Two words change the dynamics of any endeavor: “With You.”

Whenever I go fishing, and I say that I want to go “with someone,” then everything changes. I have to make sure they have the appropriate gear, needed supplies and work around their schedule. The experience changes whenever I add another person.

There are thousands of examples. I want to go for a walk versus I want to go for a walk with you. I want to play a game compared to I want to play a game with you. I want to read the Bible is a different job than I want to read the Bible with you. I want to serve the Lord is good, but I want to serve the Lord with you is an entirely different experience.

The Bible is full of passages that teach about our connection to “one another.” There are commands, instructions, encouragements, and challenges to live out our spiritual lives in community.

I am glad you are reading, learning, growing, serving, giving, and leading, but you need to add two words to each project for the whole experience God intended.

Do you believe people without Jesus are lost and bound for a Godless eternity? Do you believe Jesus is the only way to the Father, and people must place their faith in him? Do you think the Church should do everything in its power to share the gospel with people so they can enjoy heaven and all its blessings? 

Do you? Do you really believe these truths?

If you do, I can see it in all you do. 

I can see it by noticing where you park on Sunday morning. Do you take the closest spots or save them for guests who might be at Church for the first time?

I can see it by watching who you talk to on Sunday before and after worship. Do you engage new people who might be there and see what Christians are like? Or do you only talk to people you know and ignore everyone else?

I can see it by observing where you sit. Do you immediately take seats in the back right on the aisle? Do you force new people to climb over you or walk to the front? 

Caring about people who are lost means that you are telling your neighbors about Jesus. It also means you are doing the little things that help the mission of Jesus in the local Church. 

Reaching people far from God requires a different type of ministry than one that connects with mature Christians.

These groups do not start from the same convictions, morals, or goals.

I appreciate Churches that start each week with a “thus saith the Lord” approach to their program. They read the Bible a lot and assume everyone in the room knows what they are talking about. Often the preacher picks a book to preach through and spends week after week working through those texts.   

It is different when you are reaching non-Christians. You have to start where their life is at that moment. They may be struggling in their marriage, parenting, or work environment. They may be feeling the disillusionment that comes with success. They may feel the pain of losing someone they love or the joy of a newfound love. You must start there and tell them how God speaks into their life in that situation. 

When you do, you have to take the time to define what an Ephesian is and why they should care about them. You must explain the background of the people speaking and why their story is essential. There must be a contextualization that helps everyone understand why these ideas matter to them and the people they love.   

If you attend the Church I lead or one like it, you will hear some of the same things explained weekly. These explanations are repeated in the simplest way possible. I assume that people have no Church background or Bible knowledge. There will be illustrations from people trying to live out their faith today. My professor used to say, “Put the cookies on the low shelf so that everyone can enjoy them.” 

There are many different Churches and ways to do ministry, and most have different starting points. This is important to know when you choose a Church to attend and invite the non-believers in your life to join you. 

Tell me all the ways you have tried to grow spiritually that didn’t work.

Please tell me how you tried the one-year Bible and only made it two months. 

I would love to hear about that devotional you bought and gave up before Easter.

You may have tried and failed to become closer to Jesus in a dozen ways. But for every way you have attempted, you are one step close to finding the one that works for you. 

It took me years and years of failed attempts to find a system that worked for me, but I finally found one. And I know that if you keep trying, you will one day land on a habit that helps you mature in your knowledge and love of the Lord.

Do not spend more time reading books about the Bible than you do reading your Bible.

Books can significantly help your understanding but do not make them a substitute for the real thing. 

Recently I read an article in which the author talked about a concept he called “The Invisible Pastor.” I am not sure if this was his original idea or someone else, but I found several similar posts online. 

The basic concept is that the pastor should not be the name and face of a Church. Far too often, the preacher in a Church is more widely known than any other person. They have websites, book deals, speaking tours, and a personal brand.

The flip side of this behavior is that the Church people fade into the background and become invisible. The people who do much of the work of ministry. The sound people, greeters, childcare providers, teachers, elders, deacons, cooks, and children’s ministry leaders become invisible.

How about instead, the Church let the people who make up the body of Christ become more visible and the pastor invisible? How about those Christians who are always in the background share in the glory of the Lord?

Let the Church have the Children’s workers take center stage. Let them spotlight the greeters who are the first contact with the Church. Let them make the people doing the inglorious work of ministry each week more visible. And let the pastor become another worker whose face blends in with every else. 

This last week our Church hosted a Vacation Bible School with well over a hundred kids every night. There were dozens of outstanding workers in every area of the Church. They are the stars of this show.

Throughout the week, we made videos of all that we were doing. I do not appear in any of them. I want to be invisible and let the people who work hard for Jesus shine their light for all the world to see. They are the real heroes. 

I hate to disappoint people, but I am not a perfect pastor.

I continue to learn, but there are some holes in my Biblical knowledge.

My marriage has some great seasons and some rough ones, usually because of me.

I once thought I was a great Christian parent, and then my kids grew up.

I attempt to be a better people person and love the family of God, but some people bring out the worst in me.

My leadership in the Church often lacks the wisdom I should have at this age.

There are sins hidden in my heart that I wrestle with every single day.

My faith is growing, but my doubts and fears are sometimes more prominent.

I am a mess. But I am God’s mess.

As a pastor, I am not able to be a leader who is out in front with all the answers. I am not a picture of flawless faith for others to imitate.

My leadership in the Church is not an example of perfection but of grace. God loves me despite my sins. He is using me even with my weaknesses. And I hope to help build a community of faith-filled people who can be messy together.

I am not a perfect pastor, and I am not leading perfect Christians. I am a sinner saved by grace, trying to lead people in the Church who need that same grace. They will have to show me patience, mercy, and forgiveness, and I will do the same for them.

My four boys are all men in their twenties. I could not stop time; they rushed into adulthood before I wanted them to. Now they are in God’s hands; I can only pray for them and give advice when asked. 

One of my continual prayers for my children is that God will allow them to connect with friends who also follow Jesus. Repeatedly I ask God to send them people who will help them walk on the straight and narrow. Each day my prayer pleads with God for them to have positive Christian influences in their lives. 

I cannot walk through this life with them as I once did, but I hope someone will come alongside them and help them lead a life of faith.

Some people appear to have it all together. Their life looks like it is near perfect. They believe in the right things, do the right things, and are blessed abundantly. These people have happy marriages, intelligent and spiritual kids, and always have time for their friends. Whenever you see them or spend time in their presence, you wish your life was more like theirs.

I am here to tell you that it is all an illusion. Smoke and mirrors. Sleight of hand.

After 30 years of being a Church leader, I have found that everyone, including myself, is struggling with something. Some people hide it better than others.

If I know anything about people, you are hiding something in your life too. There is that one topic you never mention. You avoid those places and those people with good reason. You have locked and bolted the door to that area of your life so the outside world does not see your struggles.

Admitting that other people might have issues is disappointing because we want the illusion to be real. If other people are perfect, people may assume we are too, and no one will ask questions. That way, we can ignore our problems and not take the necessary steps to solve them.

That will forever be known as the year that Covid impacted our country. It touched every individual in some way. As a Church leader, watching people’s lives change and reading their posts on social media was fascinating.

It was the year most people were confined to their houses with limited outside activity. These people began to post about how they enjoyed being less busy and not having such a frantic schedule. Others shared their love of more family time and how thankful they were feeling for the little things. Christians I know began sharing how much they missed Church gatherings and live worship. They appreciated online programs but were excited to be back together on Sunday mornings.

It has been three years since all that happened. Did it truly change your life? Are you back to the hectic pace with little time left for thankfulness, family, and Church?

I hated 2020 and all the changes it brought; still too bad that some of them didn’t last a little longer.