Part of my job as a pastor is reminding you of what you already know. I am like a coach on your journey of faith.

I shed light on what you have read in your Bibles and remind you how it applies to your life. I point out the evil that you already know exists. I instruct you to do things you understand you should be doing.

Like a coach, pastors are not creating a new game to play but instructing people on how to improve their skills. We push people to practice what they already know in theory.

Being a part of a Church is rarely about obtaining some new profound truth. It is about learning to do what you already know.

It is defined as “developing so gradually as to be well established before becoming apparent” (Merriam-Webster.com). It comes from a Latin word for “ambush,” which is fitting, as this word often carries the meanings “deceitful,” “stealthy,” or “harmful in an imperceptible fashion.” It can be applied to both people and things.

The work of evil in your life is rarely a full-frontal attack. We are not challenged to fight the devil in hand-to-hand combat as he tempts us like he did Jesus. Instead, his work is insidious. Evil slithers into our lives quietly and without notice. It grows without recognition in our hearts, minds, and souls until it takes control of our actions.

There is no need to make you a murderer if the devil can get hatred to grow in your heart. He does not need to have you steal a million dollars if he can get you to fudge a few numbers on your taxes. Evil wins in your life when small lies become a regular part of your conversations.

The path away from God comes with seemingly meaningless, misdirected steps until evil gets us alone and can ambush us. Sin, in your life and mine, is insidious.

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.”

• James Clear (author of Atomic Habits), in his 3,2,1 newsletter

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.