Dear Pastor,

One thing I know about life and ministry is that you carry a heavy load. You carry it for yourself, family, friends and for your congregation. Somedays, by the amazing grace of God, it seems like the load is so light that you forget it’s even there and thank God for the joy of the calling. Other times it feels like the load is so heavy it’s going to kill you.

So what can we do with this heavy load?

One thing is that we simply must recognize that we were never called to carry it alone. We need to be yoked to Jesus. He is able to carry anything with ease. He is able to bear up under the weight of the load and yet still shelter us by His side as we walk together with Him.

Second, like Aaron and Hur and Moses, we were never called to carry the load alone. Instead we need people who will listen to uus, cry with us and pray with and for us. Ministry is one of those “two person lift” jobs that will injure or maim you if you try it alone.

Third, the heavy load sometimes is made heavier by things we were never meant to carry. Besides being yoked to Jesus and having the aid of God-given co-laborers, we also should pray to recognize what is unnecessary, unhealthy baggage that we need to leave behind. 

I prayed for you today, because the heavy load threatens to steal all joy, crush our souls and sentence us to a life of discouragement and misery. But God has a saving plan not just for our souls but also for our overall well-being.

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Christ is with us, Christ is in us!

Mike j

Dear Pastor, 

Life and ministry can be really, really hard. There are expectations, obligations, emergencies, obstacles, opportunities and more!  And as we seek to navigate through all of this and yet remain faithful to God and to our calling, we make mistakes. We make mistakes of judgment, we make mistakes of stewardship, we make mistakes of speech. I’m not talking about sin here, just about mistakes stemming from our limited knowledge and mistakes that occur when we get in a hurry, overcommit, or just plain forget. Our mistakes often hurt people and possibly even seem to hurt our ministry. But the question is, do you give yourself grace when you mess up? Do you forgive yourself? Or do you agree with the devil, beat yourself up and live under a fog/weight of condemnation?

God offers us grace and mercy. He even offers grace upon grace. He forgives, cleanses, heals and delivers. His mercies are new every morning. He says to us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And yet even though God says He can and will forgive (and when we ask Him to we receive that forgiving, redeeming grace in our lives) so why is it sometimes so hard to forgive ourselves?

Whether you forgot something, or overpromised and under-delivered, whether your mistake cost money, time, energy or resources for yourself, someone else or even the ministry you are in, are you will to forgive yourself, offer grace and try again? There is freedom in forgiveness and with grace comes the opportunity to try again, so I encourage you: cut yourself some slack. Stop expecting perfection from yourself. Don’t beat yourself up and never agree with the condemnation or accusations of the enemy. Instead receive God’s grace, offer that grace to others (including yourself) and then walk in the peace and freedom that grace is able to redeem all of the messes we seem so adept at making.

After all, remember: Jesus makes all things new! And that includes what we messed up.

Christ is with us, Christ is in us!

Mike J

I think Coke is better than Pepsi. 

I also prefer Ford to Chevy.

Cookies are always better than pie.

And I’ve already alienated a bunch of you.

But here is the point: we all have opinions. We all have preferences. We all have things we like more or less than other things. 

But what are we as Christians supposed to do with our opinions? And how do we know which opinions are God-honoring and Christlike? How do we discern which opinions don’t matter and which ones do?

Should every opinion become a talking point online and should every preference become a dividing line? Is it really necessary or helpful to create protest groups and counter-protest groups over every little difference? 

Of course we know that in theory we should listen to one another and that we all have a “right” to our own opinion. We also know that it can be okay to agree to disagree and we each hope that others who disagree with us will still love us, accept us or at least “live and let live”. The harder part is when we are the ones who will have to love our enemies. The more difficult task is when we are the ones who will have to bite our tongue and decide whether our opinion really matters that much in this instance. The really hard part is when we have to decide that (temporarily) letting someone else believe and live something we don’t think is true or right is more necessary and important than expressing or defending our own perspective. 

Dear Christian, I pray that you and I will realize that God Himself does not immediately and directly rebuke every single thing that is less than perfect in us, all at once and as soon as He sees it. God has shown us that “there is a season for everything” and that He makes all things beautiful “in His time”. If God does not sit you and I down and condemningly review every single thing we have ever believed or done that is wrong but rather He takes us bit by bit, moment by moment on a journey of letting go of unholy, ungodly, unChristlike things, then can we not also, bite our tongue, pray for the person in front of us (with whom we disagree) and patiently walk with them so that they might encounter God and let God change them in His time and in His ways? 

I am so thankful for the friends I have had along my life’s journey who have seen and heard things from me that were far from perfect and holy and yet they loved me in spite of those things and continued to unite with me in friendship. I am so thankful for the people whom God has used to help me see my mistaken ideas and sinful behaviors and one by one release them into His care. I am so thankful that God is still working on me and that God has not written me off because of my opinions but rather is committed to loving me all that way through this journey I am on. Your and my love and behavior can either help people move towards God and Christlikeness or can drive them away. I still think Mountain Dew is the best soda ever and I don’t really like coffee all that well, but I hope you can love me anyway and that we can still be friends who are recipients of God’s grace trying to discover what it is to be like Jesus.

Let’s face it, in this world people look down upon or judge people because they are different in age, race or gender. Furthermore it seems that people look down upon others because of the different accomplishments, socio-economic status or skills/talents. I want to write this blog post to encourage you to not let people look down on you because your church didn’t grow as fast as theirs or because you don’t have the same ministries or style of preaching or philosophy of ministry as they do. Don’t let people look down on you because you pastor a smaller church or have a smaller building or some other difference. Obviously we can’t stop people from being judgmental, nor can we retaliate when they are, rather this Scripture is about not allowing their judgments or their attitude to interfere with your and my obedience to Christ and what He has called us to do. Your position is just as important as theirs, your church, your preaching, your ministry is just as important as theirs. God has called each and every one of us to our own respective ministries because there is a present need and God has gifted us to meet that need in our context according to His plan. 

So the next time you feel like “less” of a pastor because of some difference between you and “them” just stop, give thanks to God for the opportunities you have in front of you and pray that you and every other pastor you know will be faithful to the call God has placed upon us. We all have a unique ministry in a particular setting, and God planned it that way and it is beautiful what God will accomplish as we are faithful to our own task and as we don’t judge others or allow their judgements to impede our faithful perseverance. 

Christ is with us, Christ is in us

Mike J

Dear Pastor,

I know you understand what I am talking about. 

You reach down deep, you try with all your might and you still just don’t have anything else to give. Whether it is to your congregation, your friends or your family, you just know that no matter how much you want to help them you feel dry, empty and tired.

In a particular way, pastors are susceptible to this type of fatigue because of the constant demands, the relentless spiritual attacks and the deep needs our people have.

I pray for you that God will give you rest, replenish your soul, fill you with His joy and help you to overcome by His Holy Spirit at work inside of you.

Please make sure to reach out to others who can help carry the load and can offer encouragement and wisdom as you keep pressing on. Take time off work, make sure to fill your heart and mind through worship, meditation on the Lord and sacred time with God in prayer and the Word. You may be on the brink of burnout, but God is able to fill you to full and overflowing. Just don’t try to do it alone and don’t keep pouring out of your emptiness, it won’t help others anyway. People need to be ministered to out of the depths of riches that we pastors receive from God, so if we are empty we need to take a sabbatical (whether for one afternoon, or a day/week/month) so that we can give to others according to the beautiful gifts that we ourselves have received from our good, good Father.Let us recognize that we must never abandon our family, marriage or personal health as we sacrifice for the kingdom.

Please know that I understand your pain and am praying for you. Feel free to reach out if you want a listening ear. And no matter what you do: when you take a break from serving, never take a break from God, and recognize that God can replenish when nothing else can.

I thank God for pastors like you who sacrifice for His glory and for His kingdom, 

Christ is with us, Christ is in us!

Mike J

Now what?

Unless you are living alone on a deserted island or have no feelings or are invincible, something in this life has “happened” to you.

You may have been fired, been told off, been in an accident, come down with a sickness, lived during a pandemic, had a fallout in one of your relationships or some other painful crisis, but whatever excruciating and stressful thing you have been facing the question you now are asking is: “Now what?” Let’s take a minute to examine what we can do next when our entire life seems to shift…

First, of all, whatever you are facing, remember that you are not alone. God is all around you, He is near you, listening to you and speaking His words of truth and wisdom to you. This is true whether you are close to God or far from Him. Whether you have been running from God or walking faithfully with Him day by day, He is the God who is present, the God who sees and hears and the One you and I always need to turn to.

Second, don’t do anything hastily. Far too often when things are decided quickly they are rushed and we are not as cognizant of the far-reaching consequences of today’s choices. Make sure to seek godly counsel, pray, wait before God and read the Bible. Decide that you will trust God to take care of you, trust God to give you wisdom and strength and trust God to lead you even if you don’t know where He is going or how He is going to get you there.

Third, please be very careful to take your own “vitals”. Just like a patient in a hospital needs to have heart rate and blood pressure and temperature, etc, closely monitored, so too, you and I need to gauge our attitude, emotions and thoughts and compare them to Jesus to determine whether they are appropriate or helpful. If any attitudes, emotions or thoughts are unChristlike, try and seek out why you are having them and then deliberately give them to God, asking Him to replace them with His responses. Furthermore when or if you determine the source of the unhealthy reactions, be careful to deal with those root causes as well so that you can truly find the deep healing and vitality that you need. 

Finally, I believe the Bible invites us to accept that however we got where we are, God is present to work things out for His glory and our good. No matter whose fault, no matter the choices that could have made things different, recognize that from this moment forward we can ask the Lord to change us, use us, fill us, work through us and otherwise redeem the mess. There is no situation that is hopeless and there is no person or place that is God-forsaken. Please accept this reality that God can save completely those who come to Him.

I pray that in the midst of your pain and your life-altering situation, that you will let God take charge and that you will find His perfect peace, amazing grace, unconditional love and remarkable redemption to make all things new!

Grace and peace

Mike J

Dear Pastor,

What do you do when your friends, parishioners you love and respect, people who support you in every other way, don’t show up to Bible studies, worship services and ministry events that you have planned? I’m not talking about people who are on the fence, running from God or openly antagonistic towards you, God or His church. I am talking about those who serve on the board, go to lunch with you, love your family, pray for you, help in every way possible, but then make it clear by their actions that they don’t have time or interest in the Bible study you prepared?

I want to give you a few things to think about and take action on which can help you when you inevitably face this circumstance…

• First of all, it is very easy to slip into thinking that people’s behavior regarding church is about you as the pastor. It makes sense, much of the life and ministry of the church in some way, shape or form is connected to the pastor. BUT, please recognize that not every decision people make about church is about you. It might be but it is also very possible that they have so many other factors they are considering. Don’t immediately assume that it is about you. Be humble enough to consider that as the pastor they need your prayers, the messages God gives you and the love of God flowing through you, not your insecurity. (Ouch, preaching to myself here!)

• Second, making assumptions about people’s motives or intended outcomes is a very dangerous thing to do. Assuming things, guessing, second-guessing, stewing, etc won’t help you to build a stronger relationship with them, prepare you to minister to them or help them to overcome whatever it is they are working through. Instead of making guesses, make it your commitment to give it to the Lord and then reach out to your friends and with gentleness and courage, expressing your genuine concern for them and how you’ve missed them, ask them why.

• Third, even in the absence of some people aspire to learn the significance of ministering to those who are present with the same amount of passion as if it was a full house. Certainly be prayerful and introspective about what you are preparing and teaching; make sure it is what God has revealed to you and that you are prepared and operating by the unction/anointing of His Holy Spirit. Be excited and be prepared. Make sure that your lack of preparation or poor presentation (don’t be boring!) is not contributing to people’s absence. Be certain you are teaching what God has given you in the way He wants you to, without allowing outside factors to discourage you or change your message or the manner in which you present it.

I am so sorry that you have had to face the pain of people not showing up to the Bible studies, messages and ministries you have diligently prepared. It hurts and can feel like personal rejection. Sadly sometimes it is meant to sting and people are trying to spurn you. Much more often however people are so consumed with so many other things that they just overlook and miss out on what God has prepared for them (forgetting too that it might impact other people, even their own pastor).

Please keep inviting people, keep loving people, keep being as passionate and excited about God’s word when preaching to 5 people as if you were preaching to 500 or more. Make sure to reach out to people and let them know you genuinely miss them and that the entire church fellowship is different without their presence. But above all, remember to do all that you do for the glory of God and not the approval of humanity. God can use you as you are fully surrendered and obedient, just don’t get stuck because your people are.

Christ is with us, Christ is in us!

Mike J

Dear Pastor,

Here is the difficult news: you will always have someone who thinks you should be doing something different than you are. 

Don’t worry about that. You don’t live or minister to make them happy. You aren’t seeking their approval. You won’t stand before them on judgment day.

There is something that is common to all of us, and that is that we do not like letting people down, we don’t like conflict and we don’t like disapproval from people we respect. We also don’t like persecution, belittling or bullying. And although you may have heard people say that Christians in America don’t know what persecution is, the reality is that when we are simply seeking to love people to Jesus, preach His Word and invite people to receive His promises and then other people go out of their way to gossip about us, impune our character, defy our leadership or directly confront or attack us with their words, it really hurts and we can clearly say we know what it is to suffer for Christ. 

Here is the good news: when we participate in the suffering of Christ we will also participate in the glory of Christ. (see 1 Peter 4:13) We also know that we are blessed when people “insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of (Christ)” – Matthew 5:11. 

So please, when you are judged, rejected, maligned or otherwise count is all joy (James 1:2) and remember that you can “rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12)

Trust me, I know how much it hurts, how easy it is to second guess yourself and even the PTS (post-traumatic stress) that occurs each and every time someone else comes up to you with “constructive criticism” or a “little advice” but please know that God is with you and for you, and even when it stings or even cuts like a knife God is able to work deeply in and through you for healing, and for the sharing His grace, truth and love, regardless of how the people around you react.

I will be praying that you will indeed have the enveloping and comforting love of Jesus to help you through your own personal pain and also the confidence and boldness of God to help you love those who hurt you and minister to those that God brings before you.

Christ is with us, Christ is in us!

Mike J

Dear pastor,

• What do you do when you are discouraged? Aimless? Lifeless?
• What do you do when you are tired? Stressed? Feeling like you just don’t have any strength left?
• What do you do when you just don’t know what to do?

My guess is that you have asked these questions a few times in your life. You might even be wondering what the answer is right now.

If I may humbly offer to you a few thoughts in answer to the myriad of questions we ministers have, I think you and I might leave this conversation a little richer, a little fuller and with a little more faith.

First of all, recognize that these questions have been asked by countless Christians and pastors over thousands of years. Just becoming a Christ-follower or accepting the call to ministry certainly does not insulate us from the woes of life. Now, hold on a minute, this is actually good news and I say this to actually encourage you. I want you to know that I (and many, many others as well) understand the pain and weightiness of living life, doing ministry and seeking to be content no matter the circumstances. You are not alone.  That doesn’t mean that you and I should just sit down in defeat and wallow in our misery but instead I think that as we each admit that we each have way more questions than answers, and that we can face these struggles together, and together go to the Lord and His word trusting Him to see us through.

Secondly, I think that we should reach out more often to each other. I think we should admit to some trusted and godly friends that we are tired, confused and desperately seeking a way through. By sharing together I believe we will get fresh perspective (we are not alone, others face these things too) but we will also glean fresh strength by disclosing our struggles. The devil loves to isolate, alienate, divide and conquer, but the devil also loves to convince us that keeping to ourselves, suffering in silence and hiding our weakness is the way to go. This is simply not true! The Lord operates in disclosure and illumination; it is only darkness and evil that operates in hiddenness and shadows. Let’s remember what we face is common to humanity, but let us also team up with fellow Christians/pastors who can be our cheerleading prayer partners.

I have suggested to a couple of pastors that they actually schedule a reminder in their phone to reach out to other pastors regularly so that whether the journey gets difficult or not, Christian support and human arms of love and mercy are already there to lean on.

Lastly (and truly this last thing should be first!), make sure to dedicate much time to the means of grace (also sometimes known as spiritual disciplines) that God has afforded us. When we actively, intentionally and regularly practice solitude, silence, praying, fasting, studying and meditating on the Word, worship, serving others, etc, we will personally find ourselves in the fountain of God’s grace that supplies the strength, joy, peace and answers that we need! Go to your prayer closet or the sanctuary and just enjoy listening to some praise and worship music and let your heart soar in adoration and thanksgiving to the One who died to save you! Open your Bible and a journal and just read (and record) all the many things God offers to those who will believe and receive. Pick up the phone or jump in the car and connect with someone for the sole purpose of putting a smile on their face, praying with them or sharing the gospel.

I promise you that when you and I get under the waterfall of God’s grace by participating in spiritual disciplines, we will not only get wet, but we will find a refreshing, renewing, invigorating touch from God, which is just what we need.

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It’s entirely possible I didn’t answer the questions listed above in a way you were hoping for. You may have as many questions now as before, and you might even think I have glossed over the reality, difficulty and grittiness of life and ministry. However, I assure you that if you remember you are not alone, gather together with other Christians/Pastors, and dive into the depths of God’s grace by participation in His disciplines, you will find your questions answered or you might even find that the questions don’t much matter quite so much  anymore, because in His presence you realize God is enough for you!

Christ is with us, Christ is in us!

Mike J

If there was only one message that I could give to people, it would be this. 

There is a misnomer that God only comes to bless your life and give you gifts, abundance and fulfillment. In one sense people far and wide have come to adopt a “health, wealth and prosperity” gospel without realizing it. 

There is so little understanding of the cost of discipleship, the role of human responsibility in faith and salvation, and the absolute necessity of pursuing holiness. 

There is an idea of “cheap grace” and an unbiblical definition of God’s salvation which somehow excludes human agreement, participation, surrender, penitence, confession, repentance, faith or obedience. 

Sadly the wool has been pulled over our eyes to such an extent that we believe that our salvation relies solely on God and we have no responsibility aside from saying: “Thanks for heaven and all the other gifts”. We have stripped the gospel of its end goal as well as its power because we neglect any personal obligation to admit our sins, make restitution, love our neighbor, serve in Jesus’ name, sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom, deny self, and/or receive the Lord’s discipline. 

I am in no way advocating that salvation is by some other means than grace, but if we dare believe that God offers a salvation wherein people’s thoughts, attitudes, words and behaviors do not change, we are believing a false gospel. The full and complete salvation that God offers to people is a delivering from sin and unto righteousness. 

Christ died that we might be forgiven of sin and cleansed of unrighteousness and that we might be empowered to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance”. If we only have a gospel of forgiveness but no expectation to avoid sin, we are cheapening grace, trampling the blood of Jesus underfoot and believing/teaching a false gospel which really is no gospel at all! 

I thank God that the gift He has given me is by His grace, for I could never atone for my sins, undo the damage done by my actions nor somehow overcome sin and death by my own vain efforts. However I am also thankful that God does not strip me of my free will or my own full participation in His salvation. He invites (and enables me) to agree and believe in faith, confess by faith, walk by faith and pursue holiness by faith. 

Please, please, please, if you dare to call yourself a Christ-follower, don’t try and beg off God the gift of heaven whilst ignoring His holiness. 

Don’t excuse your sin, rest on your laurels and assume all is well because God is a God of love. God also is a consuming fire! God also is a God of justice. God didn’t die just so we could stay exactly the same but just with a pretty ticket to heaven in our hands. God died and rose again so that we could actually be transformed into loving people who pursue peace with all men and who pursue God’s sanctification and holiness in heart, mind, body and soul. 

May it be that you and I diligently, dare I say, importunately pursue God’s holiness, so that we may honor the Lord, see the Lord and one day be fully glorified in our eternal union and eternal life with Him.