The sports announcer said, “As a player, you have to develop a short memory.” 

A player in any sport will make a mistake by missing a shot, having a fielding error, or throwing an interception – just to name a few possibilities.  At that moment, they cannot go to the bench and sulk and skip the next few plays. Instead, they are required to keep shooting, catching, and throwing.  It is only in continuing to do their job that they can fix their mistake. 

This is not a bad principle for all of us to learn.  Whenever we make a mistake, we take a minute to learn from it and then get back up and try again. 

Great sports figures have made all kinds of errors in their careers.  What separates them from the average players is their ability to put it behind them and do better next time.  Maybe great people are made the same way. 

One of the more challenging aspects of being a pastor is dealing with various personalities that compose a Church community.  This goes beyond the superficial labels of introvert or extrovert.  Honestly, I believe it goes beyond any other types of tests you can use to categorize the way people behave.  Everyone is unique in how they think, act, and feel, along with our one-of-a-kind experiences. 

Where I find this the most complicated is in how people react to different situations.  For example, one person may do a ministry, and I walk up to them and suggest a few changes for improvement.  At this point, I have had people ignore me, cry, get angry, become defensive, and even quit doing ministry altogether.  Then, after the incident, some people will contact everyone they know and complain while others will leave the Church quietly, and still, others will become my friends. 

Add on top of the unique personality we possess; temporary moods factor into people’s reactions.  Sometimes people are having a bad day; other times, they are hungry, angry, lonely, and tired.  I can never know what might endear me to people and what might alienate me. 

Relationships are hard.  No one denies that, but Church relationships are highly complex.  People attend voluntarily, and they can leave at any time.  Those same people can complain and impact dozens of more people simply because I caught them on a bad day or touched a nerve on a sensitive topic.

As a pastor, the spectrum of people who walk through the doors is unlimited.  I hope that the grace of Jesus will touch every person.  It will give them a right relationship with God along with the people around them.  As God works on their hearts, I always hope they develop some grace toward their pastor and his wife, just like we try to do with them. 

Life is full of regular reminders of past events. Annually we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. We pause for a day or an evening and remember something significant that happened on that day. This practice keeps us grounded in our lives and relationships. We note that we are a year older, have been together a year longer, and enjoy the historical significance of events and people.

Personally, I believe God knows our need for regular reminders, and he also knows that annual events are not frequent enough. We need to be reminded weekly. Every Sunday morning, the Church comes together to worship, pray, and learn about God’s word. As a preacher, I hope that people learn and grow because of their time together on Sunday morning. Even when that does not happen, I think their participation in the group will serve as a reminder of the bigger things in life.

Each week our worship together is a reminder of the priority of God in our lives. It forces us to start our week by acknowledging his power and grace. It keeps us grounded in his word as a weekly guide for living. Finally, it reminds us that we are not alone in our faith but share the journey with hundreds of other believers.

Even if you get very little out of your time at worship this coming Sunday, church attendance is a good reminder of your need for Jesus and his work in your life.

Just because someone wrote a book about a topic does not mean they are an expert or right. 

A congregational member once told me about a book he was reading, and immediately a chill went down my spine.  The author had no advanced training in biblical studies and had shown no sign of deep knowledge of the scripture from personal experience. Yet, they were given a chance to write a book about faith because of their success in other areas.  Honestly, it was total garbage. 

I want people to read and grow in their faith, but we must rely on the right voices. 

Writing a book on any topic does not validate the author’s knowledge.  It simply shows us that this person has the discipline to sit down every day at a computer and complete a task.  That is a noble accomplishment but is dangerous when the person is wrong. 

I want to encourage everyone to find out the author’s background before reading a book.  Look at what else they have written, check out who endorsed them, and ask critical questions.  The only thing worse than no information is the wrong information. 

We can be harder on ourselves than anyone else would ever be.

We have these standards we wish to live up to each day. Unfortunately, being a Christian can make it worse as the bar is set higher for us by following Jesus.

Every day we rise, hoping that today will be this perfect day.  Today, our attitude will be positive, our words will be sweet, and our actions will be all God desires from us.

And then we fall short.  We get frustrated and even angry with ourselves. Our minds and souls become filled with regret, shame, remorse, disappointment, and guilt.  Our conscience weighs us down, and it comes out in negative emotions toward the people around us. 

As a follower of Jesus, we believe in God’s grace.  His unmerited favor and forgiveness toward humanity.  But do we believe that this grace extends to us?  This is not an attempt to excuse our sins nor dismiss the need to change and grow.  It is simply allowing the sacrifice of Jesus to be enough for everyone.

Many of us punish ourselves for our failures because we know the right thing to do and yet fail to live up to the standard.  We have intimate details on each mistake and shortcoming.  We understand the depths of our depravity, and it fills us with shame.  The good news of the gospel is that God forgives the sins of everyone, including us.  Often the most difficult person to convince they have grace and forgiveness is ourselves. 

Is there a difference?

That question is essential yet neglected. 

It is critical for a Church and Christians to be doing the Lord’s work above all else. Almost everyone agrees that his work is good.  So believers set out into the world doing all kinds of projects that benefit their neighbors and communities.  And everyone assumes that what they are doing makes God happy.  If people feel good about what they are doing, why overanalyze it?

My definition of good work is doing something that blesses other people.  These actions can range from a conversation to a building project to offering a meal. However, the definition of God’s work adds a significant element.  It is doing something that blesses other people and leads them to greater faith in God.  That last part is easy to overlook but is essential.

While there are many good works we can do, not every one of them leads people to God.  Some of them can make us feel good about ourselves and create positive vibes while having nothing to do with God.  All of God’s work is good, but not all good work is of God. 

The Church is a community of people who go out into the world doing many good deeds, but they fail if it ceases to do God’s work.    

I stopped my walk for a couple of minutes and watched the sun melt into the horizon and leave an orange glow across the sky.  Soon the colors of red bled from the west, leaving everything as dark shadows against the fading evening.  It was breathtaking in its beauty, and I almost missed it because I needed to get in my workout. 

God never designed life to be an endless cycle of busyness.  It was also never planned for us to be passively entertained by others. Instead, life at its best is meant to be lived with the Godly pattern of loving, serving, giving, and enjoying. 

The first three seem evident to anyone who has ever read a Bible, even in a simplistic way. First, we are called to a relationship with God and others.  There we serve one another and give to anyone who has a need.  The final one, enjoyment, I rarely hear anyone mention.  I do not mean you passively sit at home and spend your days being entertained by your TV.  Instead, I think God wants us to enjoy this wonderful creation where he has placed us.

There is no Bible book, chapter, and verse that says this truth. However, I have noticed repeatedly in the Proverbs and the Psalms.  God made this intricate and beautiful world, and those two books stop to see it frequently.  I want every person to enjoy this wonderful life and creation God has given us. 

Get up before dawn and watch the sunrise.  Walk at night and look for shooting stars.  You can find a quiet lake and peacefully notice the sky as it melts into the night.  Observe nature, hike in the woods, ride a bike or a motorcycle into the unknown.  Travel as cheaply as possible so that you can swim in the ocean or ascend a mountain.  God created this planet with so much beauty, and I hope you can get out and experience it.  If nothing else, go outside today and spend a few minutes noticing something you might have missed. 

This is not the central focus of life and should not take all our time and money. Instead, our relationship with God and others is primary.  But I also think you should take time to notice the world where you are placed and enjoy it. God’s creation is magnificent, and it would be a shame to miss it because you were too busy or trapped inside by a talking box.    

Today I will say goodbye to a wonderful saint who lived his life for Jesus. 

Days like this are bittersweet.  It is sweet to know the end result of our faith.  This is a day that family and friends will cling to the hope of the eternal life we find in Jesus.  The light of the gospel shines the brightest in the valley of the shadow of death. 

Today will also be bitter.  There is emotional pain that comes with saying goodbye.  It is hard to finish the final chapter and close the book on someone we love.  We long for one more conversation, smile, and day together.  Tears will flow and drain the emotions, but it is necessary to bring the closure we need. 

The Apostle Paul tells the Church in the city of Thessalonica that it is okay to grieve but do not do it like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).  Today both of those realities will come to pass.  We will grieve, but even in our sadness, there is hope because of the work of Jesus. 

Today is not goodbye; it is more like, “We will meet again on the other side.” 

Thank you, Jesus. 

I openly admit that I am a mess.  I struggle with sin every single day.  Occasionally I am victorious, but I fail too often. 

All I know is that I cannot imagine how much worse things would be without Jesus. 

The forgiveness offered through the grace of Jesus has kept me moving forward.  The Holy Spirit empowering me over sin at times has been unnoticed yet beyond helpful.  The fellowship of other travelers on the road of faith has inspired me to keep the faith. 

Because of Jesus, I keep trying to improve, get up when I fall, and strive to be the person God wants me to be.

I am a mess, but I am thankful for the goodness of God that makes today much better than it could have been without him.

Some pain never goes away.  It might fade into the background, but someone touches the scar, and pain shoots through your whole body.  You wish you could forget that day and what happened then, but it is burned indelibly into your mind. 

I was once told that time heals all wounds.  While it is true that the wounds will eventually turn into scars, pain can still exist even if it is only occasionally when you are touched in the right place.

This is true physically and metaphorically as well.  The pain of losing my best friend 31 years ago still catches me at times, and I sit silently and cry.  The hurt from my father’s strokes and death can cut through me at unexpected moments, making it feel like it happened yesterday.  The person who said those words to me will never know how they still hurt.  The phone not ringing when I was struggling made the pain almost unbearable, and I cannot forget it. 

Don’t get me wrong; I have learned to forgive, move beyond the moment, and heal in those situations the best way I could.  But I was left scarred for life.

There are days I hurt from the past, and I cannot explain it to you unless you have experienced it yourself.  Honestly, I hope you have no idea what I am talking about in this post.