As a pastor, I dread many aspects of Easter. It is not the amount of work added to the schedule, the extra outreach events, or even the stress of preaching to so many potential believers.

The part of Easter that I dread is the unseen spiritual attacks that come this time of year. As the kingdom of God moves forward, the forces of evil will not sit back and let it happen. Instead, they are going to attack, and it is easiest to attack the leader first.

During this time of year, I can feel my emotions swing. There is always some major issue that is going to occur, and I know I will grow physically and emotionally tired. There is temptation waiting around every corner, a pull to skip something significant, and a situation where I could choose to ignore God’s will for my life.

There are numerous things you can do to help your Church at this season of the year. There is a need for volunteers, for people to give financially, and for people to bring their friends. But I would ask you, on behalf of all pastors, to pray for us in the coming weeks. Evil will attack, and praying for your pastor might be the most significant thing you can do.

After over thirty years of leading Churches, I have concluded that one of the most fundamental signs of spiritual maturity is keeping one’s word.

Rare are those who do what they say they will do. Many make empty promises, albeit with a well-intentioned heart.

Do you make statements and not follow through on them? Are you the kind of person whom people can count on? Does your word mean anything to people?

Following Jesus is not about showing good intentions toward our neighbors; it is about showing up for them.

Suppose you want to build a solid life for God. Start by addressing the most obvious sin in your life. Quite often, it reduces the struggles in other areas of your life because when one area is a mess, it eventually affects the whole.

For example, I know someone who is walking through some drama in their life. Much of it stems from their choice to cohabitate rather than marry. If they addressed this simple issue, it would reduce most of the issues they are experiencing.

Yet again. I could tell you about a person who is struggling in their marriage. At the heart of the conflict is the fact that they are choosing to spend most of their Friday nights drunk, many times to the point of blacking out. Once again, if they fixed this one area, it would change their whole life.

And one more, I know if a person is struggling with a porn addiction. It makes them explosively angry and has driven most people out of their life, including their own children. If they addressed this one sin, it would open the door to healthy relationships with everyone they know.

Most people who truly want to follow Jesus know of one sin, often it is quite obvious, that needs to be removed from their life. Once they do that, they’ll be amazed at how many other problems begin to fix themselves.

I am leading a small group on the topic of your thoughts. The group is looking at questions like “What is influencing your thought life?” One lesson focused on distractions, and the group spent most of our time discussing our phones and their impact on our thinking.

A simple suggestion was to avoid reading the Bible on your phone if you can. Then you will not get a notification to bother your reading.

All of this is in my head as I sit for a few minutes “doom scrolling” the next day. I have 15 free minutes after work, and while I wait, I am watching reels on social media. Most of them on my phone are now about fishing or faith. One that popped up was a non-Christian saying that one of the reasons he was not a believer was that passages do not align from one book to another or from one story to another. Then he gave his primary example. As he spoke, I thought, “That doesn’t sound correct.”

Grabbing a Bible and actually reading each story line by line made it clear that he was repeating what he heard someone else say. Either that or he was blatantly ignoring words and phrases in the Biblical account. Whatever the case, the solution to his problem was simple: stop and read every word of the narrative before reaching conclusions.

It is easy for us to try to live on the memories of stories we heard as children, a passage we once heard in a sermon, or even another person’s explanation, without ever reading a single verse of Scripture. My suggestion is that if you hear someone talking about a Biblical issue, go get a Bible and read it, preferably a paper copy, so your notifications don’t distract you.

I switched auto insurance companies again, still in search of savings. Fifteen years without a claim, yet I keep paying for it year after year. The only real benefit so far has been the quiet peace of knowing it’s there if I ever need it.

Numerous people treat faith the same way. They accept Jesus as Savior, then tuck him away in the back of their mind. Years pass without connecting with him, but he’s still there as a safety net for emergencies, someone to call on when the darkness rolls in.

Too many Christians carry an insurance policy faith, reaching for Jesus only when something goes wrong. But faith was not meant to be a contract, but a relationship. Following Jesus means connecting daily with him through prayer, Scripture, and fellowship with other believers. Then, when life does take an unexpected turn, Jesus shows up not because you’ve paid your dues, but because he genuinely loves you.

It is worth asking yourself: Do I love Jesus like a brother, or treat him like Allstate?

My son is part of a Church community that states one of its core values is to be “relationally intense.” I know it could be taken negatively, especially by introverts, but I am convinced they mean it in the best possible way for everyone.

Christianity was never designed to be a casual, once-a-week association. When God brings people into His family, He calls them into real, meaningful relationships with one another.

The New Testament describes believers as a body, not a crowd. A body functions because its parts are connected and dependent on each other. In the same way, church members are meant to know one another, care for one another, and walk through life together.

This means we often pray for each other. We notice when someone is missing. We celebrate victories and carry burdens. When someone is struggling, we move toward them, not away. That kind of closeness can feel intense compared to the surface-level relationships our culture often promotes, but it is exactly what Christian community is meant to be.

Relational intensity in the Church should never mean control, gossip, or unnecessary drama. Instead, it means genuine love, spiritual concern, and a willingness to invest deeply in each other’s lives. It means we take seriously the command to “love one another” and refuse to keep our brothers and sisters at a comfortable distance.

When a church embraces this kind of healthy relational depth, something powerful happens. People are strengthened in their faith, loneliness begins to fade, and the love of Christ becomes visible in everyday life.

After all, the Church is not just a place we attend; it is a family we belong to. And families, at their best, are relationally intense.

As I was scrolling through reels on social media, I stopped on a man who was not only critical of the Church but specifically of pastors. He accused most pastors of compromising their spiritual leadership to keep their jobs. He said, “If pastors stood up this Sunday and confronted sin as they should, half to three-quarters of them would lose their jobs. They know this, so they purposely preach on a handful of popular passages to keep everyone happy.”

Comments like these primarily reveal that someone has no idea what it is like to be a pastor. I am continually talking to people about changing their lives, confronting their sins, and living for Jesus. The majority of the congregation I lead would have no problem with me preaching about any sin.

Mostly, videos and comments like this one make me sad. As Christians, we call the message of Jesus “the gospel,” which means “good news.” Telling people about Jesus is primarily good news for them. It is a message that forgiveness is possible, that transformation is within reach, that grace and love triumph over evil, and there is hope for eternity in Jesus. The Bible is full of positive information, and it does not compromise the message to preach and teach that to people.

Sure, people need to know about sin and their need for repentance. People need to know they are guilty of living outside God’s will and that they need to change. But all that leads us to the message of Jesus as our Savior. It shines light on grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

Positive preaching is not a sign of weakness in a pastor; it is evidence that they truly believe the good news of Jesus.

One of the clearest signs of Christian maturity is realizing you are never “finished.”

Many people think maturity means reaching a place where you have everything figured out. But spiritual growth does not work that way. The closer we walk with Christ, the more aware we become of the areas of our lives that still need to change.

A new believer might notice obvious sins like anger, dishonesty, and theft. As they grow, the Holy Spirit often reveals deeper issues: pride hidden behind good works, impatience with others, or a lack of love in everyday interactions. Growth means we become more willing to let God keep shaping us in every area.

This does not mean living in constant discouragement. The goal is not perfection overnight, but steady transformation over time. God is patient with His people, and He faithfully completes the work He begins.

So when you find another area of your life that needs attention, do not be discouraged. That awareness may be evidence that you are on your way to becoming a mature Christian.

My wife and I watched the movie about C.S. Lewis on Amazon Prime called “The Most Reluctant Convert.” We both agree that it is “a lot of talking.” Amidst all the dialogue, a line jumped out at me.

C.S. Lewis describes his childhood, pre-conversion view of God not as a Savior or Judge, but merely as “a sort of Magician who, if asked properly, would grant a request”. He believed this genie-like figure should “go back into his bottle until needed again.”

That is the picture of numerous people who walk through the doors of the Church I lead. Life has thrown them a curveball, and they are trying to figure out their next steps. Many of them are approaching God as a sort of magician who grants our requests and makes things better again. Then they can return to their life and forget about God until the next time they have a wish for him to fulfill.

While prayer is basically presenting our requests to God, it flows from a relationship built on communication and trust. That does not mean he gives us everything we desire; it means he gives us what is best for us and molds our hearts as we place our concerns before him.

One question worth asking about your faith is, “How do you view God?” If you think of him as a magician, you will always be disappointed. If you view him as a loving Father, you will never be let down.  

As a Christian, is there such a thing?

We believe in a God who can set a nation free by his mighty hand through plagues. He can raise the weak, give sight to the blind, heal the sick, feed the poor, and even raise the dead. His strength has no limits, and Jesus declared, “…with God all things are possible.” (Mt 19:26)

No person is so lost that they can’t come home. No Church is dying in a way that God can’t revive it. No human situation is so bad that God cannot bring health and restoration.

If God is truly working in a situation, there are no lost causes. Lean into your faith even when his ultimate purpose currently remains a mystery. God can make flowers grow where things currently seem lifeless, because nothing is impossible for Him.