People respond to the question, “How are you today?” in two ways.

One group smiles and says, “Fine.” This generally means, “I don’t want to talk about the details of my life, but for the most part, everything is okay.”

The other says, “Busy.” They might also give me a response related to that concept. “I’m tired, I’m exhausted,” or “full schedule” are alternative answers but still mean the same thing.

Everyone is busy. Our lives and schedules are packed. We run from one thing to another and find few spots in our days to stop moving. Then, when we finally do, we pick up our phones and start scrolling. There are only a select few people who have much free time.

Yet, even with their busy schedules, I still know people who read their Bible, do devotions, and pray each day. Some people serve the Lord through the Church on a weekly basis, while others connect deeply with a small group of people. Some people are learning and growing spiritually despite being busy.

Perhaps the problem isn’t your time management skills; maybe it is your approach to growth. Those who want to mature as believers find time for that to happen. They listen to the Bible while exercising, learn from a podcast while driving, and connect with believers through social media. Their growth comes while their schedule is packed.

Being busy can be an excuse for a lack of maturity in your spiritual life, or you can learn to integrate your faith into your routine.

I do not think that some Christians are genuinely bad people. But I do believe that many of them are oblivious.

An oblivious Christian is someone who lacks awareness of the people around them. They ignore others’ needs and concerns. They are not mindful of non-Christians who enter their world or their Church.

Here are some of the tests you can use to see if this might be describing you:

-Do you worry more about getting a good parking spot for you at Church than keeping those spots for guests?

-Do you grab your seat at the back of the auditorium without a thought of the people who might show up late?

-Do you wish that all the songs were ones that you liked to sing and not care about anyone else’s preference?

-Do you talk only to people you already know and not pay attention to people who might be new in worship?

-Are you ever concerned with how a guest might feel if they were at your Church on Sunday morning?

Your answer to those questions reveals something about you.

It doesn’t mean you’re a terrible person; it means you are oblivious. And the solution is to open your eyes, ears, and heart when you are gathered with your Church community.

Now, as we head toward Easter, is the perfect time to become an intentional and deliberate Christian who is always aware of those who still need to know Jesus.

Throughout my childhood, I would ask people to explain certain things to me, and they would respond with, “One day, you will understand.”

I hated this response. I am smart. I can learn quickly. Tell me, and I will know something new. In my childish mind, I vowed I would never say that to anyone.

What I didn’t understand is that some topics require not only mental intelligence but also emotional experience. I needed to feel certain things and some of them more than once. My heart needed to be broken by loss. My heart needed to expand as I loved my wife and children. I needed to experience victory and defeat both professionally and privately. Only when I had walked through all the things this life throws at me would I be able to grasp the topic and thoroughly understand it?

Knowledge is so much more than learning some facts from a book or doing a Google search. It contains a depth of information and emotion.

The other day, someone asked me to explain a passage of scripture. I paused for a moment and said, “You will not understand that until you are a Church leader.” They looked at me puzzled as if to say, I am smart, and I can learn this.

I smiled and remembered those childhood conversations. I looked at them again and said, “I know you don’t believe me now, but one day you will understand.”

The Israelites were to cross the Jordan River to move into the promised land. This was going to be an experience similar to Moses leading them through the Red Sea. One significant difference with this story is that the waters of the Jordan were moving.

Priests would carry the ark of the Lord into the Jordan, and the waters flowing downstream would be cut off. God was going to “pile up in a heap” the waters of the river upstream at a town called Adam. By the time the ark reached the middle, the river would be dry ground.

Many scholars suggest the river would have been at flood stage when they crossed. This would have made the river much wider and the current much stronger. One estimate I read said the river might have been two miles wide at the time of the crossing. 

I picture the priests walking out in the water, and about the time they are waist deep, it slowly starts to drop so that they see a change, but it is not immediate like the Red Sea. Still, they walk out in faith until the story unfolds like the Lord said. They reach the middle, and all is dry for the Israelites to cross.

Many times, in the life of faith, we are asked to step out into the waters, and God begins to do his work upstream from us. As a result, the changes we prayed for do not happen immediately. It takes time for God’s work to reach us.

Perhaps it will be tomorrow, next week, or next month before we see all the work God is doing for us upstream today.

The winds of change are blowing.

Every day, something new happens in our culture, whether that means our local community, where we work, or even within our family. It is also true in the Church. 

There is a Chinese proverb that states you can respond to them in one of two ways: Some people build walls, and others build windmills.

You have a choice of how to respond to all the changes coming at you. You can be angry and grumble about them, or you can embrace them and build a better future.

Change is coming; whether that is a good thing or bad thing, in large part, is up to you.

Whenever I talk to someone about sharing their faith with a family member, friend, coworker, or neighbor, my advice is always the same. I tell them to pay close attention to open doors and closed doors for a discussion of religion.

Open doors are times when the person you are trying to reach starts talking about something spiritual. This can be as simple as mentioning a scene they saw on TV to something as complex as a theological question. In that moment, they open up their minds to a discussion of the things of God. This is your opportunity to talk and talk and talk.

Closed doors are when that same person stops talking about anything spiritual and often changes the subject. That means the doors have closed, and they no longer have a desire to converse about faith. It is time to stop talking and move on to the next thing.

This is critical because people have strong convictions, and they want people around them to know what they believe. The result is that they bulldoze every conversation toward faith, and people begin to resent the discussion. The other option is that their loved one starts talking, and they want to share everything they know, even when the door closes. Which also has a negative result.

Well-intentioned people find themselves frustrated that they cannot make headway in sharing Jesus. Often, they describe it as “hitting their head against a wall.” The reason is that you have run headfirst into a closed door.

One goal for every Christian is to develop a well-trained “gospel ear.” You can listen for phrases, questions, comments, and stories that open the door to spiritual conversations. It can also help you to know when to keep your mouth shut. In the end, your impact will be more significant than you can imagine because the other person wants to engage the faith you desperately want to share.

It happens almost every year. The football player makes a fantastic play and breaks away down the field with an apparent touchdown ahead. They drop the ball and begin celebrating. The fans cheer, and the player relishes the accolades of the crowd.

The problem is that they dropped the ball a few steps short of the goal line. The referee, closely watching the play, sees the mistake and never blows his whistle. The other team picks up the ball, and there is no score because the player did not make it to the goal.

The Christian life is to be played to the final goal line. Stopping anywhere short is a mistake. And celebrating anything before the points are secured is also a blunder.

I think of this analogy almost weekly. Someone I once knew on my journey of faith had a bright future ahead of them. They were the loudest singer in Children’s Church, the most enthusiastic teenager in the youth group, the cornerstone of their college ministry, and the shining example of faith in a young adult. They were involved in full-time ministry, a volunteer leader, or held an office in their Church. They taught Sunday school, led small groups, and retired with dreams of dramatic influence on their family. AND then they walk away from the faith. They quit serving, attending, and living for Jesus short of the goal line.

My heart breaks watching one life after another derail on their journey with Jesus for a myriad of reasons. I want believers to grab ahold of their faith and never let go.

On the flip side, I watch people make a mess of their lives, ignore God, and drag themselves through unnecessary heartache. They spend their lives away from the Church and faith as prodigal sons. AND then one day, they turn to Jesus. They start serving, attending, and living for Jesus and cross the goal line with a thriving faith.

My heart is also overjoyed when someone comes home to Jesus and lives the rest of their life as a Christian.

Where you are today doesn’t matter; it is where you finish that counts.

Turn to Jesus. And then hold tight to what you believe and never drop the ball. Celebration is for those who cross the line clinging to Jesus with all their might.

Recently, a Connection Pastor shared on his blog a simple idea. Depending on the traffic, his work requires a 15-20 minute commute each day. He has committed himself to using that time for the service of the Lord. Each morning, he calls someone to check on their life, ministry, and current situation if he is praying for them. He calls or voice messages someone in his Church to give a word of encouragement or spiritual support. Then, on the ride home in the evening, he does the same thing. Most days, he is able to catch one person on the way to work and one on the way home. 

God gives each of us these routine moments each day that are easy to throw away. There are little gaps in our schedules that are often used for mindless scrolling of social media. What if you decided to give those times over to the work of the Lord? What if you made a call to someone in your Church if you are able to talk? What if you sent an encouraging message or email instead of getting on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, or Instagram?

Just think, over the span of just one week, you might be able to touch ten lives. In a month, you might be able to connect with 20-30 people. Those little bonding moments could help to build the faith of others and strengthen your Church community.

This article challenged me to fill the gaps in my life with God. I have not perfected it yet, but I am working to make it a regular part of my thinking. I hope you will consider joining me.  

Growing up in Church, my preacher warned that we should never sugarcoat the Gospel. I have heard that same phrase used hundreds of times since I entered the ministry. The statement was born from the concern that some Churches, preachers, and teachers say things to make the message of Jesus sound sweet when, in reality, it is a call to die to our old self so that we can walk in new life. The implication is that the Christian faith is a difficult life, and don’t let anyone tell you it is easy.

In the past several years of my ministry, I have encountered numerous people who suffered at the hands of Church leaders who were abusive, manipulative, and mean in the name of Jesus. Their desire to not sugarcoat the Gospel has made them angry, confrontive, and negative. The Gospel they preached was raw and aggressive, with not one drop of sweetness.

One part of my ministry has been to offer help, hope, and healing to those who have been hurt by people in the Church. I frequently apologize for the behavior of others in my position. I always offer sympathy and compassion. More than once, I held out the tissue box so that we could both have a good cry. Numerous believers carry the pain and confusion that has come from well-intended leaders.  

I remind those people that the heart of the Gospel is good news. Jesus came with compassion and offered guidance to the harassed and helpless (Mt. 9:36). He invited all who were weary and burdened to come to him, and he would give them rest (Mt. 11:28). Jesus is described as one who would not break a bruised reed (Mt. 12:20). In addition, a Christian is called to love his neighbor (Mt. 19:19) and one another (1 Jn 3:23). Together believers carry one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2) while encouraging one another and building each other up (1 Thes. 5:11). There is such a sweet spirit in the gospel message to everyone hurting.

Jesus does call people to leave their sins and change their lives; I am not denying that fact. The Christian life is a difficult journey filled with tough choices. But it also contains sweet words for the soul. It is a message of help and healing, too. Saying that does not mean I am trying to sugarcoat the Gospel; rather, I am preaching a complete gospel.

One of the men of our congregation was asked if he was interested in a leadership position as a deacon in our Church. He responded simply, “Oh, I have already done my time.”

His words rang with a sense of frustrated fulfillment. He had served as a Church leader at some point, and he did not enjoy it. In fact, it had been a burden for him, but he fulfilled his obligation to do it once, and he was never going to return.

I count Church leadership as a privilege. God allows me to be a significant part of his work on earth. He enables me to use the gifts he gave me for the betterment of others. I can be a part of the solution to problems, not just a person who complains. One day, future generations may be blessed by the decisions I helped make and the service that I gave. My life as a leader gives me purpose and meaning behind the grind of daily work because I am a part of something with eternal significance.

Sure, it comes with a great deal of responsibility. That should never be taken lightly. In Hebrews, it says that leaders must give an account for the people they watch over. It also states that their work should be a joy, not a burden (Hebrews 13:17).

I hope to lead a Church where people cannot wait to be leaders. They see it as a great privilege to be a significant part of the Lord’s work. I want them to respond to the question of leadership with, “Why yes, I will do it; I can hardly wait to get started.”