The Word and the Work: Thoughts on Preaching, Pastoring, and the Christian Life

Well, here we are at the end of Summer.  At least school has started back.  It's still hot.  This means that my family's ministry in the Chestnut Grove area of Buckingham County, Virginia has been officially going on for around 14 months.  I use this blog very intermittently as a way of putting some of my deepest issues out there so that I do not mislead myself.  That being said I would like to share with you about our time here at Chestnut Grove so that you can pray for the church, my family, and me. I have learned quite a few things over the course of this year and thought I might share them with everyone so that those looking into certain kinds of ministry can get a well rounded picture.  Understand, we are a rural church if there ever was one. A friend who came out here to sing during our revival put it this way; He said, " Brother, if you wanted to get away from it all you have succeeded."  This community is unlike any that I have known and it i...

There is a lot of things that happen in our lives as a family that cause us to stress.  Many times these things are directly related to our oldest son William Paul's diagnosis as having an autism spectrum disorder.  Some days he is so hyper that he absolutely cannot be contained.  Some days he squeals all day long.  Some days he freaks out because he does not have the proper 20+ items in his bed with him so he will not go to sleep.  These are the struggles that parents of kids with ASD face.  It is normal at our house.  Hey, our other sons have their issues too but William Paul is obviously our squeaky wheel that needs more grease.  God Bless my wife because she is the one applying grease most days. Now, with all that said I come to my struggles.  I am a pastor .  More than that I am a Christ follower.  I am a Christ follower wholly concerned with the salvation of lost people.  Now, what kind of parent would I be if I say tha...

Is it possible to say too much about the cross?  As a preacher that possesses salvation purchased at the cross I do not believe it is possible.  Is that what is happening in this day?  I do not know.  I do not dare make a blanket comment regarding preaching or church life in general.  I do know, however, that the focus of the majority of preaching, books, and conference breakout sessions are not the Cross.  Social media workshops? Yes.  Public Proclamation of the glory of the Cross?  No. Some may say that it is understood that as Christians our focus is the Gospel message of salvation beginning with the atoning sacrifice at the Cross.  Sounds nice, but is it true?  Let me give you an example.  I have in front of me a brochure for an upcoming Baptist conference.  Here is a list of some of the so-called breakout sessions: 1.  Transformational Elements in Worship 2.  Beyond Bathrobes: Theater in Christian Education ...

It is a rarity for me to post two blogs in a week.  Heck it is rare for me to post two blogs in a month, but here I am.  I am writing here as someone who is just beginning to understand what God has in store.  Not just for me, but for us all.  God's plan is nothing short of miraculous every single day of our lives.  I would recount to you the examples of this in the last week, but I don't have the time nor the typing prowess to type that much.  God showed me something today in a very simple thing and that is miraculous. I am overwhelmed by how culture can effect our behavior even when we try to be on guard.  I had the pleasure of going to speak at a school today.  It was a Christian school and they asked me to bring a 10 minute chapel message.  Now, I wanted to get the kids attention so I took two Evangecubes I was planning on asking a couple of questions at the beginning and giving these 2 evangecubes to those who answered properly....

I am the SENIOR PASTOR of Chestnut Grove Baptist Church.  Not that there is a junior pastor.  There is just me, but the title remains.  I am simply the pastor.  So, here I am 2 months into my first pastorate.  I probably know it all by now, right?  Not hardly.  Luckily, I was blessed with a salesman's brain so names are coming easy, which makes things much more smooth. So, 8 weeks in I was hoping to have some great pearls of pastoral wisdom to share, but again I say, not hardly.  Anyways, I will tell you a few things.  The first thing is that people here are amazing.  They have been a blessing to both me and my family.  We have been provided with a great home and much more. Secondly, I will confess that I love my job.  I know I am not supposed to call it a job, but it is that and a lot more.  It is a calling, a lifestyle, and really just a lot of fun.  I have had some great and not so great moments already, but I ...

                                                                                                           But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 1 Cor 7:32   Everyone loves to talk about discipline.  Discipline in schools, discipline for your kids, church discipline.  Right? Actually no one likes to talk about it.  I am only talking about it because God is convicting me of a ...

I want you all to think about your pastor.I love my pastor.  I believe he is a mighty man of God that preaches truth. I am sure most of you feel this way about your pastor.  I have many men in my life that I look to as mentors and role models even in ministry.  Now, I want you to imagine that something drastic happened.  Imagine your pastor was caught doing something morally reprehensible.  I do not want to get into specifics but just tag him with the worst thing you can think of for the sake of the example.  No doubt about it he is guilty of this act.  Here is the question.  Does his action discredit wholly the message he preached? Will it end your walk with Christ because of what your spiritual leader did?  If it would cause you to walk away from your faith, then I want to tell you that you never had any faith to begin with.  Do not get me wrong, a pastor caught in sin is heartbreaking and it will shake a church, but it should not dest...