The preacher shouted to his approving congregation, “Some people out there are ashamed of the truth. They don’t believe what I am telling you tonight.”  At its core, I am sure he was partially correct. But there was another part that bothered me. His shouts were given to the most approving crowd possible. So there was zero risk in his declaration.

He had created what is often called a Straw Man fallacy. He made a caricature of the people who might oppose his words and then easily defeated them. He did not address the serious issues of the matter or offer well-reasoned arguments. His stand for truth was really more grandstanding.

For the Church to move forward in the name of Jesus, we need to be willing to address real people with complex issues with properly thought-through concepts. Then we must step out of the comfort of the Church and risk discussing our beliefs with people who do not agree or understand. When we do this, little affirmation will be given to our attempts, but real people will hear the gospel instead of us knocking down straw men.  

Everyone in the audience seemed to be into it. They were singing along. Many were waving their arms and swaying with the music. Once the preacher got up, they took notes, and some people shouted, “Amen.” Still, other people in the crowd were nodding and into every word. The evening ended with some people in tears and enthusiasm for others. 

The whole evening was incredibly moving for most of the people. The expression many used was “they could feel the spirit moving.”

Me? I felt nothing. Maybe it was because I was tired. Maybe because I was distracted. 

Whatever the reason, I was not feeling it that night.

I was reminded that the Holy Spirit does not work on and in people the same way every time. Music that speaks to your soul may not be the songs that speak to mine. Messages you need to hear are not always what I need to hear.

Believers will not always feel the same things at the same time. And that is okay. We do not need identical experiences as believers, but we do need a time when the Spirit speaks to our soul. Saying, “I did not feel the Spirit that night,” is entirely understandable; saying, “I never feel the Spirit,” is when you may have a problem.  

You will never find extra time for anything.

There is no magical way to find time for reading your Bible, praying, serving, or loving in the name of Jesus.

You have to make time for it.

Some of my mistakes play on a loop in my mind. They repeat themselves over and over in my brain, never letting me forget my failures. When I close my eyes at night, my sin is ever before me.  

I know that scripture declares that I am forgiven and free because of the work of Jesus. But this part of me does not want to let it go.

If I were honest, part of my problem is that I do not completely trust God’s grace is enough. As a result, I feel this need to replay it as a way of punishing myself. With each remembrance, I feel horrible, and it seems only fitting for what I did. I should feel awful and not be able to escape it.

One part of being a Christian is stopping the music of mayhem that plays in the mind. That does not mean hitting pause and resuming play later. It means hitting remove and then deleting it from your library. 

What makes some sermons feel better than others?

I have asked myself this question for 30 years. I have both delivered and listened to sermons, and I always wonder why some are perceived as remarkable, and others are not.

Is it the Bible interpretation? I am sure that Bible exposition has something to do with it. Any time I can learn something new about Jesus, I am blessed. Sermons that give me new insights are always better than those that don’t.

Is it the speaker? I am sure the speaker has something to do with it. A low-energy person can lull people to sleep. While a person who desperately needs affirmation and continually shouts, “Can I get an amen?” is distracting. Some people have the perfect voice and demeanor to make the sermon more engaging naturally.

People have suggested a long list of things to make a sermon feel great. These possibilities range from the worship setting to the size of the audience and the time of the program. 

The one thing I have found that consistently makes a sermon great is the connection to my life. When I am interested in a topic, the sermon is more engaging. When my life is going through a situation, and the sermon addresses it, I am instructed. When it is something I need to hear, then I give it my full attention. 

One major part of great sermons is the heart of the listener.

That is why one week, a person can say, “That was the best sermon ever,” while another is bored to tears. And the next week can be the exact opposite. 

As a preacher, I write the best sermons that I am able. I study the scriptures, pray, and try to use all my God-given abilities. If the sermon will be remarkable is up to the listener’s response to the Spirit through me. You will have to show up and listen to see if it connects; the preacher has no control over that and cannot tell you when it will happen. You just have to be here on Sunday to see for yourself.

I recognize that I am not a great leader. Nevertheless, I do my best to fulfill the role God has placed me in. That means I read numerous books and articles on Church leadership. I have attended conferences, taken classes, and listened to every type of teaching to try and get better. And yet, I know numerous people do not like how I lead. 

I have learned to be okay with disdain from others regarding my leadership. There is room in the Church for different opinions on matters of methods. But I have developed a few leadership convictions through the years about how I will lead and what I will encourage other people to do as well.

1. IT IS ALL ABOUT JESUS. My single goal as a leader is to make Jesus famous – not myself or my Church. I live and serve to make him happy.

2. SERVE HARD. Christian leadership is servant leadership. So I choose to serve with all my might. I refuse to let anyone out serve me.   

3. GIVE OTHERS GLORY. This one has been hard for me at times. I share an idea with someone, and they take off with it. Other people praise their vision and dreams. The whole time I knew that it was all MY idea. Instead of demanding praise, I attempt to keep the light on the other person.

4. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. The old saying is, “The buck stops here.”  It is true. As a leader, I am often blamed for things I had no part in creating. I feel like a parent protecting their children. I am big enough to handle it, so let me take the blame.

5. RESULTS ARE HARD TO MEASURE. People will come and go. Lives will be changed and then revert to a mess. People may not respond for years. I will never fully know the impact of my life till I stand before Jesus.

*Bonus – BE PATIENT. Ministry is not like killing snakes. It is a long slow process. Some things take years to develop. This can drive some leaders crazy while making some Church members mad.  

I am sure I will fail as a leader and upset more people in the future. But know that most of my decisions come from these fundamental convictions.

The person said, “I could never be them.”  They noted how well the person handled the pressures of their life with grace and ease. They seemed unflappable in the face of adversity. 

I should have said, “And they could never be you.” They do not have your background, experiences, and knowledge. They could not handle your life and everything you juggle for your family and God.

Each one of us is a unique creation by God. He molded us through our family, background, and personal journey. You could never be someone else, and they could never be you. That is great because God only asks you to fulfill your role in his world.

Glad has a plan for each and every one of us, and only you can play your part.

Recently I spent a little more than twelve days walking through personal darkness.

I could feel some of my issues coming on me. I had let myself get physically, emotionally, and spiritually tired. A few long days of work, a couple of big meetings, a little travel, and the culmination of months of prayer came together all at once. When the last event happened, I could feel the downward spiral into a personal crash.

Through the first phase of my struggle, I recognized my need for self-care. I want to be successful in my job, and I believe what I do is significant. So I push myself to pour my soul into every project, meeting, and sermon. Self-care is a big topic nowadays, and there is truth in the need to care for your own soul.

Situations beyond my control brought on the second part of my darkness. Other people had said and done things that hurt me. Almost nothing was done on purpose. Mistakes were made, and their struggles overflowed into my life.

During this time, I called other people to pray for me because of my darkness. I realized my need for a few people to support me spiritually. I did not have to try and make it alone. Sometimes the best action when drowning is to signal to others for help. While they physically did not do anything that benefited me. Their prayers have strengthened my faith and helped me to keep moving forward.

Whenever I share stories like this, I know a few people will not understand, and some will be critical and point out all my weaknesses as a pastor. But I am reminded of the Apostle Paul, who said he would glory in his weakness because that is when Jesus is strong. His power is made perfect in our weakness. I know that is true.

One of the most important questions you can ask as a Christian is simply, “What is the next step on my journey of faith?”

This answer is an ever-changing goal. It should have a different answer every time you ask it. Today it may be reading the Bible more. Next week it might be praying. The following week it could be serving. And the week after that, it might be fellowshipping with other believers.

There is a long list of things we must do to become mature believers and expand our faith. You cannot do everything all at once. But you do have the ability to do the next thing.

Today is the day that Christians like me celebrate Good Friday. It is the day we set aside to remember Jesus’ death on the cross specifically. We honor the day Jesus bled and died for our sins. We believe his body was broken and his blood shed so that we could have the debt paid for all our mistakes, failures, and trespasses.

The book of Hebrews underlines, along with Romans, that the work of Jesus is complete. He has done everything we needed for our salvation. Yet the Apostle Paul makes a remarkable statement in his letter to the Church in Colossae.

“Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” (Colossians 1:24 – NIV 2011)

Paul says he is filling up in his flesh what is LACKING regarding Jesus’ suffering. What does that mean? I thought the cross was enough.

It was enough to secure our salvation, but it did not take the message of his saving work into all the world. The great Apostle recognized that people needed to be sent out to share their faith; as they did, some would suffer. The work of Good Friday is not complete until people have the chance to hear the message of Jesus.

Recently I heard a preacher talk about traveling to India on a mission trip. He stopped to speak to a group of village pastors about standing firm in their faith. One of the local leaders asked this preacher a simple question that left him speechless. He inquired, “Are there any scars on your body for Jesus?”

Today I praise God that Jesus was scarred, but I also pray that I will fill up in my body was that lacking in Christ’s affliction.