Joe McKeever

Joe McKeever spent 42 years pastoring six Southern Baptist churches and has been writing and cartooning for religious publications for more than 40 years.

My Greatest Faults as a Leader

What I needed was one-on-one instruction from a mentor. The classroom classes on preaching did not work for me. I was too much of a rebel, I’m thinking, looking back. Too determined not to make my sermons sound like everyone else’s.

The Necessity of Hell

Let us not threaten lost people with hell. The temptation to do that must be avoided at all costs.

Leading With a Limp

Ministry scars. To one degree or another, everyone in the Lord’s service will bear them sooner or later.

When To Move Quickly and When To Slow Down

When inspiration for a sermon or an article comes in the middle of the night, it must be recorded then or, count on it, you’ll never remember it. Keep a pad by the bedside.

Vital Aspects of Prayer

Honesty in prayer is always best. If you don’t feel like praying, tell Him that. He who created you understands tiredness. If you have a fear or doubt or question, He can take your admitting that in your prayer. We worship in Spirit and in truth.

You Are So Deeply Loved by God

What has God done that forever makes you know how special you are to Him?

Being a Pastor Has a Downside

The worst part of pastoring is not the hospitals, the funerals, the weddings, or the administration. It’s not about attacks from the outside world or the harassment of those picketing the church because the preacher is taking a stand on some issue from the pulpit. It’s none of these things.

Take Time To Savor God’s Word

Reading the entire Bible in a year is like seeing Europe in a week: You will notice a lot of things you don’t see from ground level, but it’s no way to get to know a country.