The Most Neglected Pastoral Priority

"A pastor can be so busy caring for his people that he never makes time to stop and pray for them" (Brian Croft).

The whole article is here.

Church of the Week: Traveler's Chapel at Wall Drug

This week's "church of the week" here on the Desperate Pastor blog is the "traveler's chapel" at Wall Drug, the sprawling tourist attraction on Highway 16A in Wall, South Dakota, sixty miles east of Mount Rushmore. 
The lovely Robin and I visited it with friends just last week, and it was a haven of quiet and solitude in the otherwise bustling establishment. It is said to be fashioned after the chapel at New Melleray Abbey, a Cistercian (Trappist) monastery near Dubuque, Iowa. Somewhere I read that, while it is not a church, services (as well as concerts and other events) are sometimes held there. 
At the back of the chapel just inside the entrance were boxes of travel-size New Testaments, offered for free. 

It was a refreshing touch of sanctity in swirling mass of humanity and commercialism, and I'm so glad the lovely Robin pointed it out to me and made sure I didn't miss it.