Category Archives: Ministry

Wrestling in Prayer

Posted on June 17, 2025 by Richard Heyduck

God, the creator of the universe, invites us to join in what he’s doing. One key way we do that is in prayer. God lets us see people and situations from his point of view, fills us with love for … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Ministry, Prayer | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Contending with the “World, the Flesh, and the Devil”

Posted on June 11, 2025 by Richard Heyduck

Fathers’ Day is this weekend. If you’re an attentive Christian dad you’ve seen that the world, the flesh, and the devil are coming after your kids. As Christian dads, one of our essential jobs is standing against these powers for … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Ministry, Prayer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spiritual Warfare – Our Armament

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Richard Heyduck

If, as we saw last week, our “warfare” is for people, not against people, how can we understand the military images Paul uses to describe the Armor of God?

Posted in Ministry, Spirituality | Leave a comment

Spiritual Warfare – Our Enemy

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Richard Heyduck

Spiritual Warfare has been a popular topic in some segments of American Christianity. In the age of Christendom we were prone to take the “warfare” aspect too literally. Though many instances of “killing people for Jesus” come to mind, just … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Ministry, Sin | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Easy Ministry in the Time of Coronavirus

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Richard Heyduck

Here are a few easy things you can do in this time of “social distancing.” Prayer Walk: You can walk through your neighborhood and pray for the families in each house/apartment. If you know their names & situations, you can … Continue reading →

Posted in Ministry, Prayer | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Psychiatry and Ministry (sort of)

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Richard Heyduck

Pretend this piece on Slate Star Codex isn’t about psychiatry but about ministry. Alexander describes two ways of understanding psychiatry: Attitude 1 says that patients know what they want but not necessarily how to get it, and psychiatrists are there … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Ministry, Sin, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Are We There Yet?

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

Maps are idealizations of territory. They are useful to the extent that their methods of idealization help us orient ourselves in space and figure out where to go and how to get there. This is true whether the space be … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Ministry, Spirituality, United Methodism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Scot McKnight’s The Kingdom Conspiracy

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

In his latest book, The Kingdom Conspiracy, Scot McKnight cuts across the grain of both recent scholarship and contemporary ministry practice. Biblical and theological scholarship for some time now has insisted that kingdom and church are two different things, generally … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Books, Ecclesiology, Kingdom, Ministry, Theology | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Miserable Job

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Richard Heyduck

On page 53 of Bishop Will Willimon references Patrick Lencioni’s definition of makes a job miserable: “Lack of measurement. Lack of accountability. Anonymity.” I’ve read a few of Lencioni’s books, but not this one (Three Signs of a Miserable Job.) … Continue reading →

Posted in Ministry, United Methodism, Will Willimon | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Maintaining Your Constituency?

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Richard Heyduck

What would we think of doctors who work to keep people sick so that the doctors’ services are required? What would we think of auto mechanics who sabotaged vehicles to ensure more business? What would we think of politicians who … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, Ministry, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment