We make time for whatever we value the most.

I don’t care what you have scheduled for the rest of the week; if you receive a call that your spouse has been hurt in an accident, then suddenly you find a way to spend time at their bedside.

On the flip side, when you tell someone, “I am too busy” or “I don’t have time.” What you are really saying is, “I don’t value that enough to make time for it.”

Take a few minutes and evaluate where your time goes. That will show you how much you truly value your spouse, children, friends, and the Lord.

It is easy to convince yourself that you value certain things based on your intentions rather than your actions.

The musician was walking through her house, showing off her palatial estate. She stopped in a little room set up for writing and recording music and said, “This is where the magic happens.”

What she meant was that this was the place where she felt inspired to be creative. This was the room where ideas, dreams, and music combined to create the hit songs she produced.

In the Church I lead, there is no place where “magic” happens, but in my office, the Holy Spirit works creatively through me. It is the room where I pray and ask for God’s guidance. It is where I spend countless hours reading, researching, and writing out my ideas on paper. It is where I sit in front of my computer to type in my thoughts to create sermons and lessons.

Powerful speaking is not the result of magical creativity; it is the result of prayer, study, observation, and experience coming together as God guides. The Holy Spirit then takes what I have done and uses those words to touch the hearts and lives of people.

Is it sometimes unexplainable? Yes. Is it all about God’s power through people teaching his word? Again, I hope the answer is always yes.

We often gravitate towards what is familiar, even when it is unhealthy or detrimental. We find ourselves returning to old relationships, habits, and patterns of thinking simply because they are known quantities.

The unknown, however positive it may be for us, can be daunting. When we venture into unfamiliar territory, we lose the ability to predict the outcome with certainty. This uncertainty requires us to trust in something beyond our immediate instincts. And there is always the lingering fear that the new path could make our situation worse.

You do not have to be an addict to keep making detrimental choices. Repeatedly reverting to unhealthy decisions based on familiarity will never allow us to break free from our struggles and challenges.

Stepping into the unknown can be scary, but it is often the key to personal growth and positive change. New choices, even when they feel risky, open the door to transformation and a better future.

My wife and I have a continual conversation about the people in our Church. This conversation has led us to a few simple truths that we repeat to each other almost daily.

First – We cannot control the actions of others. No matter how poorly we think the decisions they are making, we have no control, and all we can do is point them in the right direction.

Second – They will have to answer to God for their lives. All we can do is preach, teach, and disciple in the ways of Jesus. They will be held accountable for what they did with their time, talent, and resources.

Third – We will also answer to God for what we did. We are trying to do everything possible to help people on their walk with Jesus. God knows we are trying our best even when people ignore us.

Fourth – We have to let things go for us to stay healthy. This is by far the most challenging thing we do. Sometimes, we watch people mess up their lives, lead their children in painful directions, and waste their time and talent. But at the end of the day, we have to let it go emotionally, or it will kill us.

Both my wife and I love people deeply and want to see them live like Jesus. Few of them do, and watching it all transpire is one of the most significant challenges in ministry.

Loss is not a one-time event. It is a process that takes a lifetime.

Recently, I picked up my phone to call my dad. He has been gone for years now, but he was the only person I knew who could help me. His name and number are still on my phone, and it feels like he hasn’t been gone that long.

I stared at the phone and cried for a while.

The feeling of loss comes at moments that I do not expect. They hit hard and cut deep into my soul. I grieve. Then, I move on and try to regain my balance.

Revelation 21 describes heaven. We are told that God will wipe every tear from the eyes of his people, and there will be no more death. Then it goes on to say that there will be no more mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Not only is death removed, but the mourning and crying caused by previous impacts of death will also be removed. Loss takes a lifetime to walk through, but thank God it doesn’t last an eternity.

The conference speaker asked this penetrating question, “How would your community be different if your Church did not exist?”

His question was meant to motivate the Christians listening to do community service. He was seeking to move believers to love their neighbor, show kindness in action, and be a force for good.

I have thought about his words a great deal while reading through the book of Acts. The Church was a dynamic community of faith in those fledgling years, which resulted in their being hated by their towns and villages. People coming to Jesus meant that idol makers lost their jobs, prostitutes would change their employment, bookstores were unable to sell their magic books, and the local police had layoffs as there were few crimes anymore. People hated the local Church because it radically changed the way people behaved and sent shockwaves throughout the community.

Perhaps the measure of a great Church is not how much it is loved but how much it is hated. Not because the people are jerks or unloving, but rather because total transformation is happening. Because lives are being changed, the bars shut their doors as alcohol sales dry up, drug use of all kinds disappears, the police are bored, and the school is unable to schedule anything on Sunday morning or Wednesday night because people refuse to attend. It is a place where people love and take care of one another, causing businesses to close because neighbors freely mow each other’s lawns, care for the sick at home, and assist however needed.

Most communities want a friendly Church that does some good but is not really changing the status quo. I want to be a part of a Church that is hated for all the right reasons.

I was listening to one of my favorite comedians on his podcast talking about his craft. He stated that one of the most challenging parts of his job is always being funny on stage.

Imagine this: one day, you are late to the airport, your flight is delayed, and when you arrive at your destination, you discover that your hotel has significant issues. Finally, you get everything settled, and you Uber through heavy traffic to arrive at the club. Once there, you discover your opener is sick, and you will have to spend extra time in a place that is only half full. Overall, it has been a terrible day. Now your job is to walk on stage and be funny.

While I am a preacher and not a comedian, I do understand what he is saying. Some Sunday mornings, I have things go wrong at home, find problems at Church, have someone complain, worship will not go smoothly, and then I walk up to preach. How do you joyously represent God when nothing has filled you with joy? Truthfully, I am frustrated, angry, and distracted.

Being a light in this world sometimes means putting your best foot forward even when you don’t feel like it. We do it everywhere and every day, in spite of our feelings. One of the most challenging parts of following Jesus is being a Christian all the time, especially when we don’t feel like it.

Sometimes, when I sit down at my computer to write, I draw a blank. I don’t have any new ideas, and the thoughts jotted in my notebook feel flat and uninspiring.

Whenever that happens, I type a phrase at the top of the page and start writing. I find inspiration while I am working. There is no grand epiphany with lights and thunder. There is simply a phrase that makes sense, and I delete everything and use that one piece to build my ideas around.

This principle extends beyond writing. Suppose you are looking for ways to serve the Lord and trying to find precisely how God wants to use you. Then my advice is to start somewhere. Your first attempt at ministry may not be successful, but it may open the door to new possibilities.

Creation starts with doing. Purpose reveals itself through movement, not contemplation. When you feel stuck, remember that being at a blank starting point isn’t a limitation but an invitation. Every path is open, every possibility waiting. The only requirement is to begin.

It is rare that I ever shout or yell during a sermon. Recently, I made an off-the-cuff funny comment during my first sermon and then tried to replicate it during our second program, but people told me that I came off as “angry” instead of funny. It broke my heart that people thought I was mad.

Then, last week, I preached on a topic that was highly emotional to me. I was completely into the sermon, and some people misunderstood my passion and excitement for anger.

Some preachers thrive on shouting at their congregations. Their faces get red, the volume is high, and their words are critical every week. Church members feel like the preacher has not done his job unless people “get their toes stepped on.”

This reminds me that there is more than one way to preach. Just like there is more than one instrument in a band, there must be a multitude of voices speaking for Jesus, with each one striking a different note. Some preachers are bass drums, always loud and dominant, while others are rhythm guitars, helping people stay on time week after week. Some speakers are specialized, like a hammer dulcimer, and others are quiet, like the woodwind section. Every preacher has a place in the kingdom of God.

My fear has always been that people will think of the way I speak as the norm for Christian behavior. If I am angry, then people believe that following Jesus is about being upset all the time and confronting everything of which we disapprove. The congregation will think that loud and aggressive is the way the followers of Jesus act in every situation. Even worse, people may come to view God as angry and judgmental as well.

I want people to value the Bible, solid exegesis and interpretation, relatable illustrations, and practical application. I want people to think the Bible is for them, and they are able to do it and understand it without me. I hope they will see that every passage has some point of application, and the goal is to call people to Christian living.

Some preachers may be angry and shout all the time, but I hope no one views me that way. I dream that people will forget me altogether when the sermon is done and say, “I know the God of the Bible better because I was in Church this Sunday.”