Day: December 21, 2012

Pastor: Six Types of Things You Should Stop Saying In The Pulpit Immediately

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There’s always a cringe-worthy moment on Sundays when the preacher drops an anvil in the pulpit that suffocates the whole sermon. 

It’s a shrill phrase, nails on a chalkboard, subtle as a sledgehammer, insensitive, no tact, no grace, a lazy tactic that’s meant to stir up something but disregards actual human interaction. 

Pastors: don’t just describe the water that we’re drowning in.  That helps no one.  Show us how to swim.

I’m not above these things and have and occasionally caught myself in the middle of a sermon to laugh at them.  Let’s be a little more self-aware and nip these at the bud.

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Remembering Who You Are In The Middle of Everything

Concluding the sermon series called “Real Life Christian: Fruits, Freedom, and Infinite Architecture.” It’s a study through the Book of First John.
This is a short summary of the seventh and final sermon, titled “Believe Bigger, Better, Brighter.” Part one is here. Part two is here. Part three is here. Part four is here. Part five is here. Part six is here.
Part of my calling as a pastor is to help set you free from the bondage of sin. So by the grace of God, here we go.

It’s hard to believe that God knows what He’s doing half the time.

In the middle of tragedy, discouragement, doubt, and grief: it’s hard to see anything else.
The most common questions I receive about life, sex, pain, and faith are:
Do I really believe God is who He says He is?
Is God really enough? Does God really care?
Is God really true to Himself?

It doesn’t make you a “bad person” to ask these questions — it just means you’re human.

God understands this. The Bible wants to give us a dual confidence:
To remember who God is and to remember who you are in the middle of everything.

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