Thirty-million: now that’s a lot!

Thirty-million is one tenth of the population of the United States. It’s also twelve million more than the population of New York City (2005 estimate 17,700.00). Even more astounding, thirty-million is also the number of Christians that didn’t show up for church last Sunday because they have been hurt in the church.

Where were you last Sunday? Doing virtual church in front of the TV or computer screen? Are you one of the missing in action?

If the Jesus Christ, depicted as the ‘Good Shepherd,’ would leave the flock and go after one wounded lamb, don’t you think he would leave the flock for 30 million such sheep?

There is a way back for you. It’s on the shoulder of the Shepherd…all thirty-million of you one at a time.

Will you come back?

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Hey Sheep, Tend To Your Shepherd!

Have you ever thought that among all of the bruised, hurt, and needy people in a church you would find your pastor? Of course not. After all, he has been to seminary. He has studied the Bible. He knows how to counsel. He has helped others. He has it altogether. The pastor can’t possibly be hurting!

No so. The pastor of a church is just like you and me. He or she suffers the problems of marriage, parenting, economic burdens, personal failures, and the weight of others expectations. The burden of all this can be numbing. The emotional weight can be crushing.

We may not ever think about this because we just don’t think about it or maybe because pastors don’t let on to how deeply they hurt, how insecure they really are, or how bruised and battered they might be by life–how just like the rest of us they really are. Can anything be done to help them? Can the sheep rescue the shepherd?

When the wheels are falling off is there hope? Is there help available and can the pastor and the church find peace? Lots of questions…lets talk answers!

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Power Failure

Ever lose your power? It happens often, particularly in storms. It usually only lasts for a few minutes or maybe an hour or so and there is no great harm. But a few years ago, we lost our power for the better part of a week. When the power doesn’t come back on right away you soon discover how dependent you are. You experience weakness. Sometimes even hopelessness.

There are even power failures in the Bible. Samson was known as man of great physical strength. Then one day, while making “sport” of his strength, the Bible says “he went out as before, not knowing the Spirit, his power, had left him”. He experienced a power failure and the consequences were terrible.

One day Jesus sent out the disciples to minister and they came back confused and defeated. They couldn’t cast out some demons. Didn’t Jesus send them out to do this? Didn’t he promise His power? But the power wasn’t there. They had a power failure.

Like the Apostle Paul, do you know what you should do, but just don’t have the power to do it? Do you know what you should not to do, but can’t stop doing it anyway? Do these “power failure” moments seem to be the “norm” of your life? Do you ever see God working in someone else and long for His power to be evident in your life? Are you tired of defeat, discouragement, and your other power failures?

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