A lady in the Church contacted me and wanted to hear my thoughts. A friend of hers wants to attend our Church, but another pastor had told her that our Church was too accepting of everyone. He stated that we have no genuine concern for sin and discipleship.

My response was simple, and I would encourage you to do the same thing I told her. Sit down and read every word of Luke 15. Then tell me what you think about Jesus and his ministry.

Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners, and the religious leaders of his day criticized him for being too accepting. Those people should get themselves cleaned up and their hearts right before they try to be religious. Jesus responds by telling not one, but three parables about the grace of God. They are called the story of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son.

With each parable, Jesus keeps reducing the number of participants to underline that every single person is valuable to God. Everyone needs to be found and welcomed into the father’s party.

I firmly believe that people need transformation. We need to become disciples and learn to obey everything Jesus commanded. Transformation is not optional for any believer, especially those in the Church I lead. But before they seek to become like Christ, they first need to come to Jesus. When they do come, I want his people to welcome them with open arms, without judgment and with a message of grace … and transformation. I would rather err on the side of grace than be unwelcoming to a single seeker.

One challenge for every community of believers is to be more like the father in the story of the prodigal son than the older brother. One is filled with a critical spirit, and the other overflows with grace and love. One may be too accepting, but as a sinner, I am thankful for that acceptance.

One of my favorite preachers was talking about how he tries not to use personal stories as illustrations. If he does, he would rather make himself the butt of the joke and not a hero. But occasionally, he has the perfect story from his life to demonstrate his point and help others understand God’s work in the world.

Then he said, “I hate to be autobiographical, but that is how I experience life.”

I have thought about that line for over thirty years. I completely understand what he is saying. While I never want to use my stories to make people think I am something special, I have been a part of some encounters that perfectly illustrate faith. And since I have experienced these things, I want to use them for God.

God has allowed all of us to walk through numerous experiences that have shown us sin and grace. Still others have helped us understand forgiveness and love. Those are your stories, but maybe God gave them to you to share with others, helping them know and understand Him better.

Maynard was a leader in one of the Churches where I served as Pastor. I was young, naïve, and also full of faith. My heart was to reach people with the message of Jesus and lead them to salvation. I was earnestly working toward that goal while neglecting some of the people who were already attending the Church.

This old elder confronted me in a leadership meeting one evening. He wanted an accounting of where I spent all my time. I respectfully declined his request for more administrative busy work. As a self-righteous young pastor, I provided him with a list of reasons why I would not waste my time on something unproductive to the kingdom of God.

The moment I pulled out my list of reasons, I could see Maynard turn red as anger filled his body. His massive six-foot-four-inch frame tightened, and he pointed his finger directly at me. I do not remember every word he said to me. He began by saying he was a leader, and I was required to respect him. Then he attacked my character, calling me an arrogant young man. Finally, and this is what I remember with certainty, his finger came to my chest, and he said, “Don’t ever forget that I pay your salary!”

Without pausing, I said in the sternest voice I could muster, “You do not!” He recoiled with wide eyes as I continued, “God is who makes sure I receive a paycheck, and he will do it with or without you.” He scoffed in reply and said, “But it is my signature that makes it happen.”

Three other elders sat in the room with me in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. Richard was always a peacekeeper, and he quickly tried to calm Maynard and change the topic. But, within a week, Maynard resigned and joined arms with Pete to oppose every decision I made for the rest of my time in that Church.

With a new year quickly approaching, I have recently seen numerous articles and podcasts about how much a pastor should be paid. They handle issues like how much, who decides, and how they manage finances with tact and accountability. Also, recently, another Church leader asked me about our pay structure and requested any help in ensuring their Pastor is financially supported.

My response always contains the same nugget of truth I shared years ago. God takes care of my salary. I have always had enough to pay my bills and more than enough to share. Yes, I do need people to evaluate and write the checks, but in the end, I firmly believe that God will provide for me and my family, and I refuse to be manipulated by money. Honestly, I believe this is true for all of us – even you.

One small tip on reading the first 39 books in your Bible is to focus on the history and not the mystery. Too many readers approach the Old Testament like a puzzle box, hunting for hidden prophecies about the end times or secret messages explicitly meant for today.

While all Scripture is God-breathed and beneficial for us, the Old Testament is primarily a historical record of God’s relationship with His people. It’s the story of Israel’s repeated disobedience, God’s warnings of captivity, their refusal to turn from sin, and God’s use of Babylon as an instrument of judgment. Finally, the people are hauled off and remain in a foreign land for 70 years before returning to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the temple.

Accurate interpretation requires understanding the historical context and circumstances surrounding these writings. When we strip away that context and force the text to speak about our future rather than their past, we open the door to misinterpretation.

The Old Testament has much to teach us, but first, we must let it tell its own story.

We teach what we know.

We reproduce what we are.

Your children, grandchildren, and closest friends are the most accurate mirrors of your true nature.

That is what this person said when I told them all I did on Saturday night and Sunday morning to ensure I had my sermon memorized, along with being thoroughly prepared for worship.

They are correct. If I were only working for a wage and didn’t care about how the message of Jesus was received. I could choose the path of least resistance. If I didn’t desperately want people to know Jesus as their Savior, I could use other people’s sermons, take a stack of notes to the front, and not care about personal engagement. If I didn’t know that my personal journey and experience of grace were connected to a pastor like me, I could approach things in the simplest way possible and not care how the sermon is received.

You see, my dad did not grow up attending Church or having a relationship with Jesus as his Savior. He was in his early thirties when he attended a small Christian Church, where a man named Albert Amos preached each week. And, as my dad would tell me hundreds of times growing up, “he didn’t use a single note and just opened his Bible.” It so impressed my dad that he cared that much that he started to listen. If this meant something to Albert, it must mean something to him. Finally, at the age of 33, he surrendered his life to Christ.

Eventually, my dad would lead me to Jesus, and I would commit my life to full-time service to Him as a preacher. With every passing year, my notes have become less and less until I now only have a few random words written in the margin of my Bible. My prayer is that one day I will impact a man, and he will tell his son about Jesus.

Sure, I could make life easy on myself, but the call of God is not about making life easy; it is about faithfulness with the gifts He has given us.  

We need someone we can sit down with and discuss significant issues face-to-face. These people are willing to ask hard questions. They can look in our eyes and see when we are lying, avoiding, or feeling hurt.

We need someone we can walk side by side with and have a conversation. This is a very informal setting that allows us to explore our thoughts, ask questions without judgment, and makes us feel like we have a friend.

These might come from two totally different people, or possibly from one person in various settings. However, everyone needs both types of conversations to bring the connections into our lives that we need for a healthy mental attitude.

Many people only have one of these. Which one do you have? And which one do you need to add to your life?

As believers, God gives us the gift of community through the Church, but it is up to you to determine how you connect with others.

Throughout my years of ministry, I have spoken very little about Church culture. In fact, it makes me slightly nervous to address it, since the Bible never does it directly. So I want to cautiously inform people about the type of culture the leaders create in a Church.

Culture is the environment created when people interact with one another. It is the way people speak to one another, the attitudes they display, the ideas they share, and the actions they value the most. Everywhere you go, a different type of culture is on display, even in the Church.

Personally, I strive to focus on two primary areas of culture in the ministries I lead. First, I want people to view themselves in a godly way. I want them to be honest about their flaws, overwhelmingly thankful for grace, and able to laugh at themselves. Second, I want them to treat others as better than themselves (Phil 2:3). This means they welcome strangers with kindness, speak well of others, and make choices that improve the lives of those around them.

I push back against a culture that thinks they are doing everything right. They believe they have the best Church in town, have the entire Bible figured out without flaw, and you are not a good Christian if you go anywhere else. Yes, I believe in standing for the truth of Scripture and striving to be the best we can be, but that does not mean taking ourselves too seriously and thinking we have everything perfect.

The way people feel when they attend the Church I lead is crucial to me. The way they view themselves and others should be filled with grace and love. Scripture is essential. Doctrine is vital. Discipleship is non-negotiable. And culture is how we experience those things, which makes it an important consideration for every believer in each Christian community.

I don’t know exactly where it originated, but I first heard it in a recovery meeting. The speaker said that we need to H.A.L.T. bad decisions. Then they explained that meant we are to be very careful about the choices we make when we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.

Since I heard that comment, I began noticing the truth of the observation. Whenever I am depleted in one area of my life, I tend to make poor choices in other areas.

Sometimes the best way to remedy bad decisions is to pause, grab a meal, walk away for a time to cool off, connect with a friend, or even take a nap. I know there may be deep psychological issues that all of us need to address to improve our lives. But occasionally, the answers are much simpler.

Recently, I went on a fishing trip.

We caught a few fish, but the experience wasn’t about fishing, at least not for me. It was about time together.

The next time someone asks you to do something, whether it’s a parent, child, or coworker, know that they are asking because they want to spend time with you. Accept more invitations than you reject, and focus on the person and not the event.

In retrospect, enjoyment is rarely about the experience; it is about who you share it with.