Read your Bible

Set aside time and pray.

Attending a religious small group and participating.

Listen to a sermon, lecture, or informative podcast about some aspect of faith.

Take one day and fast so that you have more time for God.

Read a book that stretches your faith.

Invite a mature Christian to coffee or lunch and pick their brain.

Volunteer to teach, lead, or serve in some new capacity.

Go on a mission trip.

Find someone and intentionally share Jesus with them.

(Repeat)

It is highly unlikely that you did not know the tools mentioned above. There are no new tricks or techniques to grow spiritually. You need to keep doing the same things over and over, and eventually, you will become more like Jesus. Growth comes from not only knowing what to do but by doing it.

It sent a shockwave through my body. I was listening to a sermon from another pastor not too far away from me, and he was talking about growing in our commitment to Jesus. Then, he launched into a rant that I am not sure if he had planned or not. He stated that, in his view, the problem with Vacation Bible Schools was that they are shallow and don’t give people a real depth of faith. He went on to say that was also his issue with most Church youth groups. The teens get together and play games and don’t learn much about Jesus.

In part, I think it was a direct statement against our Church, as we have a huge VBS and a thriving youth group. One problem was that he had no idea what happens at either of those programs at our Church. His words were based on a faulty assumption that says, “If a Church is growing and reaching people for Jesus, then it must be producing only shallow Christians.” The premise is that only by “watering down the gospel” or “sugar-coating Jesus” will numerical growth happen.

I am here to say that is simply not true. I know it is not valid for my community of believers. But it is also not something that the Bible teaches. Throughout the book of Acts, the Church grows and thrives. First, there are 3,000 believers, then 5,000, and then myriads, or literally tens of thousands. Jesus said if he were lifted up, he would draw all men to himself. He told his followers the fields were white for harvest, and they were to go into all the world, presumably to reap the harvest of people for the kingdom of God.

My conviction is that the gospel message is attractive. I don’t have to add anything to it or remove anything from it to draw a crowd. We only need to keep teaching about grace, forgiveness, love, transformation, meaning, and purpose, and the people will come.

This weekend, I will stand up and share the story of the Bible to the best of my ability. I live with the expectation that God will use it to transform lives through the power of the gospel. Whether you are a child, have a child, are a teenager, or are an adult, we have an age-appropriate program for you that I know you will love and can be the key to the change that you have been looking for.

The 21^st century has brought us a new brand of fighter. There is a group of people who enjoy fighting with others in the comment section of posts. The form of social media does not seem to matter, as they are equipped to share their opinions and ideas in every format. There is no safe place to hide from their cutting comments, sharp wit, and deadly arguments.

I admit, sometimes, when I see a post, I quickly click on the comments simply to see how long it took for someone to start spewing hostility. I also want to see if their criticisms are precisely what I thought they would be. Almost always, I am not disappointed or surprised at how rapidly a seemingly harmless post can derail into an argument, especially when the Bible, faith, or Jesus are mentioned. 

The problem with these battles is that no one ever wins. Let me ask you honestly: have you ever changed your mind because someone confronted you in the comment section of a social media post?

While I do believe legitimate questions need to be addressed, they are always best handled in person by a trusted Christian leader with a thorough knowledge of the Bible. Arguing with random people online is a fruitless venture.

If you are a Christian and you want to make a difference in this world, it will rarely happen behind a keyboard. The call is for us to go into all the world and personally interact in the name of Jesus. The mission field is waiting outside your doors, where people long for human interaction. The more the world moves online, the greater the impact a few people will have who are willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus rather than fingers on a keyboard.  

I have a routine of writing out a new weekly “To Do List” on Monday morning. It usually contains at least eight projects for the coming week, with extended breakdowns of each activity. For instance, I put “Write Blogs” on my list, and then I list each day of the week so that I can cross them off as they are completed. In total, it takes over half a page of a legal pad to remind me of all the projects for the week ahead.

When I am finished composing my weekly work list, I have the same routine. I say out loud to myself, “Here we go, bit by bit and piece by piece.” This mantra is often repeated every morning until the end of the week. “Here we go, bit by bit and piece by piece” has been repeated by me almost daily for over 24 years. 

This habit is my reminder that I cannot do everything at once, but if I start somewhere, I can eventually do everything. If I can consistently cross things off my list one at a time, I will finish all the work by the end of my week. 

I believe that whatever you want to accomplish in life, even your spiritual life, can be achieved in the same way. Write down your goals and dreams in as much detail as possible. Spell out the steps it will take to finish each task. Then take it on, “bit by bit and piece by piece.” 

The way to complete any significant endeavor is to break it down into small parts and then do one of them at a time, no matter what type of work.

Each week, our office administrator hands me the worship bulletin, and I carefully proofread it using a red pen to mark up any changes, mistakes, or additions that need to be made. She now jokingly refers to it as “my judgy red pen.”

What she doesn’t realize is that I don’t use the red pen primarily on her work but on my own. I have a set of red pens specifically for the purpose of editing my own work. Every week, I print out my sermon while it’s still in development, and then I take that red pen and thoroughly mark up the text. I cross out unnecessary material, write questions in the margins, and make notes about what needs to be added or changed.

It’s easy to be a critic of other people, using our keen eyes and red pens to pick them apart. But it’s far more challenging to turn that same level of judgment and scrutiny inward onto our lives.

One key to improving any area of your life, even your spiritual life, is a willingness to take out your metaphorical red pen and critically examine yourself. What needs to be removed from your life? What questions should you be asking yourself? What might need to be added or changed?

The truth is, the most crucial use of that “judgy red pen” should be in our lives. Spiritual growth often requires the courage to dissect our thoughts, actions, and priorities with the same precision that we so readily apply to others.

People like to hide their issues, but they love to talk about other people’s shortcomings. Many of them enjoy telling their pastor.

“Did you see what she posted on Facebook?”

“Have you heard him talk to his coworkers?”

“Did you hear what they did last weekend at that party?”

“Have you noticed that they …”

As a believer, I am called to live for God alone. But I must also be aware of the example I am leaving for others. Some people are forming their ideas about God and Christians based on what they see in you.

No one expects you to be perfect. No one. There is a difference between struggling with sin and living in sin. People notice your actions and whether they align with your faith.

Through the years, numerous believers have told me, “They are trying to be an example to others.” My response is usually, “What kind of example is that?” Because there are both positive and negative ones, and you need to be clear on what kind you are truly leaving.

I am unsure what I did to it, but my left thumb has caused me severe pain lately. It first started experiencing discomfort in 2020 during Covid. At the time, I was not able to get to the doctor easily, and I figured it would get better. Unfortunately, it did not. With every passing month, the pain has increased incrementally.

When it first started hurting, I thought, “Who cares? It is only my left thumb, and I barely use it.”

What I have discovered is how much I use that single finger. Several times a day, I grab something, and the pain shoots up my arm. If it is not aching, I find I am not able to grip anything tightly. Again and Again, I struggle because of that sore thumb.

Frequently, we do not know the importance of something until it is unable to function correctly. This is true of the human body and the body of Christ.

Whenever someone is missing from their role in the Church, everyone suffers, even if they think their service is unimportant. The people who cook for events, clean each week, greet everyone who attends, help with communion, keep the coffee tables ready, and a hundred other small things are all significant.

The body needs every part to fulfill its role and function properly – so does the Church. There are no unimportant parts.

Sometimes, even work for the Lord can be laborious and repetitive. What is worse is that this labor can seem unprofitable when it is complete.

As part of a Christian community, you work in the children’s area every week, and no child ever seems to change. You spend hours working with teenagers and trying to teach them about faith, but none of them seem to care. Repeatedly, you pour yourself out in some ministry, and there are limited results.

You would think that serving the Lord would always be fun and rewarding. After every gathering, people would walk away with a sense of satisfaction that something powerful had happened. Yet, the comment I hear the most is, “I am not sure I am doing any good.”

If you have ever felt this way, my only encouragement is to keep grinding it out. You never truly know what is getting through to people and how much of an impact you are having on others. Until one day, unexpectedly, a student changes their life, a participant starts following Jesus, or someone is touched in a deeply meaningful way. 

Until that day comes, keep serving, even when it feels like a grind.

Lately, I have noticed a rise in the number of speakers and ministries designed to analyze and then criticize the work of others for the Lord. What frightens me even more is that this group is rising in popularity. You can go to their website, podcast, or social media and read all the things that are wrong with some ministry or minister. Their content is usually followed by dozens, if not hundreds, of comments in agreement.

While I am a firm believer in keeping watch in the local Church for false teachers and cautious about using resources with poor theology, I am weary of these critics.

Jesus calls his followers to lift him up and not tear others down. We are to shine the light of Jesus into the world and speak the truth in every situation. Then, we allow the light to overcome the darkness and the truth to silence falsehood.

Be cautious of any speaker whose primary agenda is to dissect another ministry or leader and tell you all the things wrong with them. Our job is not to be the watchdog of faith but rather the proclaimers of the gospel. 

No one is called to be a critic, even a Christian critic.

The Scriptures rarely delve into individuals’ personal histories or analyze their mental struggles. We find no exploration of family dynamics or childhood traumas, nor any mention of personality types – not even from Jesus himself – in relation to our emotional challenges.

While understanding our tendencies and mental battles can be beneficial, biblical texts offer limited discussion on these topics.

Instead, Jesus arrives offering universal grace, sacrificing himself for humanity’s redemption.

It seems for every struggle we face, Jesus provides a solution. His life, teachings, and ultimately, his death and resurrection offer a path through our pain and suffering.

Whatever darkness plagues your soul, robbing it of peace, Jesus has the power to conquer it and restore hope. The pertinent question isn’t whether faith can address our issues, but rather: Are we ready to allow Jesus to help us conquer our inner conflicts?