by Jim Kelsey | Apr 12, 2019 | Opinion
The hope of Lent is that we will come out of it a bit different than when we entered, having changed in some way for the better. When I think of people changing, I think of the pastor of a church I once attended. First Baptist Church, with its tall white columns and...
by Jim Kelsey | Feb 18, 2019 | Opinion
Our neurology predisposes us to love our neighbor. When Jesus commands us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30-31; Matthew 22:39), he is challenging us to nurture our innate, neurological capacity for empathy. Our brains are wired for empathy, argues...
by Jim Kelsey | Jan 24, 2019 | Opinion
We were naming a room in our church building. We already had a room named after the long-term pastor of the church, who led the congregation during what was seen by the long-tenured members as the heyday of the church. Our choosing of a name had come to the point...
by Jim Kelsey | Dec 7, 2018 | Opinion
Three weeks into my time at the church, she sat in my office and said, “Dr. Kelsey, you are my pastor, and I will never oppose you in public. I will follow where you lead this church, but I will never trust you.” She had found that pastors are not trustworthy. Several...
by Jim Kelsey | Nov 20, 2018 | Opinion
I still remember the growing sense of freedom as I headed south down Interstate 71 with our minivan loaded for vacation – my wife and young sons securely buckled in – leaving my church and the attendant responsibilities behind for a while. I enjoyed pastoring my...
