That is the best time to handle an issue.

People need to be educated on both positive and negative behaviors and have an adequate understanding of the consequences of their choices.

Guidelines need to be given on how to act when confronted with choices. What should people think? Where should they get advice? How do they process information correctly?

One sign that education is working is that few people are having issues because they were adequately prepared to make good choices.

Churches are not only places that help people rebuild their broken lives; they are also training centers for people to prevent them from becoming broken.  

It is Friday, and we will gather to worship in two days. I want you to know that we have been praying for you all week. One of my daily prayers is for worship on Sundays. I pray my sermon will speak to people and that the people who need to hear it will be in attendance.

Also, my first project every Sunday morning when I arrive at the Church building is to step into a back room and pray for every aspect of our morning as a Church. I pray for the worship leaders, greeters, teachers, children’s ministry, and the people who will attend that day.

Sometime during the morning, a couple of Church leaders and concerned people will also step into a room and pray for the worship. While these prayers are given as the Lord lays them on their hearts, they usually include all those serving and attending.

Finally, during the program each week, prayers will be offered for all those in attendance that day. After my sermon, I will ask God to speak to you through what you heard, and before you leave, I will ask him to bless you.

If you have something special on your mind, you are welcome to meet with a leader in person, share a request on our app, or email it to the office.

I want everyone to know that our Church has been praying for you and is continuing to pray for you. We will continue to pray as the week develops. Being with us on Sunday morning is not just about having another person to count. We want God to speak to you through us and us to speak to God for you. You matter to God and us.

Today, I received an envelope of material from AARP in the mail.

I am now solidly in my 50s, and I guess that means I am starting the last chapter of my life. While I hope there are still lots of pages to write, I do have to be realistic about the number of my days.

In Acts chapter 20, the Apostle Paul speaks with the elders of the Church in Ephesus. There, he tells them something that will be the theme for this next phase of my life.

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24)

When my story is over, I want people to say that during my final chapter, it was clear that I aimed to complete my work of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. I dream that my final pages will be the best ones I have written. I have more time, money, knowledge, and experience than ever before. It would be a shame to waste it all on selfish pursuits of sun and fun. I want to be a tool used by Jesus until the day I meet him face to face.

“Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” – Henry David Thoreau.

This weekend, I spent over three hours walking and looking for the antlers that deer shed in the spring. I didn’t find any, but I am okay with that. I really don’t need any more antlers at the moment, even though I still get a thrill every time I find one.

No, the reason I go walking is because I am an introvert. For me, that means that people exhaust me. I am not energized by spending time with others; instead, I feel empty and tired. One of the best ways for me to enliven my soul is to spend time alone outside.

My time outside was spent looking at nature, listening to the birds, catching a sermon online from one of my favorite preachers, and enjoying some soothing music. The time alone filled up my spirit, allowed me to think, and connected me with God through quiet prayers.

I spend a great deal of time walking and looking for antlers this time of year. People always ask me how many I find, and I smile and tell them the numbers. The truth is, I am not really after antlers.

Faith cannot be reduced to one simple line. The questions we face as believers often require complex, multifaceted responses.

Recently, a man visited my office seeking guidance about a tragedy near our Church. As I began explaining biblical teachings, I noticed his attention waning. I switched to using an analogy, but his interest continued to fade. I then returned to presenting the scriptural perspective on suffering.

When I finished, he responded with several religious one-liners about God and suffering. It became clear he was hunting for a simple, quotable response, something concise he could offer when people discussed the tragedy.

These faith slogans may be catchy and memorable, but they typically lack biblical integrity and theological depth. There are no easy answers, especially for life-shattering situations. Simple answers are like placing a bandage on a cancer patient – they might look reassuring, but they offer no real help during the actual struggle.

How many times do I need to repeat myself before the concept sticks?

This is a question I wrestle with as a Church leader. I often find myself repeating the same information over and over. Sometimes, it is the basics of the faith. Other times, it is the mission of the Church. Frequently, it is about upcoming events.

Recently, I heard a Church leader say, “Repeat yourself until you are tired of saying it, and that is when most people are just starting to catch on.”

I know there is truth to his statement because of the nature of people. Sometimes, when I say something while people are absent, other times, they are distracted. Occasionally, people hear it, but they immediately forget it for a number of reasons. Quite often, they only hear part of what I say and miss significant parts of my comments.

So, if you think you have heard me say something a thousand times, then great, my words are not for you. Instead, I am telling them to that person who didn’t hear them last time. Don’t think that I am forgetful or going senile. I am merely trying to get everyone to understand, and sometimes, it takes repeating myself a thousand times for it to stick.

No pastor knows everything. They do not have all the skills required to lead a Church. Understanding the Bible and grasping theological concepts is challenging enough; they also need insights into leadership, building maintenance, volunteer coordination, recruiting, fundraising, discipleship, outreach, event planning, organizational skills, and about a hundred other things. Every pastor is highly skilled in some areas but lacking in others.

The good news is that God gave us a Church community. No pastor, staff member, elder, deacon, ministry team leader, or volunteer is required to be good at everything. That is why we have each other. You make up for your pastor’s shortcomings, and they compensate for yours too.

The Church is the body of Christ on earth, and every part of it is vital. You may not feel like you contribute much, but as a Pastor, I want you to know that I need YOU to complete the work of Jesus on earth. We are all in this together.

I lead a small group of men on Monday and Thursday nights. It is one of my favorite things to do right now. Over 20 men show up and participate each week as they attempt to grow in their faith.

Every time I facilitate a new group, God has a way of teaching me as I lead them. So far, with this group, he has reminded me that many Christians know the right thing to say, even when they are not doing it. The answers to many of my questions are the same; “We need to pray about it. We should be reading our Bibles. We all should have people to which we are accountable.”

These sentences are all true, but they have no practical connection to life. For example, when someone answers a question by declaring that we need to pray, I always respond in the affirmative. But I never like to let it stop there. I follow that statement by asking, “When do you pray?” Possibly, I inquire as to the nature of their prayers. “What exactly do you say to God when you pray about these things?” Another approach might be to ask, “And what do you hope to see as a result of your prayers?”

I have noticed that whenever I ask more questions, they stop in their tracks. They are used to simply giving an answer that sounds spiritual and then moving on to something else. As a Christian, it is easy to use the language of faith to deflect genuine reflection and participation.

Always remember, it is one thing to talk a good game, and it is quite another to play one. Just because someone knows all the correct answers, including you, does not mean you are growing spiritually. In fact, it might be a smokescreen to hide a lack of spiritual growth.

Why do I keep running into this person?

Have you ever thought that about someone? You see them at a school function. You run into them at Walmart. You might even notice them at a traffic light.

Perhaps they have always been there, but for whatever reason, you have noticed their presence in your life repeatedly. Sometimes, their name will pop up in conversations. Their social media appears on your feed every time you look.

What if these experiences were not random coincidences but rather small acts of providence to connect you to someone else? What if God, in his sovereignty, is using you to reach them with the message of his grace? What if you are the perfect person to minister to this person in the name of Jesus? What if you saw them as part of God’s plan for your life?

I believe God continually allows our lives to intersect with people to help us fulfill his purpose in the world. And maybe that person you are noticing is God trying to use you for his glory.

There is a Church that requires everyone who attends their gatherings to get involved in discipleship. They get a mentor, some required reading, and attend a weekly small group meeting. The leadership there makes it known that if you plan on joining their Church, you will participate in the discipleship program of their Church, or you will be asked not to return.

As you first hear this, I don’t know how you will react. I thought that this was a bit extreme, but I genuinely admire their determination to fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples. Then, I thought long and intensely about how I could enforce something like this in the community of Christians I lead. After all, when I look at their Church, the people seem so committed to the Lord. Perhaps forced discipleship is the way to go.

Then I realized something. The people who attend their Church long for that type of atmosphere. People have already vetted them before they choose to participate. In other words, the people who join their community come in with a Christian background and long for someone to help them grow in their faith.

Here is the harsh reality for all believers. If you want to become a spiritually mature follower of Jesus, the desire must come from inside of you. No one can “force” you to become a mature Christian. It takes you waking up each and every day and choosing to take up your cross and follow him. The reason that this Church is growing is because the people who attend already want someone to invest in them spiritually, and those who don’t quit or go somewhere else.

I wish I could implement some plan that takes total non-Christians, leads them to faith, and then grows them into mature believers without any flaws or failures. But Jesus told us the parable of the Sower in which a man goes out scattering seed on four types of soil, and only one of them becomes complete and produces fruit. Three out of the four soils do not do what the Sower wanted them to do. Be clear: in this parable, Jesus is the Sower.

No one can force you into discipleship that leads to spiritual maturity, no matter how hard they try. Transformation starts inside your soul.