What Moved Me in 2025

We have arrived at the end of another calendar year. 

2025 was quite a year for sure. 

Over the last couple weeks, as I've been reflecting on all that transpired in and around my life, I found myself remembering all the big and little things that moved me.

As he was fighting a losing battle with cancer some 30 some years ago, Jim Valvano gave a rousing speech that is famous for his ending mantra, "Don't give up, don't ever give up". At the beginning of this address, he mentions three things people should do every day of their lives, "laugh", "think", and "have our emotions moved to tears". If we do that every day, Valvano states, "that's a FULL day".

It is in that vein that I offer this list of things that stand out to me from 2025 because they made me laugh, think, or moved me to tears. Some of this list was inspirational, some involved pain, some of these things just left an imprint on my soul. Some were a mix of all of the above and more.

I offer three general things and then three specific things that really moved me this past year.

Generally: 

• Family - Our boys are growing up, with both now in elementary school. The development of their character and personality is a joy. Make no mistake, parenting two boys under 8 is exhausting but has special moments all the time. Family life was also filled with challenges too. My wife had significant health struggles. My mom did as well. Family is an area I see God constantly refining me in my own sanctification. But in my weakness, He is strong. 
• Funerals - I recently attended the memorial service of the former president of my alma mater, whom I'd had as a professor and whom I'd also worked under for a time. He was a man of sterling faithfulness and we celebrated that. That experience reminded me of the other funerals I officiated and attended this year. Good people with good legacies. Life is fleeting and I appreciate the reminder that this life is not all there is - and that Jesus has conquered the formidable enemy we all have.
• Pastoral Ministry - Tomorrow marks 13 years of serving at Milford First Brethren Church. It has been so rewarding, such a blessing. We are a smaller, aging congregation with plenty of limitations and weaknesses. But we make a difference in our community and beyond. It is such a joy to see God work in people's lives and to be a conduit for God's grace to those inside and outside the church. And even personally, God has shown up as I've led, studied, and proclaimed his Word at various points. Those moments keep me going.

Specifically:

• Andrew Peterson's "A Liturgy, A Legacy, & the Songs of Rich Mullins" album. This album is a recording of a live concert he did along with numerous musician friends as a tribute to the CCM legend. Mullins has long been an artist whom I deeply respected and the older I get, the more I appreciate his catalog. Few people could credibly take on this kind of tribute while matching the "heart" of Mullins - and Peterson is certainly one of those few. The entire album honors and celebrates one of the all-time albums in Christian Music history and leaves you not just grateful for Mullins - but drawn to Jesus. And that's just how Rich would have wanted it.
• "Downstairs" - Twenty One Pilots - This song stands on a drastically different end of the musical spectrum as Peterson/Mullins but it reflects a similar spiritual perspective. Twenty One Pilots are a band who transparently wear their heart on their sleeve in so many of their songs all of their art. This one is particularly raw, and humble, and lamenting, and doubtful, and worshipful. These lyrics in particular will both haunt me and be part of my own prayers for a long time:

You can have all I've made and all I've ever known
You can have both my lungs if you ask me so
'Cause I-I-I want to be the one after your own heart
And I-I-I might doubt the process like I doubted the start

        When you can find multiple videos of vocal coaches and musical analysts getting emotion                     themselves over the content and construct of this song, you know it is something special.

•  "Wake Up, Dead Man" - This movie, now streaming on Netflix, is the best portrayal of the Christian faith that I have seen in a long, long time. It pulls no punches in its honest portrayal of the strengths and the weaknesses of Christianity (western, evangelical and Catholic). It is impossible to miss the critique of the growing power-hungry passion that has taken over many who call themselves Christian. It is also impossible to miss the beauty of Christ-like service and devotion that is portrayed too. This is the third of the popular "Knives Out" franchise that features detective Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig) solving a crime in a dramatic fashion. This installment however flips the narrative on its head from what we've come to expect from these "whodunnit" movies. And in doing so, it leaves room for the truth of the Gospel to land powerfully. The director Rian Johnson is a former evangelical who no longer professes to be a Christian. In the hands of another with his background, one would expect a scathing rebuke. Instead, he offers an accurate depiction of the way of Christ in the face of brokenness, corruption, and shame.

Happy Anniversary to me!

Twelve years ago, January 1, 2013, I officially started as pastor at Milford First Brethren Church. 

If my memory serves me correctly, I did go into the office that New Year's Day. A few days later, I started this blog. As you can see from that link, I was much more active back then with my blog posts.

Many things have changed with me, my family, and our church for sure. Through it all, God has been faithful and good. We have seen him at work in some special ways here in Milford. 

Today, I thought I'd share some reflections that have been sitting in the back of my mind for quite awhile but have only probably recently thought about connecting all the dots.

And they truly are reflections - looking back at God's hand in guiding and preparing me for these last 12 years. See, if you've ever read this blog before, you know the influence Christian music has had on my life. It's a favorite subject of mine - and while I am no longer someone who is on top of every new act or group, it is still an interest of mine.

And as I've reflected on God's guidance on my life to this point, I've realized that there were some particular songs that prepared me, almost subconsciously, for serving here in Milford. I was thinking about this awhile ago and realized there were 3-4 songs (plus one honorable mention) that were not big hits, but caught my attention in my college and seminary years where I was studying for pastoral ministry. Several months ago I wrote out my list and subsequently lost it but I rewrote it and will share it below. I feel compelled to say that I think my original list included another song that I just can recall.

But here are some Christian pop/rock songs that honor small-town ministry and being faithful in relative obscurity. These have always encouraged me lest I get envious or coveting greener pastures.

Book Review - A White Preacher's Memior: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, Robert S. Graetz, Black Belt Press

 

On a visit a number of years ago to the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, I had a fascinating personal experience. In the museum are a number of notable cars, planes, and other vehicles of transportation that have historical significance. One particular bus caught my attention. It was the bus Rosa Parks was riding when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger - an event that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which in turn triggered fresh momentum into the broader Civil Rights movement. 

The bus is open for visitors to board and if my memory serves correctly, the museum has marked the seat she was sitting in that fateful day. I'm not entirely sure why, but I can clearly recall a sense of significance hitting me when I climbed aboard that modest bus and sat in her seat.

Fast forward to 2023 when I discovered that some new friends who had started a Brethren church in Marion Indiana had a special family backstory directly connected to Mrs. Parks, that bus, and that famous part of American history. Our friends David and Sarah Miller planted a house church several years ago after moving for David's job as a chaplain at the local VA hospital. Sarah's father is a retired highly decorated chaplain in the military. But as I got to know the Miller's more, I came to discover her grandfather had been a minister in Montgomery Alabama in the 1950's and personally knew both Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr!

Our families got together a month or so ago and Sarah let me borrow her grandfather's biographical account of his time serving a black church as a white pastor. 

Written and published 26 years ago, the account is comprehensive enough to get a good sense of Graetz's life and preparation leading up to his time in Montgomery but specific enough to keep the reader both glued to the story and more informed of the context of those times. It should be noted that Graetz does not filter out the language and racist mockery that was commonplace in that time and space. For instance, "N"-words are not abbreviated (though always used in quotations of the white supremacist opponents), and labels like "colored" and "Negroes" are employed in contextually-appropriate ways (at least in my judgment).

The Graetz's story is fascinating for a variety of reasons. How he as a white minister found himself called and accepted as pastor of an entirely Black church is interesting. His observations as a supporting participant in the Civil Right's movement are as well. The record shows that he was the lone white pastor who supported the bus boycott. He describes the threats and dangers his family and his community faced in frank transparency. I was also drawn to his description of the various arguments that were held up against the Civil Right's push. I couldn't help but recognize how many continue to espouse similar objections to social justice reforms that are being undertaken today. Told by another, this story could easily fall into the trope of a "white Savior" account. But at multiple points, Graetz has enough integrity to commend his African-American brothers and sisters as the true heroes and pioneers, deflecting any magnification of his role. 

This isn't a book one will easily find at Barnes and Noble, but I highly recommend seeking it out and exploring this part of our nation's past in general.

King David and the King of Pop: What 1-2 Kings can teach us about God’s favor and the flawed people upon whom it rests. (Part 1)

 

Last week, I led a breakout session at our denomination's annual national conference. Below is my presentation that was inspired by the 1-2 Kings commentary I co-authored. I am breaking the entire presentation up into three parts, to give emphasis to each kind of flaw and flawed leader. 

There’s an old Dave Chappelle comedy sketch where he imagines himself in jury selection for several different high-profile celebrity trials in the 2000’s. One selection Chappelle lampooned involved the trial of Michael Jackson, the so-called King of Pop music. Lawyers question Chappelle’s character about whether, with all the evidence they had, Jackson was guilty of criminal charges. Chappelle’s character incredulously responds, “No man! He made Thriller. Thriller!” (If you are not familiar, Thriller, was Jackson’s chart-topping 1982 album that won a record eight Grammy awards stood at #3 on Billboard’s all-time album chart in 2015.)

While everything about the actual subject matter was serious, Chappelle was playing for comedic effect how so many people will excuse serious wrong-doing in favor of something they love, be it great music or achievements or power. It’s probably been fifteen to twenty years at least since I first saw the skit, and I remember it was one of the first times being confronted with the tension of separating an artist from their art. The question being, can you support one apart from the other?

 For a while, the tension about how to handle a flawed person and the great entertainment they produced – remained a pop culture issue. But in recent years, it has spilled over into Christian spaces. Over and over again, Christians have had to wrestle with fallen leaders and abusive church structures making headlines. Two years ago, one of the biggest podcasts in the world was The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, which had the stated purpose of trying to figure out how we reconcile God’s transformative life-changing work that happens as toxic leaders are overseeing the ministry.

Whether it is Michael Jackson or Mark Driscoll, we can no longer ignore this kind of dissonance. How are we to respond when abounding success grows from patently depraved soil? Theologically, how do we wrap our minds around these instances where God seems to bless such corrupt individuals? How should we process the disappointment when one of our spiritual heroes is exposed as a fraud?

Well, the good news is that we are not actually experiencing a new theological conundrum. Scripture does speak to these kinds of situations. In particular, I want us to consider 1–2 Kings and what it can teach us about God’s favor resting on flagrantly flawed people. I can’t promise to give you a bunch of ironclad, foolproof solutions. But there is some helpful guidance, which is what this presentation will try to unpack.

I want us to look at three - technically four - kings featured in 1–2 Kings which exemplify different kinds of heroic leaders who get exposed for flaws and failures. And as we study these leaders, I think we can draw out some important lessons for ourselves, our churches, and the leaders we follow.

Let’s start with:

David/Solomon

David and Solomon are the central figures in the beginning of Kings, as the first chapters describe how David hands over his crown to Solomon.

David might be the ultimate example of a spiritual hero who egregiously fell when he sexually assaulted Bathsheba. But it is his action and involvement in the first chapters of 1 Kings that I want to focus on.

1 Kings begins with Queen Bathsheba securing David’s approval of Solomon as his successor. And as David grows weaker and nears death, he passes on some kingly wisdom to his son.

This advice starts out admirably, with David saying,

“So be strong, act like a man, ³ and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses.” (1 Kings 2:2b-3)

That's all good, right?

Well, as the chapter continues, he gives Solomon a list of people to favor and people to judge, including some with whom he had promised not to harm. As the co-author of my commentary states, “David preaches fidelity to the covenant at the same time he encourages questionable actions aimed at silencing some of his enemies.”

David’s advice takes a divided tone, and one can see some foreshadowing in how Solomon’s heart will later become divided.

Now in many ways, Solomon exceeds his father’s positive royal legacy in the beginning of his reign. He expands the kingdom and ushers in a time of national peace. Where David drew up plans for a temple to the Lord, Solomon actually built it. David governed well; Solomon was granted divine wisdom to rule.

The fact is, both Solomon embodied the ideal godly King at times in his life. Yet both failed to live up to that ideal by disobeying God’s Law. Thus, David’s exhortation to “keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations as written in the Law of Moses” (1 Kings 2:2-3) carries greater weight in this narrative.

 In Solomon’s case, his failure is directly related to the first of the commandments. Of course, he’s notorious for amassing chariots and horses, hoarding wealth, and taking 1,000 wives and concubines. But those are simply out-workings that stem from the fact that “his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God” as 11:4 concludes. Polygamy wasn’t Solomon’s biggest failure, a divided heart was.

Solomon stands as an example for our day. Our Christian culture gets obsessed with platforming and enthroning popular preachers and authors. Christians conferences market their lineups of ministry experts based on book sales and name recognition. Solomon legacy reminds us that we shouldn’t make idols out of anybody. Even the best authors and wisest theologians are capable of serious sin.

 Beyond being capable of sin, the last few years have revealed how many are actually guilty of serious sin. Ravi Zacharias, Bill Hybels, James MacDonald, Matt Chandler, Bryan Houston, Carl Lentz, John MacArthur have all been exposed in recent years for a variety of misdeeds. I’m not equating all of them and their situations necessarily. It just serves the point: don’t make idols out of anybody, no matter how good of a speaker, writer, or thinker they happen to be.

What's Ahead (?)

Tonight is the last night of 2022. 

College Football bowls and playoff games are being played. Parties are being held. Winter breaks are being enjoyed (except for those who flew with Southwest). 

The rest of my family is currently asleep, though my wife will probably want to wake up to see the NYE ball drop. 

Like many often do at this time of year, I've been reminiscing about the past. Not just this year though, the last 10. January 1 marks 10 years at Milford. It has been a rewarding and eventful journey. It felt like the first five years went long, while the last five went fast. Some of that is due to COVID interrupting a good portion of a year plus. Some of it was my own learning curve in ministry those first few years. 

The first seven plus years saw a lot of rewarding things happen. Yet it has also felt like the last 3-4 years have had a lot of difficulties - illnesses, deaths, COVID complications, a congregation changing and aging. 

Tomorrow is Sunday and I will be preaching my last sermon for a bit. It's nothing serious but I am taking sabbatical from my pastorate. Only for a month - a longer one likely awaits in 2024 and I feel more worn down than burned out. But it's a break I can tell my soul needs. It's needed to reconnect with God, stay connected with my family, and find refreshment without the week-to-week grind that being a pastor can often entail. 

I will be taking a break from social media and blogging. But I look forward to returning with some fresh perspective and fresh energy to continue to serve my Lord with all I have.

Friday Personal-News Dump

So it's been awhile since I blogged - over a month! Yikes, clearly I have a lot to learn about building my brand. Friday afternoon is a popular time for organizations and governments and teams to release 'bad news' in what's been dubbed a "Friday news dump", when you want to attract as little cultural attention as possible. This is not the case with these things, but the timing is what it is.

But to the question of the day, "What have I been up to?"

So glad you asked - quite a bit it turns out. Here's an update complete with pictures and fun extra stuff. Apologies for some of the formatting stuff, I don't have the time or expertise right now to make it perfect.

Center for Pastor Theologians Conference

In late October, I spent three days in Chicago attending the Center For Pastor-Theologians annual conference. They intentionally address topics each year that the American Church is wrestling with. This year's theme was on "Reconstructing Evangelicalism" and it featured a terrific line up of speakers. 

The experts they brought in represented a diverse spectrum - from Kristin Kobes DuMez to Gavin Ortlund to Russell Moore to Walter Kim. I am still pondering some of the insights that were shared. I haven't sat down to really figure out my own conclusions, but the gracious-yet-assertive discussions offered many convicting truths and views. 

As with most of these kinds of events, the fringe benefits matched the direct purpose of going. I thoroughly enjoyed my time interacting with my denominational friends and peers. As we continue to consider our "Brethren identity", this conference assisted in helping us understand our place and station within American evangelicalism. The additional fringe benefit of constant access to the book publishers was worth it too. I came home with a bag full of resources and commentaries purchased at a discounted rate.

Milford First Brethren Fun Fair

Halloween is kind of a big deal in Milford Indiana. We're a smaller farm community but the townspeople turn out for the various holiday events on the calendar. Every year I've pastored here, our church has hosted a Halloween Fun Fair in our gymnasium. Kids do the ring toss, corn hole, Plinko and other games to get pieces of candy. I've arranged the games to give a subtle Gospel presentation though I'm not sure it kids really notice it. We do give out Bibles as part of our Grand Prize table. It's a fun way to connect with our community and redeem the holiday (even if in a subtle small way). 

This year, a highlight was adding a Face Paint station which allowed my son to be both Capt. America (in costume) and Spiderman via his paint.

Grandma Guiley's Funeral

On the other end of the spectrum was the home-going of my last remaining grandparent. Grandma Sue was a wonderful grandma and beautiful light for Christ. We had family come in from all over the country and it was neat to reconnect with aunts, uncles, and cousins who I hadn't seen in year. 

I'm grateful for my grandma's legacy and encouraged that we were able to celebrate her life and witness well. 

Miscellaneous

I would like to mention that I'm serving as chaplain for the Grace Lancers men's basketball team for the fourth year. It's been a good start to the season with some clear indications God is doing things in the lives of these young men. They are good people and good players - currently #3 in all of NAIA!

Please pray for our one true freshman, Hagen, who has been diagnosed with cancer and will be undergoing some surgery and treatments within the next month. 

And as I've alluded to in past posts, I have been listening to the old CCM records I got from my grandma. Some future posts reviewing the albums will be forthcoming.

Tuesday Thoughts

It's been a rough summer for my blog. Given this is only the second post since May, I think it's beginning to feel neglected. 

So I thought to myself, what should I write about? 

• Reflections on my current sermon series? I mean I did manage to preach through 1 Peter 2:11-17 and the commands to submit to our governing authorities, no matter who's in charge. All done without infuriating my more politically-passionate congregants. Yay for small victories!
• Reactions to the latest evangelical leader "falling from grace"? I have some ideas, but not in the mood to share them to be honest. 
• Share news of the latest storm that hit us and try to make a spiritual metaphor out of trampolines hitting electrical poles? Nah, it's crazy and interesting, but not that amazing.
• Promote the publication of my commentary on 1-2 Kings? It's exciting and those books have surprising relevancy for today - but maybe another time.
• An update on the lessons I'm learning helping 5 churches through their pastoral transitions this summer/fall? Maybe sometime soon. 

Am I just creating a list on this page to come back to at a future date when I'm short of ideas? Yes probably. All of those things might be worth further elaboration. But today, I think I'll just give some shoutouts and praise to some fellow pastor friends.

If I wanted to mention all the pastors I know and have great respect for, the list would be super long. But these three stand out because they are like the kind of life-long friends with whom, though separated for a long time, you can still pick up where you left off before like there's been no absence at all. 

My guys Mike, Tim, and Cory fit that description. I don't have the same kind of relationship with each of them as the others but they do share some things in common. 

• They are all my age, probably all seen as "younger" pastors. 
• They are all like-minded people. I don't share the same theological convictions on every point with every one of them, but they are all teachable and willing to dialogue and learn. I try to be that myself and I appreciate that in them. 

To close, I'll just mention an example of why I'm thankful for each of them.

Mike - He pastors the church I grew up in and has shepherded it into a flourishing "mid-sized" church that has a renewed vision for how to impact its community, even as it is located a bit outside the city. We are good friends and accountability partners as well. 

Tim - I just ran into him a couple hours ago and we had a lovely conversation about serious (see second bullet point at the beginning of this post) and silly things (Henry Holsinger t-shirts).  We think alike and I try to emulate his posture towards people and ministry. I could hang out with him every day and be a much better pastor.

Cory - He has a young family that is going through the same adventures as we are. He also offers gracious pushback in discussions and recently offered needed insights on Biden's loan forgiveness orders (of all things). 

Shoutout to those guys and the encouragement they give me directly and also indirectly through their lives.

Thursday Thoughts

We are in the throes of the Christmas season it would seem. 

With all of the extra programs and specials and events that churches tend to have around Advent, it can be a tiresome stretch for pastors. My church doesn't have too many extra things going on typically. But even just adding in family plans can pile stress on top of stress.

Pretty much every year there comes a point where I feel myself being drained by it all. Certain Christmas things can be reenergizing though. Near the top of the list is the music. But not all Christmas music. I find a few specific selections tend to refuel my tank. I'll probably feature several over the next week and a half, but here's one I've always enjoyed, Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant. It's a beautiful, simple song entreating the Lord for his grace and presence.

Wednesday Wisdom

I don't know about "wisdom" but today I thought I would offer you a peek behind the curtain of what the routine of ministry can be like for a pastor - at least this pastor.

There have been long stretches, "seasons" if I want to use church terminology, where I would reflect on my weekly schedule and wonder if I was spending too much time in books. 

Sermon preparation is a important. Sometimes pastors make it too important, as if a 20-45 minute message is going to completely override the hundreds of hours of other messages our people are consuming during the week. And for that reason this pastor sometimes wonders if my week has been taken up by too much commentary reading and message-preparing. Proclaiming God's Word is a vital task but that wondering is helpful self-evaluation that ensures things are in balance. 

That's how some stretches of my routine can go. Then there are days and weeks like the last few I have been through. A elderly widow needs moved, people call in looking for basic assistance, lunches are planned, and meetings must take place. Sermon prep gets done but it gets done more in the margins while relationships and interpersonal interactions dominate my time. It is during these times I remind myself that pastoring is by definition more shepherding than studying.

Ebbs and flows have marked my almost 9 years now as a full-time pastor of our church. I'm thankful I have had room to use my stronger gifts for the edification of our people. But even more so, I'm grateful to have had the space to grow in areas where I wasn't as polished. Pastoring is a multi-faceted calling and our people have been patient and gracious and appreciative of the learning curve I have been on. 

Now, on to the rest of my day full of sermon prep, ministry lunch meetings, and two other appointments.

Techne - How should Christians view technology?

It has been two weeks now since I attended the Center for Pastor Theologians annual conference in Oak Park, Illinois. The theme, as the title above infers, was to discuss and understand how Christians ought to view, utilize, and understand technology in this rapidly changing world.

There was a lot to process and many implications for various fields. I found the plenary and breakout sessions all to be very informative and interesting. I'm indebted the many speakers and presenters, including Dan Brendsel, Karen Swallow Prior, Charlie Dates, Felicia Wu Song, Joel Lawrence, Andy Crouch, Christina Bieber-Lake, and Jeff Hardin. The following take-aways originated with these highly-qualified and informed people.

I thought I'd share my biggest takeaways in no real order of importance:

1. It is probably helpful to differentiate between techne as a tool and modern technology. Humanity has always had tools of some sort - hammers, roads, writing utensils etc. But what marks are current era is how exponentially greater the quantity of power that has been harnessed and put into automated systems. This was a point made by Andy Crouch and essentially in boils down to the fact that we had used tech as a tool. Now we are tools of the "technique" system. I did find that there were differing views on this differentiation, but there is a common agreement that this pursuit for better and easier tech is driven by our innate desire for control and self-determination. 

2. Technology often invents problems that don't exist. And one of those developing problems is going to be that of our human identity. Clearly many cultures are already grappling with this from the aspect of sexuality. But as the digital and virtual worlds become mor eand more dominant, Christians especially will likely be confronted with issues they dealt with when gnosticism was a dominant world view. Our understanding of the "oneness" of the material and immaterial needs to be reaffirmed. And along these lines, it will be very important for the Church to clarify our mission potentially even showing the world a different way than one anchored to tech. We should be ready to highlight the longings of our souls that remain unfulfilled despite all the technological progress we are making.

3. Technology can be good and used in positive ways, but we must be keenly aware to its dangers too. Tech in general can really hinder our spiritual lives. It can reflect "the dark heart of man in an instant" as Charlie Dates said. It brings transparency in that sense. For pastors and ministers, it is especially crucial that we seek to be faithful rather than famous. Technology can also deceive, making good on its promises in the short-term, but never the long-term. It creates a sense of life being lived elsewhere. Life is lived on my Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook feeds and not in my actual physical context.This creates an obligation to technology that causes stress and forms it's own worship system. 

4. To balance out the above point, there are many practices we can embrace that will help us navigate this technological world wisely. Some I picked up on include:

• Embrace good technology. What would that be? Crouch defines it as any tech that serves, helps bring people together, and blesses others.
• Read. Dr. Prior made a good case for reading print and reading it contemplatively as a way to sharpen our brains and help better for our inner life.
• Intentionally design your living spaces with tech boundaries and create limits and routines that distance ourselves from our phones, tablets, and tv's. Something as simple as creating a family charging station where everyone puts their phones at night so they aren't waking up immediately to a screen.
• Demonstrate within our Christian communities the value and special nature of what the life with Christ is. The Eucharist (Communion to us low-church folks) was highlighted by more than one speaker as a regular observance that can be an oasis for our tech-saturated souls. One aspect that wasn't explicitly mentioned was fostering a spiritual environment where we are in tune with the Spirit.  But as we navigate this world, we need to recognize how it can numb us to experiencing true gratitude, to learning through suffering, and to receiving grace in the ups and downs of our lives.

This conference gave me a lot to think about and a lot to read (love the book tables!) and it confronted me with everyday ways I'm too tethered to technology. Good things to ponder and good reasons to seek God's empowerment to live like he wants me to live.

Music Mondays: Best Covers Ever

There's no other way to describe this cover song other than "haunting". 

Twenty One Pilots employ a musical style that can often be foreboding, brooding, and even dark. Their re-imagining this My Chemical Romance song seems pitch perfect though, considering it's subject matter (i.e. the title).  

It comes with the my profession as a pastor to be with people in uncomfortable circumstances. Hospital visits are usually not super-pleasant, but as much as I can, it is my duty to point people to the hope of Christ.

And yet part of my responsibility in those times is also just to sit with people. Empathize and sympathize with them. I cannot feel their discomfort and I cannot feel the same distress that their family members feel. I can listen, I can give them space to vent and ask impossible questions. God does that with us (google "lament Psalms"). And songs like this one remind me of the importance of compassion and empathy. 

Music, ehh make that Ministry Monday

Why I don't like ties!

Pastors these days have a variety of fashion choices when they prepare to preach. Some stick with the traditional sport coat, tie, and dress pants. Others ditch the coat, but wear the tie. While still others go way to the opposite extreme and dress super casual with a nice t-shirt, with shorts or jeans. Whereas a previous generation of pastors had to wear a super formal outfit, today it's basically whatever you feel like. 

For me, I typically wear a dress shirt and dress pants on Sundays. Our church is not a super-formal dressing bunch and I've yet to hear a complaint about my attire. That said, about once a month I'll wear a tie and maybe even one of my two sport coats. Yesterday was one of those days. I wore khaki dress pants with light green shirt and matching tie. 

I realized early on in my sermon that the tie was rubbing up against my throat causing me some irritation that caused some mucus in my throat to trigger some coughing and nasal issues. I really haven't been able to shake what I believe to be allergy-related flem ever since my last job when I work in the basement of a hundred year old building. 
It's not uncommon for me to have to pause and clear my throat at some point during my message. But yesterday as I was desperately trying to avoid coughing through important points about 'working out our salvation', it hit me that the tie definitely makes it worse.

I like to dress up, I really do. Every once in a while it's nice to look my best. But it's at the point where I am going to be ditching the tie because it aggravates my throat stuff.  Eventually I just need to get my allergies identified and addressed - Claritin ain't fixing it - but for now it's both simpler and less expensive to reduce my wardrobe by one item.

And so ends the story of why I dislike ties. Sorry for no 'Music Monday', this ministry issue amused me enough to write it in lieu of a music post.

Sermon Snippets

Instead of offering you my preview of Sunday's sermon. I'm calling an audible dedicated to all those pastors out there faithfully toiling away for the gospel of Christ.

I attended the funeral of a holy man today. Pastor Ivan French died late last week. He was my first pastor. As a young kid growing up in a Christian home, going to church was simply what we did. But it never became drab or routine because of the loving people at Pleasant View Bible Church. However the biggest reason I always looked forward to going to church was Pastor French. 

I couldn't always sit still for the sermons. I didn't always retain what he preached. But this is what has stayed with me: Jesus loves me and the sacrifice He made for me on the Cross compels me to love him passionately in return. 

Pastor French preached the entirety of Scripture, but he placed special emphasis on the atoning work of Christ on the Cross. He consistently and lovingly turned our focus onto the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior. He used his wonderful sense of humor and "illustrious anecdotes" to help us relate to biblical truth. And he always invited us to worship the One who laid His life down for us. He taught me what it was to fall in love with Jesus.

The Gospel Coalition has risen to prominence in recent years. It's a group comprised of many well-known evangelical pastors and scholars who have partnered together because of their shared Reformed theology and their common desire to proclaim the Gospel above all else.

While I don't think Pastor French was a super-Calvinist or 100% Reformed in his approach to theology, he was way ahead of his time with his Gospel-centered preaching. 

Though he was a great man of the Word, his ministry impacted me because he cared about me. I remember as a five or six year old kid being greeted personally by him on many occasions after church. As I grew older and he transitioned into retirement, he always had a kind word to say or a funny quip to share whenever we interacted.

I recently heard a mega-church pastor I really respect say that one of the best things a pastor can do is to treat little kids well. He encouraged greeting them, kneeling down to their level and looking them in the eye and talking to them. When he shared that, I thought of Pastor French and what a cool thing that was for me to be on the receiving end of a pastor's love. It's something I try to do as much as I can now that the shoe is on the other foot.

Praise God for the privilege of knowing and learning from Pastor Ivan French!