Being a Pastor

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It’s always a daunting task to teach about the role of pastors while being a pastor. I never want a sermon like that to come off as “we have it so hard” or “you just don’t know what we go through.” My hope in Sunday’s sermon through 1 Timothy 4:6-16 is the joy, gratitude, and wonder I have in being a pastor. While I would’ve never wished being a pastor on my worst enemy, I cannot believe how lucky I am to get to do what I do with the church I serve. CLF has been a remarkable blessing to my family and me. And this pastorate has proven to be one of the greatest privileges and joys in my life. While the pastorate can have burdens, it is happy to work for me. I love what I do, and I love the church I serve.

Now, on to some things that need further explanation.

“Silly Myths”

One of the things I said Sunday was how tempting it is for pastors to get involved in endless debates and silly discissions online. I get asked often about things like, “did you read what so and so wrote about________?” Or “have you seen the discussion about ____________?” Normally my response is no.

Part of my reason for not knowing these things is that I’m not often on social media. Some of that, honestly, is because I’m old😂…I don’t have a category for Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Why people take pictures of themselves or post updates about their families has always seemed odd to me, mainly because I only want to share that stuff with the people who care about my family and me. I’m old-school like that.

The other part of my reason for not knowing or engaging in social media is an issue of discipline and time. Honestly, I am not very disciplined with my mind and heart. I have found that social media is a huge temptation for me to be “in the know” or say pithy things so others might like or comment on. And it’s also a temptation for me to get down “rabbit holes” of information that isn’t helpful to my soul or my job.

Now, where my comments on Sunday need to be clarified is that I believe I came across as if social media has no benefit, and I gave off the impression that if others are involved in it, it’s a waste of time. I have some friends and members of our church who use social media for their jobs, to encourage others, or to post pictures and scripture references to point people to the Lord. I am really in awe of how they do this. And I’m in awe of how they can stay disciplined in their lives and not be consumed by the social media lure. I’m just not that guy.

Let me also add that if you’re a member of our church and you have a significant event happen in your life: a baby, emergency, or something our pastors need to know, please know that we will probably not see it on social media. I know…it’s lame, and people do alert me about what our folks have posted from time to time. But many times, it’s a little late. So, let me apologize ahead of time for what we might miss.

Finally, my point on Sunday was the danger of pastors being swept into endless debates online and taking them away from watching their life and teaching and caring for their church. It seems awfully easy to be drug into arguments where “computer screen courage” can tempt us to say things we would never say face to face. The pastorate seems challenging enough to me without being pulled into these discussions.

Some Amazing Things

This past Saturday, our ladies held a Ladies’ Brunch, and many good things have come out of that event. First, over 140 ladies showed up. There were times in the early days of our church that having over 140 people at church on Sunday would’ve seemed like an avalanche. Now, it happens at a spring ladies’ event! Unreal. Second, Shelli Heard did a fantastic job of teaching about the generational transfer of biblical womanhood. Shelli is one of the best to talk about this subject because the Lord has been kind to her in giving her great examples, and she’s applied the truths given to her. Her talk will be online soon!
But one other issue of amazement to me is that we have over 70 people signed up for our “Introduction to Biblical Counseling” classes. That’s stunning. These classes are designed to help people see that God’s word is sufficient for assisting them to help their friends and family members. And that God has empowered His people with His Spirit to help others with God’s word. The 2nd class is this coming Sunday.
And finally, we have baptisms on May 22nd, and several folks have signed up to be baptized. We celebrate people who have put their trust in Christ and want to make their faith public.
It’s just a humbling time at CLF to see God at work.

This Coming Sunday

This week, we will overview 1 Timothy 5:1-16 as we look at how to care for one another in the church.

From the Cheap Seats

I saw this today and found it fascinating. It’s great plays that were almost outs: https://twitter.com/Cut4/status/1515722618623696898.
2 goals in 84 seconds of stoppage time. This extended highlight of the Real Madrid vs. City semi-final game of the Champions League is simply unreal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o8w042VdOk. And there’s nothing like a heartbreaking CL loss to push you to sign one of the best strikers in the world!
High School Baseball playoffs are just around the corner. My team, UVC, has qualified for the playoffs, but we’ve got some work to do this week to win our league. This is always the most fun time of the year for me.