Second Fiddle
15 articles drawn from the book. An honest guide for couples counting the cost of bi-vocational ministry.
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May 2, 2026
The Long Obedience: Why Pastors Who Sprint Burn Out
Pastor burnout often starts with a sprint. What the long obedience produces, how to handle failure without quitting, and why the best counsel is: stay.
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March 29, 2026
Three Pillars of a Healthy Church from the Book of Titus
What makes a healthy church? Titus gives three pillars in three chapters: leadership, discipleship, and mission. Neglect one and the stool tips.
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February 13, 2026
My Real Weekly Schedule as a Bi-Vocational Pastor
Not the ideal version. The real one. A bi-vocational pastor schedule after twenty-five years, what it makes possible, and the three things it protects.
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January 10, 2026
Before You Say Yes: Why Spouse Alignment Is Non-Negotiable
A ministry marriage can carry a heavy calling, but only if both of you chose it. Why to wait until you're aligned, and what the spouse has permission to say.
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November 27, 2025
Pastoral Loneliness Is Structural. Here's How to Fight It.
Pastor loneliness isn't a personal failing. It's built into the role. Why it happens, the temptation it creates, and two kinds of friendship that answer it.
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October 23, 2025
Nobody Will Ask About Your Heart: Soul Care for Busy Pastors
Pastor soul care doesn't happen by accident, least of all for bi-vocational pastors. Three things it takes, and the warning signs that it's slipping.
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September 10, 2025
Making Peace with the Career You Won't Have
Every bi-vocational pastor pays a career sacrifice. Here's how to name it, grieve it honestly, and trade the ladder for something that lasts.
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August 8, 2025
Two Full-Time Callings, One Life: Living with the Permanent Tension
Balancing ministry and work as a bi-vocational pastor isn't a problem you solve once. It's a tension you learn to carry. Three postures that help.
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June 26, 2025
25 Years of Bi-Vocational Ministry: What Got Harder, What Got Easier
What long-term pastoral ministry actually feels like after twenty-five years with a day job: what got harder, what got easier, and what never changed.
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May 20, 2025
What Happens When a Church Doesn't Pay Its Pastor
An unpaid pastor can free a church to give its money away. What twenty-five years without a salary taught one church about generosity, preaching, and trust.
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April 8, 2025
A Bar Band, Some Bonfires, and an Accidental Church
Wondering how to plant a church? Ours began with a bar band, Saturday bonfires, and one hypothesis: even broken people can help other people.
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March 3, 2025
What Paul the Tentmaker Teaches Pastors Today
Tentmaker ministry isn't a compromise. What Paul's work in Corinth teaches pastors about access, credibility, and the freedom of not preaching for a paycheck.
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January 22, 2025
Why Bi-Vocational Ministry Is the Future of the Church
Bi-vocational ministry isn't a consolation prize for churches that can't afford a real pastor. It's how the gospel has always reached new places, and it's the future.
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December 18, 2024
Counting the Cost: Five Things Bi-Vocational Ministry Will Ask of You
The cost of bi-vocational ministry is real: time, career, family, body, and heart. Name all five honestly before you say yes, then say yes fully.
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November 12, 2024
Three Tests to Know If You're Called to Bi-Vocational Ministry
Is bi-vocational ministry a calling or just a good idea? Three plain tests (desire, affirmation, capacity) to discern it before you say yes.
