Recently, a Connection Pastor shared on his blog a simple idea. Depending on the traffic, his work requires a 15-20 minute commute each day. He has committed himself to using that time for the service of the Lord. Each morning, he calls someone to check on their life, ministry, and current situation if he is praying for them. He calls or voice messages someone in his Church to give a word of encouragement or spiritual support. Then, on the ride home in the evening, he does the same thing. Most days, he is able to catch one person on the way to work and one on the way home. 

God gives each of us these routine moments each day that are easy to throw away. There are little gaps in our schedules that are often used for mindless scrolling of social media. What if you decided to give those times over to the work of the Lord? What if you made a call to someone in your Church if you are able to talk? What if you sent an encouraging message or email instead of getting on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, or Instagram?

Just think, over the span of just one week, you might be able to touch ten lives. In a month, you might be able to connect with 20-30 people. Those little bonding moments could help to build the faith of others and strengthen your Church community.

This article challenged me to fill the gaps in my life with God. I have not perfected it yet, but I am working to make it a regular part of my thinking. I hope you will consider joining me.  

Growing up in Church, my preacher warned that we should never sugarcoat the Gospel. I have heard that same phrase used hundreds of times since I entered the ministry. The statement was born from the concern that some Churches, preachers, and teachers say things to make the message of Jesus sound sweet when, in reality, it is a call to die to our old self so that we can walk in new life. The implication is that the Christian faith is a difficult life, and don’t let anyone tell you it is easy.

In the past several years of my ministry, I have encountered numerous people who suffered at the hands of Church leaders who were abusive, manipulative, and mean in the name of Jesus. Their desire to not sugarcoat the Gospel has made them angry, confrontive, and negative. The Gospel they preached was raw and aggressive, with not one drop of sweetness.

One part of my ministry has been to offer help, hope, and healing to those who have been hurt by people in the Church. I frequently apologize for the behavior of others in my position. I always offer sympathy and compassion. More than once, I held out the tissue box so that we could both have a good cry. Numerous believers carry the pain and confusion that has come from well-intended leaders.  

I remind those people that the heart of the Gospel is good news. Jesus came with compassion and offered guidance to the harassed and helpless (Mt. 9:36). He invited all who were weary and burdened to come to him, and he would give them rest (Mt. 11:28). Jesus is described as one who would not break a bruised reed (Mt. 12:20). In addition, a Christian is called to love his neighbor (Mt. 19:19) and one another (1 Jn 3:23). Together believers carry one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2) while encouraging one another and building each other up (1 Thes. 5:11). There is such a sweet spirit in the gospel message to everyone hurting.

Jesus does call people to leave their sins and change their lives; I am not denying that fact. The Christian life is a difficult journey filled with tough choices. But it also contains sweet words for the soul. It is a message of help and healing, too. Saying that does not mean I am trying to sugarcoat the Gospel; rather, I am preaching a complete gospel.

One of the men of our congregation was asked if he was interested in a leadership position as a deacon in our Church. He responded simply, “Oh, I have already done my time.”

His words rang with a sense of frustrated fulfillment. He had served as a Church leader at some point, and he did not enjoy it. In fact, it had been a burden for him, but he fulfilled his obligation to do it once, and he was never going to return.

I count Church leadership as a privilege. God allows me to be a significant part of his work on earth. He enables me to use the gifts he gave me for the betterment of others. I can be a part of the solution to problems, not just a person who complains. One day, future generations may be blessed by the decisions I helped make and the service that I gave. My life as a leader gives me purpose and meaning behind the grind of daily work because I am a part of something with eternal significance.

Sure, it comes with a great deal of responsibility. That should never be taken lightly. In Hebrews, it says that leaders must give an account for the people they watch over. It also states that their work should be a joy, not a burden (Hebrews 13:17).

I hope to lead a Church where people cannot wait to be leaders. They see it as a great privilege to be a significant part of the Lord’s work. I want them to respond to the question of leadership with, “Why yes, I will do it; I can hardly wait to get started.”

Last week, I sat through two days of a conference. It is an annual event that I thoroughly enjoy … until this year.

This year, it hit me differently. The sermons did not touch my heart and soul like in previous years. The worship did not seem as inspiring as it usually does. The workshops did not offer the practical wisdom I needed for my ministry. The fellowship of pastors and Church leaders was devoid of the typical joy and enthusiasm.

On the ride home, I was processing my experience when a thought came to me quite clearly: Maybe the problem this year was with me.

Lately, I have been exhausted from the workload. There is never a day I don’t have a long list of things to do. This list includes meetings with people at all hours of the day. While I love these times, as an introvert, they exhaust me.

Also, Easter is earlier this year, putting extra pressure on me to focus on Church events. The most productive season of the Church is upon me, and I do not want to waste a minute of it. Soon, summer will be here, and everyone will be at the lake or the ball game. I must strike while the iron is hot.

Perhaps I wasn’t entirely blessed by the conference because of my physical, emotional, and spiritual starting point.

Why do I tell you all this? Because I think the same thing can happen to anyone on any given Sunday. Worship can seem dry and dull because of what is going on in your life. The preaching can feel lifeless and unpractical when you are exhausted. People can appear aloof or mean when your emotional tank is empty.

Sometimes, the best question is not, “What is wrong with my Church lately.” Instead, it is, “What is going on with me?” 

Your Church might be struggling right now, but it also might be a phase you are going through.

There was a discussion at the conference I attended during one of the workshops. The old statement was that 80% of the work was done by 20% of the people. The conversation that ensued was whether that number was valid in most Churches anymore. Some said the new research was closer to 90% done by 10% of the people. Others argued that the number was more like 95%, done by 5% of those attending.

Everyone in the room could agree on one thing. The number of people serving had not risen from that 20% and, if anything, was steadily declining. Currently, the group serving each week in the Church is possibly the lowest in history.

As one of those five, ten, or twenty percent who serve consistently, I want the rest of you to know that it is exhausting.

There is so much that can and should be done every single week. There are people to serve in the name of Jesus. There is also the work of teaching and preaching the Gospel. The setup and clean-up before and after the job is done. So. Much. To. Do.

The old expression is, “Many hands make light work.” Every time you step up to serve, you are pleasing the Lord, blessing the recipients, AND relieving the workload of others.

Everyone wins when you step out to do something in faith, and we often forget the joy it brings to those diligently serving every week. Your hands make their work lighter.

I know this for sure: you are a blessing to someone in your Church every time you serve.

This is one of my favorite songs at the Church I lead. The tempo is upbeat, the lyrics are easy to sing, and everyone seems to like it, so the vocals fill the room.

It captures a line from the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” and applies it to the Church. Lord, as a congregation of believers, we want to be your kingdom of God on earth. And the believers sing it on Sunday morning to say, “Start here, right now.”

I would like you to expand your concept of the word HERE.

What would it mean for you to sing that song, or at least say that phrase, everywhere you went?

Lord, use me to build your kingdom HERE – here in my marriage. Here in my parenting. Here in my career. Here in my leisure time. Here in private moments.

The kingdom of God is something that I hope permeates every Church, but more than that, I hope it expands into every part of our lives.  

I am a firm believer in Divine Appointments. There are moments in life when it is clear that God has orchestrated a series of events to bring people together. Two people with similar backgrounds find themselves at the same event and end up sitting at the same table, where they strike up a new friendship. That one moment transforms every other moment after it. The person was in the right place at the right time, and God brought an astonishing result.

If that is true, then there exists the possibility of Divine Cancelations. There also moments in life where we miss out on opportunities God had planned for us because we did not follow through with our plans. If they had gone to the small group they had signed up for, they might have met this incredible person who could help shape the rest of their lives. Instead, they missed the chance to experience something God had designed for them because they were not in the right place at the right time.

Christians love talking about all those powerful moments where God’s hand was clearly at work, and they saw it. Sometimes, we need to ponder all the missed opportunities because we were busy and tired and canceled what was planned.

As a believer, make every effort to follow through, do what you say, and show up where you are expected because you never know what God might be putting together.

You must be self-motivated to grow in your faith and relationship with the Lord.

Your preacher does not have a chart marking off your accomplishments. No one requires a time sheet showing all the hours you served selflessly for Jesus. No one at Church asks you the number of hours you spent reading your Bible. None of your family will need a report on your prayer life. No spreadsheets are tracking your spiritual growth.

It is strictly between you and God.

As a result, it is easy to hit the snooze button and skip a quiet time. No one is disappointed if you watch another show on TV rather than read your Bible. There are no immediate consequences if you sleep in on Sunday and skip Church.

Spiritual growth requires you to push yourself to be all God desires. It is a transformation of your natural desires to pursue the things of God. And the first thing that needs changing is your desire.

The Church can only provide the resources for growth; the rest must come from inside you.

I described a person I knew to someone else and said, “They are a very important person to me.”

Then it hit me: that is what every Christian should want to be.

The temptation is to become known to everyone. We call that fame. Every person knows my name, possibly my face, and some of the work I have done. It sounds appealing.

Yet, everyone can learn about you, and your life still feels like it has little value. Don’t believe me? Google “celebrity suicide.” So many famous people felt empty enough to take their own lives that Wikipedia has to categorize them by year and alphabetically.

Fame does not make people happy. Significance does. 

And you cannot be significant to a large group of people effectively. It only happens in small groups and individual relationships.

Only a few people may know your name, which is okay if those people see you as having a significant role in their life. It is far better to be important to a few than popular to a lot.

Who sees you as an important person in their life?

I hate that Christians call some of their gatherings “Retreats.”

There are youth retreats, men’s retreats, women’s retreats, couple’s retreats, and leadership retreats. It seems that every weekend, some Church group is retreating.

The idea is that some people are withdrawing from active service for renewal. They step away from the usual routine to reconnect with God and one another.

If that is the case, we should approach every day with a sense of “Engagement.” We should see each one as an opportunity to defeat the enemy forces and accomplish our mission. 

Retreats after months of engagement are rejuvenating. Retreats after months of disengagement are laughable.

Perhaps the Church needs more weekends of active “Engagement” than another “Retreat.”