I rarely share quotes. But this one was exceptional and thought-provoking.
“Communication is about what is received, not what is intended. If there is a gap between what you are saying and what they are hearing, you have to find a new way to say it.”
I spent last week on vacation. It had been eight months since I took a Sunday off from preaching.
I was exhausted. It has been a long run, with numerous significant events shaping the Church I lead and the future of our ministry.
Sometimes, you need to stop what you are doing and walk away. I needed a full eight days to clear my mind and rest from doing ministry.
For the people who are deeply involved in ministry, an occasional break is needed to reset their souls for the future. I was glad to have it this past week.
If you are feeling burnt out, don’t give up. Give yourself a chance to reset once in a while.
I don’t know what was going on in my dad’s life at that time, but one day, we were riding along in the truck, and as we passed the cemetery, he said, “There lies a bunch of people who thought they could not be replaced.”
Often, I have wondered what prompted the statement. Was he reflecting on the loss of someone? Was he pondering his own legacy? Maybe he had a heated conversation with someone at work who thought they were irreplaceable.
Whatever the reason, that thought was a humble reminder of my limited impact. My life can and will be replaced by someone else one day. The world, the Church I lead, and even my family will carry on without me.
He never said a word of explanation. It was a statement of fact. A fact I have never forgotten.
Whenever I get so full of myself that I think my little section of the world will fall apart without me, I remember my dad’s comment and the truth it holds for all of us.
It is late at night, and I have no idea what to blog next. I have posted something almost every weekday for years.
Frequently, I sit in front of a blank page, and nothing seems to come to mind.
Tonight, I want to remind you that just because someone makes it look effortless doesn’t mean it is. Daily creative work is still work.
The internet is full of people sharing lessons they learned in life, including this blog.
I need to be clear there is a difference between knowing a lesson and learning.
When you truly learn something, it will change your thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. You will make every effort not to repeat your mistakes. You will blaze a new trail with all the latest information. Life will be different and hopefully better.
Knowing what happened and why is essential, but it is not helpful information until it changes you.
Don’t allow the blessings of God to lead you away from God.
This struggle can take many forms.
God warned the Israelites of their coming prosperity in the promised land. “You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me” (Deuteronomy 8:17). They could have thought their own hands were the cause of their blessing, which would result in them forgetting God.
This is just one of the ways our blessing can lead us from God.
I have watched people get blessed financially, and with the resources to travel, they were continually gone from Church. The result was that they did not serve, connect, or worship. Others have been blessed with great friends who are constantly pulling them away from the community of faith. Some other people have been successful in their work, and it has been an enormous blessing, but they no longer have time for the things of God.
One trick of evil is to try and knock you down so that you will give up on faith. The other is to whisper in your ear as you are blessed and to make life all about you. He doesn’t care if you are down and out or blessed and out – as long as you are out.
Happy day 215.
It is easy to attempt transformation when we begin day 1. The year is new, and it is the perfect time to exercise, read, slow down, speed up, or make whatever change is required for you to live a better life.
It is tough to change when we reach the end of the year. There are holidays and parties, and the prospect of a new year is ever-present.
What about day 215?
You have 151 days left in this calendar year. There is still plenty of time to transform your heart, mind, and life. And yet, most of us do not feel like it because there is no natural transition to focus our efforts.
It might seem like making a change in the middle of the year requires enormous strength of character, but it actually requires no more effort than it did on day 1.
Today, you can decide to change your life. You don’t need to wait 151 more days.
When you hear applicable advice about how to live as a Christian one time, it is worth taking your time to listen and do it.
When you hear the same instruction a second time from a different person, it is probably more than a coincidence. Perhaps the Lord is underlining something you should do.
When you receive the same coaching for your life a third time, it is definitely God speaking to you. Three independent statements from various people are not a fluke.
One part of being connected to other believers is that they can help you to hear the voice of God in your life. Even when they don’t know they are doing it.
My children asked me a question I had answered repeatedly, and I paused and gave a loud sigh.
It is a simple way of communicating frustration, disappointment, and disbelief. Have I not told you already? Were you not listening to me at all? Have I not explained it well enough?
One loud sigh.
I wonder if Jesus ever sighed. When the disciples asked him the same question again? When the crowds were only interested in more bread and healing? When no one seems to understand what he is teaching about the kingdom of God?
Did he ever feel like he was not getting through to people and just sigh?
I will never know if he did it when he walked on the earth, but I am convinced he does it with me each day. Did he do that again? Does he not remember what happened the last time he prayed? How can he be so slow to learn?
Then I think about my kids and when I sighed at them. It was a pause so that I could slow down and make sure they got it correct this time. It was a chance for me to catch my breath and try one more time to explain myself.
I am sure of it. Jesus sighs. At least I know he continually does it with me. Hoping maybe this time I will listen closely and do what he tells me to do.
The teacher, whose name I do not remember, made a passing comment that I wrote down. They said there are three foundational questions that everyone asks about the Bible. They do this whether they are conscious of it or not.
1. What does it mean?
2. Do I agree with it?
3. Will I do it?
People read the Bible countless hours, trying to understand what it means. It is the driving force behind most Churches.
However, questions 2 and 3 are more significant.
Once we understand the passage, we see if it aligns with everything else we have been taught or experienced. If not, we find ourselves in the quandary of trying to align both concepts. If we cannot harmonize the Bible with other information, then most people will discard what they recently learned in favor of the past.
If we do manage to see what the scriptures teach corresponds to what we know, then there is this final step of applying it. Just because we know the correct thing to do does not mean we will automatically do it.
It is a good thing to know what the Bible says, but we must let it rewrite our understanding of the world and transform the way we behave. If we don’t address questions 2 and 3, then we are only gaining information to fill us with pride, and the whole project is self-defeating.
Second Chance Pastor 