This Poor Pastor's Podcast

In this episode, I'm gonna just have an honest discussion with you about the pastor and his position, and the pitfalls that can creep up on him. I'm probably gonna make some people mad, a few glad, and hopefully give you a few laughs along the way.

Have you ever heard that the church is supposed to be a hospital for sinners? Have you ever actually asked anybody what that means? In this episode, I ask that question, and give you my best stab at an answer! Click here to support this podcast!

In today's conversation, I want to share some of the bad arguments I have heard for not attending church. Specifically, the church isn't a building, and the NT church didn't meet in a building. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I love the church. I am filled with hope and optimism about the church and her future, and I also recognize that we have many challenges to overcome. I'd like to talk to you about it this week.

There is a drastic lack of discussion of God as our Heavenly Father, and what that means. Many times, when talking about the Father, we lapse into language relating to Jesus the Son. As we finish our discussion on the presence of God, I want to talk to you a bit about your Heavenly Father. Resources from the Episode: "Show Me the Father" (Kendrick Brothers Documentary on Amazon Prime.) C...

Are there any indications that we are living in the presence of God? Are all the joy and gladness in the life of a believer reserved for that eternal day, one day, a long time from now? Is it true that in the presence of God, there is the fullness of joy, is that for today? These things and more are on today's episode.

What if I told you that it was possible to experience the presence of God in a tangible, physical way? Would that be something you would be interested in? Well, it is possible, and I'm going to tell you how.

Have you ever read the Psalms where the author asked God where He is? Have you ever said, "Yep, that's how I feel." You are not alone. In this discussion, we are going to examine this idea for a few moments, and I hope to give you some encouragement to lean in when you feel like God has stepped out.

Have you ever heard someone say that God doesn't need us, we need Him? Have you ever felt like a relationship with God is all a one-way street? In our second discussion on the topic of exploring the presence of God, we are going to discuss this very topic.

This week I want to talk to you about the presence of God. Does God want to spend time with us, or does He tolerate us? Is God's presence something we should expect to see and feel? If so, is it purely subjective, or is it also objective? I'm excited about discussing it with you this week!

Imagine if you could start the entire year over, and everything up till then could just vanish? Wouldn't that be cool? How many of us would do it, only to be in the same position a few months later? Hands Up! In Exodus chapter 12 God came to Israel and told them He was restarting the calendar, and He had some very specific instructions about how and why they were doing it. I think you'll f...

How do you know what to do when you pray for direction? Is there a way that God uses to direct us? While there are probably several, one of the ones He uses in my life is the tool of prompts. In this episode I share a story of how this worked recently in my own life, and hope it encourages you to start listening, and following, the prompts.

The power and reality of spiritual darkness get overlooked way too often. In this episode, as we continue our theme of forward progress, I want to encourage you to consider the impact of the spiritual world on your life and actions.

Life is a bully. It will knock you down and come back around again, every time you try to rise. So what do you do when that happens? Do you let up? Do you lean in? Let's talk about that

Sometimes you have to build a boat, and sometimes you have to burn the ships. Both require faith, and both will be criticized by those who value safety or rationality above all else.

On today's episode, I'm just gonna speak from my heart. There aren't a lot of steps to follow, or a formula, just some heartfelt inspiration. One of the greatest passions of my life is to help people move out of the prison of their past into the light of the future God has for them. I'm not naive. I know life is hard. BUT...our past, no matter how difficult, does not have to become...

The person best equipped to help you might not be the one who knows how you feel. This is a lesson I have been learning, and, thanks to my PT I have found several other lessons that will aid in your recovery from injury, physical, emotional, or spiritual, and help you understand why it's really hard to be both the patient and the physician.

Grief doesn't have to be your master. There is a way to manage your grief that can bring hope and healing to your life once again. In this episode, I share my 5 step process to help you do just that. Interested in downloading the free PDF of this process? Click on the link below to download it from my website. "How to Grieve Well"

We are surrounded by people who are wounded and grieving. Trying to help those people can be incredibly difficult, primarily because of the teaching that is prevalent in the secular world and even many churches, that confuses comfort with sympathy, empathy, and validation. It is a philosophy that eschews solutions, in favor of "understanding." In this episode, I would like to provide ano...

On this episode, I want to walk you through my U.N.S.T.U.C.K. acronym. This is a program I developed to walk people through the process of identifying and initiating the meaningful change they need to get them out of that rut. I have seen it work in my own life, and I know it would work in yours. Want to schedule a free coaching call with Mark? Fill out the Form Here

Who are the three most important people in your life? It might not be who you think. In this episode, I challenge you to identify and maybe consider changing those people if necessary. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Here's a quick challenge to you. Pick at least one contact from your phone or social media and send them a note to let them know that you were thinking about them. Pray for them, and let them know it. Reach out to someone you haven't heard from in a while, or someone you recently met and leave them an encouraging message. Grow your network, grow your community. Give a good word.

Not everyone who has experienced pain and difficulty develops the mindset problems we examine in this episode. Some people in this mindset haven't even experienced anything difficult at all yet. In today's episode, I list the ten signs of what I call the "trauma and disability" mindset that is so prevalent and holds so many people back. You can download it for yourself in PDF for...

When you are pruning a fruit tree, you won't be successful by just making miniscule cuts, year by year. If there is no fruit or diminished fruit production, it will take some targeted, aggressive cutting to return to a fruitful stage. And no, this episode isn't about horticulture, but it is about church, ministry, and life. Take a listen! Resource Mentioned in This Episode (Thank you!) &qu...

Hey everyone! This is the seventh episode since I started my daily podcast experiment. I thought this would be a good time to share some thoughts I have on the future of this podcast, ask you for some valued feedback, and share a short essay I wrote on the perils of raising daughters. It's a bit eclectic. Hopefully, you enjoy it!