1. Wade Hodges has just released a very helpful e-book entitled, Before You Go: A Few Sneaky-Good Questions Every Minister Must Answer Before Moving to a New Church. This is a must read for anyone considering moving to a new church. This book could be incredibly helpful to ministers. It could also be valuable to other church leaders. Note the following paragraph:

Most churches deceive themselves about how healthy they are. Most ministers deceive themselves about how capable they are. Too many interviews boil down to two self-deceived parties trying to convince each other of how much they can accomplish if they work together.

While it’s vital to maintain a sense of hope that God can accomplish great things through every church and every minister, there is too much at stake to assume the best about the church you’re interviewing (and remember–you’re interviewing them just as much as they’re interviewing you). This decision will impact your finances, your family, and your faith. Avoid cynicism. Use suspicion sparingly. But for the sake of everyone involved, square up with reality and ask the tough questions about the church and yourself. You may not always like the answers, but the truth will set you free to make better decisions.

The book (Kindle) is only $2.99. If you are even remotely thinking about moving, I encourage you to get this book.

2. Lately I have been reading Jeff Goins’ blog and have enjoyed his posts on writing, productivity, blogging, etc. If you haven’t read Jeff yet, you might want to browse through some of his posts. For an example of his writing, you might see today’s post, “Why E-Mail Kills Productivity and What You Can Do About It.”

3. In a few days, I will be co-teaching a Doctor of Ministry seminar at Harding Graduate School of Religion in Memphis, Tennessee. The class, Exposition of Luke, should be a lot of fun. I look forward to working with longtime New Testament professor Dr. Allen Black.

Are you aware that seminaries regularly post their syllabi on their websites? Incredible resources! If I am about to be preaching through a particular book of the Bible, I will often check with a couple of seminaries to see if a course on that book is being taught. Then, I will skim through the bibliography. Very helpful.

As I prepare messages/classes for the academic year 2011-2012, I am doing some work in the area of spiritual formation, with a particular emphasis on how we are shaped and formed as a church. I went to the websites of several seminaries and looked at their class offerings in this area. I became aware of some valuable resources by reading through the syllabi of courses being offered.

4. I want to encourage you to read a post from earlier in the week. “6 Ways to Avoid Having an Affair.” Please be sure to read the excellent comments.

5. Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to be with a number of younger ministers. I am so impressed with these people. In the last few weeks, I have been with Benjamin Neely, Shane Alexander, Scott Meyer, Scott Seela and Brandon Baker.

Yesterday, I shared a meal with a younger minister who has been a friend for several years. After we ate, the waitress, in her early 20s, came to our table with the check. I reached for it and said something like, “I’ve got it.” The waitress looked at my friend and said, “It’s good to have your daddy pick up the tab.” Good grief!

I encourage you view this 2 minute video, in which Trevor Hudson invites us all to take hold of life’s greatest opportunity. You might also enjoy Trevor’s latest book, Discovering Our Spiritual Identity: Practices for God’s Beloved.

On Sunday, May 29, NPR host Liane Hansen interviewed Dr. David Loxtercamp, the author of A Measure of My Days: The Journal of a Country Doctor. (Find a preview of the book here.) At the end of the interview, she asked the Belfast, Maine, physician about a list of medical aphorisms he had been working on.  

As I heard him read these 14, I thought about how relevant to ministry that most of these are. The following is a portion of the transcript in which he reads these. He speaks about these ideas being what he has learned over the years as he has practiced medicine.

Health is not a commodity. Risk factors are not disease. Aging is not an illness. To fix a problem is easy, to sit with another suffering is hard. Doing all we can is not the same as doing what we should. Quality is more than metrics. Patients cannot see outside their pain, we cannot see in, relationship is the only bridge between. Time is precious; we spend it on what we value. The most common condition we treat is unhappiness. And the greatest obstacle to treating a patient’s unhappiness is our own. Nothing is more patient-centered than the process of change. Doctors expect too much from data and not enough from conversation. Community is a locus of healing, not the hospital or the clinic. The foundation of medicine is friendship, conversation and hope.

Patients cannot see outside their pain, we cannot see in, relationship is the only bridge between.

Implications for Everyday Ministry

1. It is very difficult for anyone to see outside their pain. Talk with anyone who is going through a divorce, undergoing cancer treatments, or has just experienced the death of a spouse. Very often this person is unable to see anything else but this pain. What that person does see is filtered and shaped by his own intense pain. This person is not to be criticized for this. This is the reality of pain.

2. Meanwhile, it is very difficult for the rest of us to see in. Sometimes a well-meaning person will say to someone in pain, “I know how you are feeling.” A person may say this because he has experienced a situation very similar. Or, if you are a minister, you may say this because you have been involved with other people in similar circumstances. Even so, one might want to think again about making this particular statement. Such a statement may suggest you can see inside their pain. Far better to be a listening presence than one who tries to convince another that he understands.

3. Relationship is the only bridge between. Perhaps this is where the greatest ministry can take place. When a person is in pain, what is most powerful is the relationship you already have. Your ministry is not a matter of you understanding what your friend is going through. Nor, is ministry dependent on your friend “opening up” to you or anyone else. You have a powerful ministry in simply being a friend and honoring your relationship. This is the bridge that exists between a person in pain and one who is on the outside looking in. The relationship you have with that person is the bridge. Consequently, being a faithful presence may mean much more than we may realize.

Question:

If relationship is the key bridge between a person in pain and a friend (family member, co-worker, minister, etc.) on the outside, what does a person do to honor that relationship?

The following is a brief video clip (2:23) of South African pastor, Trevor Hudson. Trevor discusses our identity as God’s beloved. This is a needed and glad reminder for me (and perhaps you as well). You might also enjoy his newest book, Discovering Our Spiritual Identity: Practices for God’s Beloved

In August, I will have been with the Crestview Church in Waco, Texas for 19 years. This is 19 years of preaching, teaching, leading, serving, funerals, weddings, and going to many, many elders’ meetings.

Through these experiences, I have learned a number of lessons. (You can find part 1 here.)

Not every Sunday is going to be a home run day.

Yes, there are those “home run Sundays.” There are those days when everything seems to click and it is so obvious that God has been at work in a powerful way. Most Sundays (at least in my experience) are not like this. You hit a single or a double. You get to first or second base. However, you will be up to bat next Sunday and perhaps will advance another base or two.

I’m saying that it is important to be thankful to God for whatever good is done on a given Sunday. Look for the small moments of encouragement. Be grateful for some progress, however, you often will have to accept this by faith. There are many Sundays when you wonder if you have done any good at all. I’ve learned that I need to trust God and to believe that he will see that the faithful preaching of his Word bears fruit in some way.

It’s all about your expectations.

When I first began preaching, my expectations of people were way too high! I was constantly disappointed in others. My assumptions on the front end were skewed. For example, I thought that everyone who was connected in some way with our church was trying to live right. It wasn’t everyone’s personal weakness that was the surprise but that we were not even united in our intentions.

Meanwhile, my expectations of God were far too small. I didn’t really believe in him to do amazing things through prayer. I didn’t really expect God to do anything in my life. Consequently, I lived with a strange set of expectations for both the church and for God.

I began to grapple with this and lowered my expectations of people so that anything that a person did that was good was an act of grace. Meanwhile, I began to raise my expectations of God, thanking him for the grace that I experienced in him whether I witnessed his power or not.

Your own growth won’t happen by accident.

Growth, development, and maturity often happen during the course of life. However, I have learned that it is very important to be serious and intentional about my own growth. I read, went to conferences/seminars, took classes, and asked many questions of those older and wiser. I learned to do this “on purpose” and developed a rhythm for my own growth.

Today, I continue to do the same. I am still very intentional about my growth. Far too many ministers have become overconfident in their knowledge and skills and have virtually shut down what they used to do for their growth.

Temptation is often sudden and unexpected.

Some temptations I expected and some I didn’t. I don’t think I expected the frequency and the suddenness of all kinds of temptations. Pride, ego, impurity, and hatred can all come racing out of your heart and into your brain within a split second. You read your Bible that morning as you prepare for the day and by noon you find yourself wanting to say something to a friend about a guy you don’t like in order to make him look stupid! I have learned to prepare to be tempted and be humble about the power of temptation.

Discipline can be your friend.

To a minister in a church, discipline can be a welcome friend. There are so many surprises, so many unexpected conversations, that certain disciplines can be a welcome friend. For example, I have found that starting my day early, with an open Bible, book, and journal is a daily rhythm that helps me get oriented to the new day. The first thing I do each morning is make a fresh cup of coffee and begin this routine.

At the end of the day, I go to the gym and work out. This is a discipline that I do 4 to 5 times per week (if possible). This discipline helps me come alive again at a time of the day when my energy level drops. It also impacts how I feel when I go home later. This is incredibly important to me and has given me more stamina for my work.