Christians enjoy feeling convicted

“I see a trend in many churches where people are beginning to enjoy convicting sermons. They walk out feeling broken over their sin. The distorted part is that they can begin to feel victorious in their sadness. They boast, ‘I just heard the most convicting message, and it ruined me!’ The focus is on the conviction itself and not the change it is meant to produce—change that doesn’t necessarily follow when we stay focused on conviction. Guilt is not always a good thing. It is only good if it leads us past sorrow to the joy of repentance.” Francis Chan

"Technique is a terrible substitute for the presense of God." Darren Patrick

an honest preacher's prayer

"Lord, by your Spirit, may your people hear a better sermon than the one I am about to preach." (@RevKevDeYoung)

When Preachers Suffer From Pulpit Anxiety

Unbelievable how accurate this is lol: http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/164797-jeremy-linneman-preachers-suffer-pulpit-anxiety.html

takes work to be concise

“If you want me to speak for two minutes, it will take me three weeks of preparation. If you want me to speak for thirty minutes, it will take me a week to prepare. If you want me to speak for an hour, I am ready now.” 

Winston Churchill

pastors should always be writing

Pastor Peter Schemm published a recent article in the Themelios Journal that encourages pastors to practice writing as a private spiritual discipline. He lays out six benefits of consistent writing (specifically for pastors but they apply to Christians in general):

1. Writing helps to deepen the mind.
2. Writing helps to clarify and refine your thinking.
3. Writing helps us to find a suitable pace of life.
4. Writing well requires quiet and solitude, both necessary in developing a healthy soul.
5. Writing (i.e. copying) Scripture helps us to meditate on Scripture.
6. Writing our prayers helps to make our prayer lives more meaningful.

I love writing as a way of communing with God. Unfortunately, it requires a discipline and quietness that I struggle to maintain.

Your inadequacy is one of God's favorite tools in accomplishing His purposes (Exodus 3; Jeremiah 1; 2 Cor. 12).

the church and the reign of Jesus

“The Church is, quite simply, the community ahead of time, the community that acknowledges now what one day will be acknowledged by all.  As ambassadors of a disputed sovereignty, we propose a claim that awaits a future and cosmic vindication.  For those who accept that claim, it is already vindicated by faith.  For them, the future is now.”  

- Richard John Neuhaus, Death on a FridayAfternoon

humility and pride in preaching

I read a little parable about a young Scottish minister who walked proudly into the pulpit to preach his first sermon. Not sure where the story comes from but it's such a great reminder!

This young Scottish minister had a brilliant mind and a good education and was confident of himself as he faced his first congregation. But the longer he preached, the more conscious everyone was that “the Lord was not in the wind.” He finished his message quickly and came down from the pulpit with his head bowed, his pride now gone. Afterward, one of the members said to him, 

“If you had gone into the pulpit the way you came down, you might have come down from the pulpit the way you went up.”

On Pins & Needles: How Churched People Often Feel About Christianity [dope song]

Mute Math has quickly become one of my favorite bands. A great blend of seemingly boundless creativity,  outstanding musicianship, and penetrating lyrics. Not to mention a downright transcendent live show. In short, this band is SICK!

This particular song, I think, expresses how so many (especially young) people feel who grew up in church. The song is a mix of disillusionment, doubt, and a burgeoning realization that there's something better than burdensome religion.

My favorite line is "I'm growing fond of broken people as I see that I am one of them." I think the early Christian leader, the Apostle Paul, could probably have made this song the soundtrack of his life leading up to his conversion.

This song screams for the Gospel.

Would love your thoughts.

Paper-thin conviction

Turning another page

Plotting how to build myself to be

Everything that I am not at all

Sometimes I get tired of pins and needles

Facades are a fire on the skin

And I'm growing fond of broken people

As I see that I am one of them

Oh, why must I work so hard

Just so I can feel like the noble ones?

Obligations to my heart are gone

Superficial lines explain it all

Sometimes I get tired of pins and needles

Facades are a fire on the skin

Oh, I'm growing fond of broken people

As I see that I am one of them

the delicate and dangerous balance between people and programs

"...ministry without heart, even well-financed ministry, is not ministry in God's eyes. A ministry can possess the best equipment, the finest quality of buildings, and the largest mailing list, and still not be doing God's work with quality if people do not remain more important. Excellence defined by standards of appearance is not excellence in God's eyes. I have seen organizations lose effectiveness in their testimony because they developed a reputation for caring more about programs and buildings than people. I have also been in ministries, especially in poorer countries of the world, where the buildings and facilities leave much to be desired, but heart is in the ministry so that people are cared for as a matter of priority. Throwing money at a ministry and paying others to do the church's work while making it look nice is not ministry in God's sight."

- Darrell Bock, The NIV Application Commentary on Luke, p.225

when you don't know what to preach

Occasionally I get invited to preach at other churches. That's always a tough thing for me because I typically have a hard time discerning what to preach. Along those lines, I found this helpful advice from Pastor Ray Pritchard:

There are two ways to go here, and only one of them really works. You can start with the church and think, “What do they need to hear?” Good question if you are their pastor. Bad question when you don’t know the congregation.

What do you do then?

Preach a message that is simple and clear and stirs your own heart. It’s not easy, in fact it can be very difficult, to come in cold and preach to people you don’t know. You can’t and shouldn’t depend on much help from the audience because they don’t know you very well. Think about what can you say in 30 minutes that is simple, clear, and stirs your own heart. This probably isn’t a good time to review the “meal offering” of Leviticus 2. Hard to get their attention on that one. Stick with a message that is close to your own heart. 

In most cases a visiting preacher doesn’t need to ask, “What do the people need?” because he won’t know the answer. Stick close to the central truths of the Bible. Pick something that feels comfortable to you, that you care about and believe in. That way you can preach with confidence knowing that you have a message from God’s Word you are excited about.

preaching that addresses non-Christians

One way to respect non-Christians in your audience is to talk directly to them not just about them. Rather than saying "they" as if everyone in the room is a Christian, say "you." Talking about about "them" indirectly makes non-Christians feel like you see them as some kind of specimen or abstract people group to be analyzed and described rather than actual people to be addressed.

"The pastor who is always available will be of no use when he is available." H.B. Charles, Jr.

Needed wisdom from the blog of Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr.