Reflections of a Retired Pastor

When I started out in ministry, I made the mistake of being busy “doing” rather than focusing on “being” instead. I was wrapped up in making sure I was following some imaginary person’s perceived job description. The result was not that I neglected my “job,” but I neglected more important things. I often neglected time with my family (which I wish I could do over) and I even neglected being intimately in the Lord’s presence. As time went on, I began to see the value of “being” in addition to “doing.” I found that being present with people meant as much or more than programming, planning, and preparation. If we pastors aren’t being with our people, our sermons may be theologically phenomenal, but they may not necessarily connect with the very people who need to hear a word from the Lord in order to reset their spiritual batteries for another week. As time went on, “being” became more important to me. In one of my churches, a member experienced an extremely devastating event which necess...

I know that Jesus is always with us; He’s promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He’s promised to be with us always until the end of the world as we know it. I don’t doubt it or question it. It’s settled. What isn’t so settled are my visits with Jesus. I need to be present in His presence!  I have been learning over the past year and a half that Jesus longs for our presence  with Him. And it seems to me that many struggle with finding that consistent time to have visits with Jesus. Busyness, daily activities, disruptions, and lack of discipline are some obvious culprits that interfere. Our spirit is willing, but…! Some time ago a friend mentioned that he is frequently awakened at three or four o’clock in the morning and found that to be a call to prayer for him. I’ve seen others post on Facebook that if that happens to you, maybe that might be a call to prayer for you too. I also find myself awake at that time also. Sometimes for half an hour; sometimes for hours. This tim...

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. ”  James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭MSG‬‬ There is a reality to the trials (tests and challenges) that a Christ-follower experiences, and EVERY Christ-follower does. The Message rendition of James’ advice is that we should consider these challenges as a “gift.” Do we? CAN we? It’s definitely not easy. It seems that daily I hear of others’ plight that is way more serious than mine. I have been so blessed with how I am tolerating my treatments.  I’m writing this on the eve of another round of chemotherapy. I will post this later in the week. Experience tells me what to expect and I don’t look forward to it. But I told God minutes after I was informed I had cancer that I wante...

I was raised in a church environment where I was never sure that if I died, I’d go to heaven, because I might have had a bad thought or done something at the last minute that would disqualify me. Maybe that idea was due to my young uneducated interpretation, I don’t know, but I “got saved” a lot just to make sure.  I’ve met a lot of people in my pastoral years who live like they aren’t far from my youthful interpretation, struggling with thoughts that something they had done would keep them out of heaven. They think that whatever it was made them unworthy and separated them from God’s love. They have no victory. They lack the secure hope that each Christ-follower has. Without debating the opposing theological positions of the eternal security of the believer, I have a few things to say on the subject. I believe Scripture is clear that no external force, condition or circumstance can cause us to “lose our salvation.” Romans 8:31-39 is a key passage regarding this subject.The only ca...

I had a rough week, how about you? Billy Graham’s daughter, Ruth Graham, wrote a book titled, “In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart.” Believe me, if you were in church this week, I can assure you, someone else was there that was going through some really tough stuff. Sometimes we need to hit the reset button. Chemo week usually knocks me down physically for about four days or more. I have learned to expect it. Last week though was not as bad as others. What surprised me was how it affected my mind. I had a hard time focusing. I couldn’t concentrate enough even to blog. Thoughts were just not there. Maybe it was a spiritual thing, I don’t know.  But I do know I needed a reset. That’s what church does for me.  I have always believed that the church needed to extend itself beyond the safety of the brick and mortar “church” that we “go to.” Ministry outside of the church has always been a part of my life, holding a high priority. In every church I pastored, I got involved with the com...

Tradition. That word itself might remind us of “The Fiddler on the Roof.” There are traditions that might hold back progress and there are traditions that anchor us to things of the past that give stability to the present. There are family traditions that are outdated and there are those that are precious memories. There are church traditions that impede any innovation (“We’ve never done it that way before.”) and there are traditions that ground us to the historical and theological framework of the very foundations of the Church. Just how important are traditions? I would submit that the “right” traditions are very important. Some, in the interest of being relevant, tend to ignore things of the past and replacing them with new things. The way we do church has dramatically changed in 50+ years. Some changes have been good and necessary. Integrating new music styles, casual dress, and up to date programming were inevitable. But I do wonder if we have lost something in the process.  P...

On Easter Sunday, our pastor emphasized a call to be missional as God’s Church with a paraphrase of John 20:17-18: “Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”  Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her.” John‬ ‭20‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬ The pastor’s paraphrase was simply, “Get outta here and tell (the) others!” Pretty blunt, huh? Mary Magdalene, the first person to see the Risen Lord, didn’t want to let go. She wanted to hang on so she wouldn’t lose Him again. Perhaps she wanted it to be like it was before the weekend. It was comfortable following Jesus.  I think for many of us, WE have made it comfortable following Jesus. Go to church Sunday morning, most Sundays, and maybe if there’s something else going on like a prayer meeting or “special service” we m...