Ecclesiastes 12:10

Young fool... only now, at the end, do you understand...!   The other day when the new Star Wars trailer came out, I realized I am not young anymore.  The stars of the movie of my youth are now old people.  Which then make me old!  I used to think of myself as a “young minister” but time is telling me otherwise.  The advantage of age is experience.  I am by no means fully experienced, but after a while you get to seeing some of the same situation again and again.  So I thought I would share some experiences and the lessons I’ve learned from them, so others might gain some insight. Here are in no particular order, are some things you might face in ministry [i] . 4. A New Hope The Story :  You have taken a new work and everyone is excited.  The congregation has been dealing with many different struggles and needs, but now YOU have come and everything is going to be perfect!  You will solve all the problems and bring everythin...

   They say you should never watch a legal drama with a lawyer or medical show with a doctor; they just can’t get over all the little things that are wrong.  I guess you can say the same thing about a preacher.  I’m probably insufferable to be around when people talk the Bible and religion in public forums.  If it is movies about the Bible or TV shows referencing scripture, it always amazes me how many details they get wrong.  It isn't just the media that does it.  Sometimes it is people that are attempting to preach and teach. The “pastor” in a funeral that called Lazarus Jesus’ cousin. The devotional message that referenced the blind man Jesus healed on the way to the cross.  The Bible verse that isn't a Bible verse (God helps those that help themselves?). When they says “it says in the Bible” when it never comes close to saying that.       I’ll be the first to say (and show) that sometimes speakers misspeak.  W...

   In math it doesn't make a lot of sense but in life there really is such a thing as addition by subtraction.  It is when you gain when you remove something from your life. The Bible is full of examples. 1 Corinthians 15:33   “ Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." Proverbs 13:20   “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Ecclesiastes 9:18   “Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.” Hebrews 12:1   “ Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us ,” Ephesians 4:22   “ that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit ,”    In our lives, we all ha...

   If you ever have spent any time on the internet you have seen them.  The ads pose as news that have some shocking statement or breaking story that promises more information is just a click away, then you click and well it isn't quite what you expected it to be.  This form of advertising is known as clickbait.  The way it works is the ad provides just enough information to make the reader curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.  The content is usually isn’t very good or accurate, but that is not the point.  The goal isn't to inform you but to drive you to the site and increase advertising revenue.  They aren't meant to provide you content or real information just garner your attention.    Clickbait may be a relative new phenomena but the concept is as old as the hills.  False religion has been using it for thousands of ye...