“Where can a pastor go to find answers to basic but essential questions about ministry?” Gary L. McIntosh asks early in The Ministry Answer Book for Pastors. Released in 2025…
Default (Jeff McLain)
This category collects the general writings of Jeff McLain, centering on his reflections about the Lord’s Prayer, the call to lead a quiet life from 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12, and his ministry at Water Street Mission and River Corner Church. Here, readers will find posts that don’t fit into other categories but still flow from Jeff’s journey as a pastor, writer, and sojourner pursuing simplicity, presence, and faithfulness in everyday life.
Review: ESV Expository Commentary, Volume 9 (John–Acts)
There are three things I reach for more than anything else in the study — my coffee, my Bible, and a commentary. As someone whose daily rhythm is significantly shaped…
Connecting People to Church: Hospitality, Belonging, and Welcome
In Connecting People to Church (2025), Gary L. McIntosh remarks, “Evangelism without connection produces spiritual orphans; connection without evangelism produces a stagnant club” (McIntosh 2025, 1). The image of the…
A Pastoral Triad: Three Distinct Books, One Pastoral Conversation with Gary L. McIntosh
Gary L. McIntosh may have started my ecclesiological deconstruction before I knew I was constructing anything. I will talk about that later. For that, I need to thank Gary L.…
Blessings and Benedictions from Scripture for the Church
A few years ago, I read through the Old and New Testaments looking for blessings and benedictions to use at the beginning or end of sermon messages and prayers. Occasionally,…