at crab...

Send a text My first role as pastor. Here's a glimpse of what it looks like walking into an existing congregation and learning their rhythms... while at the same time... hoping for more for them.  Support the show This is a GUILT-FREE zone! So here's your friendly nudge about self-care and its importance for your family, friends, and those you serve in ministry. Contact info: Email me at...