I am the president of the local Pop Warner football and cheer organization here in Homer. I am also the father of 4 boys who are involved in football. My oldest plays Varsity, the next one plays Junior Varsity, the next one plays on Unlimited Pop Warner and the youngest on Pee Wee Pop Warner.

As you can imagine youth football has been a big part of my life for the last several years as the boys all enjoy playing. So today (and maybe all this week) I am reflecting on the lessons I learn from being a part of youth football.

1. Kids enjoy football but they love their friends. Many of the kids who go out for football just do it because their friends are playing. Before each practice the kids love to throw the ball to one another and goof around. After each game they hang around and talk about each play.

*As Christians – we need to be very aware of who our Christian young people hang out with regularly, their influence is enormous.

2. Kids need to know the basics. Every year we have this same process. We start the season and after a game or two we realize the kids are lacking the fundamentals of blocking and tackling. Many of the kids have played before but they have forgotten the basics from one year to the next.

*As Christians – we need to teach and re-teach and teach again the basics of the faith.

3. Some kids will never be great football players. This is just a fact. While many of the kids love playing football, they are not big enough or fast enough to compete at a high level. The old high school coach said in the first practice, “Look around. Probably only 1 or maybe 2 of you will play at the college level.” This is not just a mean statement it is an honest truth. His point was to get the kids to enjoy every game and every minute you get to play, because it might be your last.

*As Christians – we need to realize that not all young people will be preachers and missionaries. That is okay, we just need to help them do their best for God right where they are now. They need to enjoy the life and the gifts that God has given them.

4. Losses are forgotten quickly. I cannot remember our team records from 3 years ago or 2 years ago and I could only give you highlights from last year. What seems so important in the moment fades into history quickly.

*As Christians – we need to let kids know that their mistakes now can be forgiven and forgotten. What seems huge to them today will seem minor in a few years.

5. Victories are great, but they are passing too. I tell my boys over and over that when they get to high school no one will care how great their Pop Warner team was this year. When they got to college, no one will care how good their JV team was this year and probably their varsity for that matter. I want kids to enjoy their victories but don’t allow them to inflate their ego and make them into arrogant jerks.

*As Christians – we need to celebrate successes that kids have in every level of their life. We also need to spend time preparing them for the life ahead. No one will care how often they went to Church in Jr. High if they quit going in college.

These are just a few of my thoughts and mostly they are directed at parents, but if you are a part of a community of faith then there is some responsibility on you too. It takes a Church to raise a child.

Today I read an article on the Christian Standard website that I found thought-provoking. It is about Miley Cyrus initially but it is mainly about our addiction to fame. It is worth a read

You will find it HERE

I recently read this story from Brian Jones in his email devotional. Enjoy.

My three daughters know that I have one sacred, unbreakable rule when our family drives anywhere on vacation: If you have to go to the bathroom once we’re on the highway, you better have a Pringles can close by because we’re not stopping.
There have been times, however, I’ve been tempted to break my own rules. For instance, I’ll never forget the time we drove from Dayton, Ohio, to Dallas. We had just stopped in Louisville to fill up, and after twenty minutes we had successfully emptied all the bladders, gotten situated with our snacks, and pulled back on the road heading toward the highway. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a plume of smoke rising from the rooftop of a small apartment complex. I looked for a chimney but saw none. I reassured myself that surely someone had already called 911 and everything would be fine.
Besides, I thought, I can’t even tell for sure if there’s a fire.
Yet something inside of me kept wondering, What if I’m the only person who is seeing this right now? As I approached the on ramp I went back and forth in my head, Should we stop? Should we keep going? We don’t have time for this! I swerved to the left at the last second, drove past the on ramp, and circled back into the apartment complex.
My guilt (or basic human decency) had won out.
As I pulled up I discovered that it was in fact a fire, and by then the flames had engulfed a large part of the roof. Worse, my suspicion was accurate—we were the only ones there. I asked my wife, Lisa, to call 911, and then I ran inside to warn people to get out.
Once I reached the third floor, I frantically started to bang on the doors, one by one, but at each door there was no response. I then ran down to the second floor and did the same. As I was about to go down to the first floor, a shirtless young man with disheveled hair stuck his head out of one of the second-floor units. He cracked the door open, and as I ran back to meet him, I was hit with a wall of marijuana smoke.
“Yo, my man, what’s up?” he said with a slight grin.
“What’s up is that your apartment is about to burn to the ground. Put your joint down and help me get people out of here!”
We ran down the steps to the first floor. Two couples responded to our knocking. “There’s an elderly lady on the third floor!” one woman shouted. “Did you get her out?”
My heart sank. After racing back up to the third floor, we began furiously pounding on her door. The first-floor neighbor yelled, “She gets confused easily. We may have to break down the door.” But just as she said that the handle slowly began to turn. Coughing, confused, and minutes away from being consumed by the fire, she followed her neighbors down to safety. As we stepped out the front door, we heard sirens in the distance. After we guided the elderly woman into the hands of the paramedics, I turned around and watched the firemen storm up the apartment steps to stop the blaze.
As I stood there, the weight of it all hit me. I let out a deep sigh and thought to myself,What would have happened if I had kept driving?
A few hours later, when my adrenaline had finally worn down and the kids were asleep, a bizarre thought came out of nowhere. I call it a “thought” because to this day I’m still not sure if what popped into my mind came from God or from the triple stack of chocolate chip pancakes from IHOP digesting in my stomach. Here’s what came to my mind:
Let me get this straight: You’re willing to run into a burning building to save someone’s life, but non-Christians all around you are going to hell and you don’t believe it, let alone lift a finger to help.

I am blogging all week about what I think as a preacher. I know this is very subjective and I am sure many preachers do not feel the same way that I do. I also know that many preachers do, so for them and their congregations I hope this is helpful.

Today I want to simply give you ways to encourage your preacher.

1. Attend Church every week. – Many preachers (like myself) try hard not to evaluate their ministry based on Sunday morning attendance, BUT we all feel defeated when people do not come to Church. One of the greatest ways for me to know you care about Jesus and his Church and even me is for you to attend.

2. Invite your unchurched friends to Sunday worship – It is a great feeling when you invite your friends who do not go to Church to come to worship – which includes listening to me. I find it flattering beyond words.

3. Get involved in ministry – If you think I am doing a good job and you like the direction of the Church then jump in and help out. Telling me you liked my sermon is not nearly as encouraging as you stopping by to copy CD’s and put them on the internet for me. Saying you love our Church is not nearly as encouraging as stepping up to teach a kids class.

4. Be nice to my family – All of my family are volunteers. They are here because I am here. Talk nice to them, ask about their lives, listen without criticizing and treat them with respect. That means more to me than how you treat me.

5. Remember me in little ways – I feel connected and encouraged when you text me about a big sale that might interest me or when you save pictures of my family from the newspaper. It means more to me because that means you are thinking about me and my family as a friend and not just your preacher. You don’t need to by me anything, because simple actions speak way louder than gifts.

Finally, I want to say something that may only apply to me, but it needs to be said. Please, please forget that Focus on the Family wants October to be Pastor Appreciation month. I mean that with 100% honesty. For me it feels very forced and very fake. I have been a part of a couple of congregations and at the end of October they called me on stage and gave me some gift. I appreciated the thought, but the gifts usually indicated how little people really knew me or how cheap they were in their gift giving. Giving me a “nice pen” and notebook was not a great gift. I know people mean well, but I am truly encouraged when you remember me on a random Sunday or even more random Tuesday.

Through the years people have tried in numerous ways to encourage me. I appreciate every attempt very deeply. When I am feeling down and discouraged I open up letters I have been given. I look at pictures of good times I had with Church people. I look around my office at some of the memorabilia from trips with people. Some days those are the simple reminders that keep me going. Thanks for everything – all of you.

I do not write this because I am looking for a pat on the back. I write it because it is very likely that your preacher needs a little encouragement. I hope these are helpful.

I have been reflecting on my role as a preacher this week. After I have written a post then I begin thinking about other aspects of my job that I want people to know. Today I have been thinking about what people have said about me and what I would really like them to know.

Here is my current list of things I hope people know about me and my role as preacher.

1. I love God, BUT … I am not perfect. I am a Christian first and then a preacher. Like all Christians I make mistakes and sin. I am a flawed human and I will say things and do things that disappoint you.

2. I know a lot of the Bible, BUT … I do not know everything. I read the Bible and I read books about faith everyday. I have done this for over 23 years (since I entered Bible college). There is still a great deal to learn. I try my best to know it all, but I either haven’t learned some topics yet or I have forgotten what I learned as I got older.

3. I love people, BUT … I am not an expert in relationships. I struggle to get along with people. My wife says this is my biggest struggle in ministry. That is true partly because of my control issues. I cannot control other people’s actions and I like to be in control. Relationships take a great deal of work for me.

4. I love my family, BUT … my family is not without struggles. I have a great wife and kids but our relationships are not perfect. Michelle and I have struggled and continue to struggle just like all marriages. My kids are usually great in public, but at home they can drive me crazy.

5. I love the Church, BUT … I get tired of it. With Church gatherings – when they are great there is nothing better in this world. On the flip side, when they are bad there can be nothing worse. As a result some weeks and some events sap all of my energy. Somedays I just want to have a one family homestead in the mountains.

Those are just some of my thoughts today. Through the years numerous people have found out one of these truths and they are disappointed with me or with my family. It has been a hard reality for us. I hope you understand that all preachers are ordinary humans trying to live in relationship with God. As a result, we have struggles. When we don’t admit that then we probably struggle with pride … or denial.

I am glad we are all saved by Grace in Jesus and have a second chance everyday.

After yesterday’s post about what I am thinking each Sunday morning I began thinking about an old joke. People often comment, “Good thing you only work one day a week” or something like that. Well, what work do I perform each week? As a result of this thinking I decided to blog about what I do each week. It is worth noting that these are unique to me. I am in a smaller Church and I am called upon to do numerous things that I might not do if the Church is bigger.

Here is my to-do list for each week:

1. Pray and Prepare myself – Each week I try to pray, read the bible and meditate. I am a Christian before I am a preacher.

2. Sermon – I still try to spend 7-20 hours a week working on my sermon. I try to have the best sermon I can put together every week. I feel this is my biggest responsibility each week.

3. Sunday Service Plan – Each week I pick out the songs, the opening video, the people who will do the prayer and communion time. I try to plan a cohesive service that will help everyone encounter God.

4. Sunday Service Program – Each week I prepare and print the program. I make sure everything gets printed, folded and stuffed. Then I make sure everything is in Easy Worship for the media on screen for Sunday morning.

5. Sunday School lesson – Each week I teach for about 45 minutes before our worship program. Here at Homer Christian I started teaching just a few kids and lately we have added several adults. It is a time where I teach, but people can ask questions and interact. It is basically a small group every Sunday morning. This takes 1-2 hours to prepare depending on the topic.

6. Visit People – This varies from week to week. I try schedule a couple lunches each week, some people just come by the office, maybe have someone at our house for a visit or possibly go to the hospital. I really would like to do more of this, but time constraints make this tougher to do. I would rather meet with one person for two hours than with 2 people for an hour.

7. Office Work – Each week I do all kinds of secretarial type work. We are not big enough to have a secretary so I handle attendance charts, emails, phone calls, mail, website updates, etc. I buy office supplies, order teaching material and handle all of the duties you might associate with a Church office.

8. Personal Growth – Each week I try to read books, magazines and blogs. I try to learn and grow each year through the teachings of others. I really, really enjoy listening to sermons and lectures. I try to fill every spare minute with learning opportunities.

9. Future Prep and plans – Each week I try to plan future events for the Church for fellowship and growth. I try to plan sermon series for maximum impact. I try to stay a step ahead of everything that is happening or going to happen. This takes many forms but it is vital in every way. I try to make sure nothing happens by accident that I can control.

10. Outreach – Once again this can take many forms. Here in Homer I try to get active in my community. I am the president of Pop Warner football. The last two years I have been coaching 7th grade basketball once football is finished. When those are done I try to be involved in High School basketball as much as I am allowed. Outreach can also be an preparing an advertisement for an event or talking to people I encounter everywhere. I try to leave enough room in my schedule to share my Church (and the gospel) with anyone I meet.

*There are thousands of little things I do each week, but those are the big ones. When that is all done I try to spend as much time with my family as possible. They are my greatest ministry and my greatest source of support and encouragement.

These 10 activities are usually enough to fill more than 40 hours each week. So now you can never say that a preacher only works on Sunday:)

This past Sunday I was sitting in Church and thinking about all of the stuff that happens on Sunday morning. Then yesterday I decided to blog about all of the things I am thinking on Sunday morning.

1. GOD, please show up. I start every Sunday morning with a shower and then I hit my knees in prayer. I believe that every Sunday morning is a waste of time unless God blesses our time together.

2. I hope people show up. There is this fear every Sunday morning that everyone will quit or go on vacation or just sleep in and it will be just me and my family.

3. Is the sound and slide show working well? I am always interested in all the extra pops, crackles and squeaks. I also keep a close eye on what is on the screen – typo’s, misspellings and other issues.

4. What is happening next and who is doing it? With multiple people involved in every program I need to make sure everyone is there and doing their responsibility.

5. What was my sermon outline again? I try to memorize my sermon. I usually don’t need notes, but I take up an extended outline every week. This helps me in case #3 or #4 go wrong and I lose track of my sermon.

6. Is there anything I can say that will help people want to return? With #2 always on my mind I try to address future sermons, events and issues so that the people might return.

7. Who do I need to talk to? Who do I want to talk to? Are there any people I need or want to catch before they leave the Church building today? If so, where are they?

8. Wow. Another Sunday morning has come and gone – and not everything went as planned. This may shock you. I slip into a mild depression at the end of every Sunday morning. I feel like a quarterback after a game and replay every minute.

9. God, Thanks for showing up in some people’s lives. I am amazed every week at the handful of people whose lives were touched, instructed, encouraged, challenged and more – all because of one worship program.

10. What’s for lunch and how long till I can get a nap? I am human just like everyone else. (Not that you thought any different) I don’t eat anything on Sunday morning so that I do not get sick. I used to eat but my nerves did not like it and I would often feel nauseated. Immediately after Church I am thirsty and hungry, I am also tired. I feel like I have run a marathon. I know that once I eat I will want to sleep.

I don’t know if these are true for every preacher, but I know they are true for me. In the first years of ministry I would get violently ill every Sunday morning. Diarrhea was the norm and I usually felt like vomiting. Sorry, it’s true. I have slowing gotten over that, but Sunday’s mornings are still the “Superbowl” for me every week.

Oh, several months a year I look forward to getting home and watching the Packers:)

This week has been rather crazy for me. With all the back to school specials I decided to get a new computer for me to use for work. As most of you know – there is great excitement in getting a new tool slash toy to use. I will not lie, I was as excited as my kids when they get something new.

Well, it arrived on Tuesday and I have spent the rest of the week trying to get everything set up. First, it is an HP laptop and that is the first HP I have ever owned. I few things on the keyboard or different. Next, it has Windows 8. It is very different from the previous versions of windows and I am not sure I like it. Third, all of my old software has to be moved or repurchased.

My new computer has resulted in a long and frustrating week.

All this made me think about the plea of Christianity. In Jesus was have this great promise that we will be new creatures. God will transform the old junk in our lives and make all things new. It sounds like a great promise. We are like me opening a new computer. Then the new becomes a job. We have to rethink the way we do everything. Some habits need to be dumped and other need to be handled differently. After becoming a Christian it can be a frustrating experience.

I am sure that with time I will come to love my new computer. I spent all this money and I kind of have to. But Christianity, will it always be hard or will it get better? I firmly believe it will get better with time and practice.

I really believe the message of Christianity is a wonderful message, sometimes I just need to be remind that change is always hard.

I believe that children should be active in their service of God. As a result I try to get my kids involved in my work as a pastor all the time. A couple of months ago I had my youngest son (10 years old) help label a bunch of CD’s for upcoming programs. He wrote on the master CD the name of the upcoming sermon off of a list I provided him. He looked through the list and wrote on each CD with a black Sharpie marker the title and the date.

As I worked through the stack of CD’s they have been cute to look at his childish handwriting. Then I got to this week’s sermon. It is entitled “I’ve Got a Friend Who … Is Drifting Away From God.” I laughed out loud (literally) when I read what he had written. He wrote “I’ve Got a Friend Who … Is Drinking Away From God.”

So depending on which title I use for my sermon, this week could be fun:)

There is a video store nearby that sells their older movies. I stop in every week to look over their selections. Recently I purchased several and I finally sat down to watch the movie Lincoln. It is a long movie and I have still not finished it. (I kind of know the ending:)

Anyway, there is a funny quote in the movie.

Lincoln is talking to a group of people and it quickly turns into a lecture. Then he pauses and says,

As the preacher said, “I’d write shorter sermons, but once I get started I am just to lazy to stop.”

I love it!!