Let Me Go First Today
John Stott once said
My main concern for the church everywhere is that we often do not look like what we are talking about. We make great claims for Christ, but there is often a credibility gap between our words and our actions.
No where is this more true than the church’s claims of authentic community. We love to throw the “authentic community” words around, but rarely are we willing to live with the risks associated to create such environments.
Most Christians I know are chained to their fears of being found out. However, you need to know, for every fear you accept in your life there is always a corresponding consequence. The damaging consequence of this fear is that our churches are full of people running around hiding their sin, their addiction, their doubts and their hurts. We’ve learned this kind of secret behavior is not only allowed, it’s actually rewarded.
I love it when Jon Acuff talks about “the gift of going second”. When you go first and admit the sin, the junk, and all the crap in your life you give others a gift allowing them to follow you. It’s always easier to go second.
I think those of us who have been placed in positions of leadership in the church have got to “go first” creating environments where people feel free to bring their junk into the context of community where they can find grace and healing.
So, let me go first today.
Last week I was I was doing some research for a message online when I stumbled on a pop-up ad that was very enticing. All I had to do was click on the image and I knew it would take me to a place where I could escape the current writing pressures I was facing.
For more than a minute I sat there debating whether to click or not. There was a war raging in my mind. I would go from praying for strength to trying to justify what I wanted to do. In the end I didn’t click.
You know why?
Because, I have Covenant Eyes which reports to one of my accountability partners every website I visit. I knew I would be busted.
However I’m still disappointed in myself. I want to get to the place where I don’t click, not because I’m afraid I’m going to get caught, but because I don’t desire. I don’t desire it because I know what that junk does to my soul. I know how it destroys intimacy in my marriage. I know how it keeps me from growing in Christ-likeness.
I want to not want.
That’s a glimpse into the darkness that can raise it’s ugly face in my heart from time to time.
So there you go. I went first today. Where do you need to go first in order to encourage others to bring their sin into the context of community where they can experience grace and healing? What do you think we need to do in the church to back up our claims of authentic community?
Pete, great post. I’m a great believer in “going first” also, and first saw the burdens it lifted and the freedom it gave to speak freely 15 years ago when, as a youth minister in a guys’ discipleship group, I “went first” in confessing “young guy” struggles.
Timely post, as well. Last week at Element’s third place small group we introduced a time of confessing sins to one another (a la James 5:16). This is now something we’ll do weekly, and tonight we are introducing weekly communion. I think authentic community needs these things.
Again: Thanks for the post.
Thank you so much, Pete, for going first! I fully believe that God allowed me to find this ‘community’ because in doing so, I have had the courage to speak into my precious hubs and help him find the courage to change churches. In just the past few weeks, we have seen so much relational activity in our lives and know that God is working in a deep way!
Thank you again for being so real!!!
Hello. It’s always eye-opening when the Lord allows and event that reveals to us that we may not be as spiritual as we would like to think. To gently remind us that we need him every hour and that we must abide completely in the True Vine. I had a similar battle last week. Something that appeared out of the blue and suddenly the eyes were wanting to go into places that they don’t belong. Praise God for victory over this temptation. It did seemingly pop up out of nowhere and is something that I would have never considered to be a weakness.
Timely post– last night in choir when we went around the room for prayer requests, I felt myself completely shut down. I didn’t have anything “light and fluffy” to pray about, but I didn’t “trust” the people in the room with my real burdens. So I didn’t “go first.”
Who knows what others may have felt open to share if I had opened up first?
Leslie
A huge step would be to do away with “unspoken prayer requests” (for more reasons than this).
@My Twenty Cents, That’s a perfect example. There’s always next time!
I need to go first in Bible study tonight.
This is my favorite post that you’ve ever written. Thanks for going first, being honest, and helping build authentic community.
Years ago I had something I needed to get off my soul and heal about, so I signed up for a specialized retreat. Before the retreat I got a call from the coordinator, who just wanted to let me know that one of the leaders of this retreat was someone I was in the choir with, and was I going to be comfortable with that? You could have blown me down with a feather! I went on the retreat anyway, and fifteen years later, she and I are great friends who are able to talk about anything (especially the bad stuff) without putting up defensive borders around ourselves.
It kind of makes me crazy to think about all of the people sitting around me in church every week who may have this same issue, but I’ll never know it, and I’ll never be able to give them a reassuring hug about it or be the shoulder they need to cry on, because they think they are “the only one” in the crowd who was weak enough to have sinned.
My mother has always lectured me about the opposite – that I share too much about my personal hardships and downfalls “outside the family”. Well, that was default as a result of mixing our family dynamics with my fantastic ability of being way too honest!
Over the years, I learned the game… BUT, I’m pretty darn stubborn about being honest (sometimes too honest) – and fortunately have not allowed the “game” to replace that honesty. Growing up in a church that was all about image, I learned the hard way from a few of the church leaders that it really hurt my reputation – which for several years, just proceeded to push me out the door of church all together.
But fortunately over the years, I have managed to balance this extreme – to be honest and choose those with whom I share these intimacy’s wisely. I still have people say that I’m way too honest – about myself and them!
Guess that’s an area I’ll always have to be cautious about delivery and timing!
Thank you Pete, for having the courage to admit something so personal and yet so common. Every time I turn on the TV or open my laptop I have the same battle raging in my mind. I have a web blocker, Covenant Eyes, and parental controls locking my TV down, and I think “Why am I so weak to need all this protection?”
I do know one thing, it keeps me humble, because I know I am still one messed up dude in need of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s power. Thanks for being real, it is encouraging to know we are not alone in our struggles.
More often than not, I feel exactly like Leslie @ My Twenty Cents Keeps Moving.
i’m just sayin’.
This is a good word, Pete. Thanks for sharing. Our pastor just started a series about what real Christian community looks like – so between his sermon and your post, I feel like God has gotten all up in my business. That’s a good thing.
Wow, I’m continually blown away by your posts. I have seen a movement among people to begin openly confessing their sins and struggles to receive encouragement and growth God will provide through that.
I was in Africa and the folks in the church during prayer, in Swahhilli, would pray out loud. Later the host for us told us they were confessing there sins publicly. We told him that if it happened here there would be gossip and he didn’t understand. He told us that when people openly confess their sins, the others around them don’t see the sin, they see what God is doing in their lives.
Satan can get a very stronghold on our lives with secrets and sin. I believe confessing to others is the most powerful weapon to help battle these things. Thanks for being open about your struggles and letting folks know how you keep yourself accountable.
wow. my heart is heavy b/c I have a husband who struggles with this same thing and isn’t always able to resist. thanks for posting this!
Awesome post! And ya know, we all want to be strong enough to do what’s right w/o accountability, but that’s just not how it works. Having accountability IS doing what’s right. It IS being the church! Praise God for your courage and obedience.
Thank you for this blog, and for your message yesterday, Pete. It really challenged and encouraged me. I grew up in a church and abomination, I mean denomination
where it was unheard of for the pastor and leaders to confess ANYTHING. So to hear a leader say the things that I hear you saying, speaks volumes to me on a heart level.
Thanks Pete! I spoke last night in our gathering on people being ‘Full of S@#?” of course I left wondering what that meant till the gathering but it meant SINS! How we have the capacity to deal with those issues and must keep ourselves in check, so I appreciate your tweet and blog very much! I grew up with that being my cross from child through certain inappropiate things that had happened to me and being exposed to a world that I was not ready for! I praise God for an amazing wife who has helped me to walk in my journey of sanctification and purity and lifts me up to rise above the cultural norms to an amazing marriage and partner. love ya man!
I love this post!
But because of the principle behind the article.
Not because you are telling on yourself
I struggle with anger at times. It especially shows its ugly head when someone has wronged me and I battle between the urge to get back at that person or to practice the teachings of Jesus. I don’t always choose the right response, and unfortunately there is not a “covenant eyes” for anger flare ups, so its hard to have someone challenge me when I screw up.
thank you, Pete.
Great message yesterday. Thanks for going first. I believe your method and honesty in your pastoring and teaching encourages the deep community that we all want. I also believe it’s why the church is growing so much
I appreciate that authentic pastor so much. I grew up in a church in which I didn’t have that. I had a wise pastor, a pastor who was a good teacher, a great leader… but he wasn’t honest about his struggles. And no one really pressed him to be that way. He had an ongoing affair. That church is still trying to recover. I don’t think we’re any better men than he was, but I believe when you choose to live your life, and your life in the public realm, like you have, there is a much smaller chance of that happening. Thanks to you, and the elders.
Pete…you put words to what my wife and I have been talking about for a while now. We feel the need so often to impress people or to not let people down that we pretend that we are more put together, more holy and less sinful than we really are. What is wild is that it is that false portrayl that actually prevents the work of Christ in our lives more than anything. In an effort to project Christ-likeness, we are actually doing more to stifle the work that God longs to do through brutal honesty and transparency. I think it is the heart of what James says when he said “Confess your sins to one another that you may be healed.” There is a communal aspect to living that actually brings about more healing than just confessing our sins to God. Anyway, I could go on and on about this as I have expereinced it so much in my own life lately…so all of that to say…great post. Thank you!
…useful! Being transparent falls back to trust / or lack of it. That is a reoccurring theme in my life of late.
This is so beautifully put. So human. I appreciate the trend in the last few years were Pastors have been able to open up and be HUMAN…Not just spiritual leaders. It is refreshing to have the pedestals that generations before us lifted Pastors onto lowered to the altar.
I would rather have a Pastor that admits to knowing the struggle of real life. One that knows what it is like to be down and lifted up by our Lords grace. One that understands that it isn’t through works that we are saved. One that truly knows what Calvary is about and who it is for.
Thank you for being first!
I’ve had Covenant Eyes on my computer for over 5 years. It’s nice to know that my Internet browsing is open to people who want to hold me accountable and keep me safe.
You said, “I want to get to the place where I don’t click, not because I’m afraid I’m going to get caught, but because I don’t desire.” Do you really think that’s possible? I know that for me the desire, the temptation is always lurking. Even Paul struggled with this,
“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” (Romans 7:16-20)
I think it’s important to let people know who are struggling with these temptations that we all share the same temptations and evil desires. The temptation is not the sin – giving into it is.
What we ARE promised is that God will NEVER allow us to face a temptation that is too great for us or one without a possibility for overcoming.
I’m struggling and fighting together right there with you bro. Thanks for the honesty in this post.
Thanks for the post Pete. It’s even worse for me! Sometimes instead of it just popping up on my screen, I actively seek it. Even though I know my wife will see where I’ve been and be hurt by it. Even though I know it damages the trust we have built in our relationship. Even though it makes me feel worse than before I looked at it, consumed with guilt and regret. Man, the pull of sin is so strong. Thank God for His Grace. It’s hard to pull myself back up, dust myself off, and start over again. Sometimes I just want to give up. Fortunately, I know that God still loves me and has something better in store for me. The truth is, you could replace “porn” with “gambling”, “drugs”, “alcohol”, “sex”, “food”, “cigarettes” or just cap the whole thing with “selfish desire” and it would all fit for me. The only difference is the time that I have gone without giving into them. Thanks for posting this though. Sometimes I (and probably a lot of others) feel like lone wolves out there. Or maybe lone sheep. Have a great day!
Pete… this was a conversation with a buddy of mine on Tuesday when traveling. Thanks for the confirmation.
Picture of saint Cathrine seems she was wearing Muslim Hijab… Muslim men have beard like Jesus..
read muslim converts stories http://muqeem.wordpress.com/
@bub, Thanks man. Praying for you!
such a great topic of discussion. I agree with Justin and D.Lake, healing does come with confession,which in turn strengthens community, but it also involves trust and transparency which for many is so incredibly difficult. Sitting here after reading your post I realized that perhaps I have not only been dis-honest with myself but those around me but again it gets back to the trust issue.
Thanks as always Pete
Pete, thanks for courageous transparency. I agree with @brodruggles – because of how God has us wired-up, I don’t think the struggle or pull to the visually alluring will ever stop – that is perhaps until we are physiologically too old to care. I know most theologians think Paul’s thorn was his failing eyesight, but couldn’t it just as easily have been temptations of the flesh? That being said, Paul’s beautiful words in Romans 7:16-20 basically sets the stage for what life looks like – I know where I shouldn’t go and I yet I do. Thank God for his never-ending river of grace that he allows to flow through my life. The key, of course, is to pray we never throw up our hands and say, “well I am a doomed, weak, worthless sinner who can never keep it together, so I may as well give up and swim in unrepentant sin 24/7/365.” God gets who we are and how we are wired and has provided for us a way out of each temptation (flee!) and a new day after each failure. Praise God!
To the discussion of biblical community vs fake community…
One of Hybels’ regular sayings is, “transformation occurs more readily within the context of small groups.” Clearly, when people trust each other it is much easier to share burdens, temptations and failures. Congrats to you and the whole Cross Point team for all you are doing to make that a growing reality in both Nashville and Dickson!
Community must have purpose, community for community’s sake is nothing. Community that generates relationship, that encourages practical living for Christ in everyday life is everything.
I go first alot ,especially when I sense that someone is struggling. WHen I share a particular issue I’m struggling with, they almost always open up, or at least you see that some relief has come to them when they learn that saomeone else is also struggling.
Tnaks to your messages Pete, my husband and I are enjoying a life of transparancy, and it gets easier and esier to be REAL!
(Sorry for the 7 typos there– that’s just me being transparent!
NOTHING to hide!)
Thank you so much for the post and for the sermon yesterday. I especially like how you said yesterday that being a Christian doesn’t mean you won’t have the same struggles and temptations. I’ve often hesitated to talk to people about my relationship with Christ because I’m afraid of what they’ll think of me when I fall again. Thanks for reminding me I don’t have to be perfect.
Many times, I get hurt going first. It IS a trust issue, but for me, it’s a question of whether I trust God more than I am concerned about what people think of me or what they will say about me. I went first this weekend when I admitted that I don’t know how to be in a Godly relationship with a man. Before I knew Christ, I did whatever a man wanted in order to “keep” him. That was messed up, but I didn’t know any better. Now, I don’t know what it means to be in a relationship with a man that isn’t sexual, and I’ve been walking with Christ for 13 years. As a result, I find I just avoid dating all together. It started some amazing conversations. It was good for all of us to know we weren’t alone in that thinking.
Thanks.
This topic is so relevant for men today. I have heard in small group discussions, and mens group meetings that this struggle is reaching near epidemic proportions. Someone in a mens group posted the following link that is a great resource for people struggling with internet pornography. http://lettinggotoday.wordpress.com/ So many similarities in the comments and posts. For those above who stated they feel all alone in their struggle…check out that web site.
I had an amazing friend in Aberdeen. Every week we met to chat openly about our achievements, blesssings and struggles. It was confidential between us, and we prayed together and really went through life together. Even now I can tell her anything – warts and all. I also had a fantastic cell group and when my behaviour was far from Christ-like and not just morally wrong in the eyes of Jesus, but the world too, they didn’t judge but checked me on it, but better than that they encouraged me and supported me as I dealt with the pain and consequences of some of my poor choices, and the pain of making the right ones too.
This was my way of ‘going first’ in the blogosphere last year.
It took about a year for me to work up the courage to share all this on the blogosphere and it ended up being a journey shared over about 14 blog posts…writing it was really tough, I was so worried about what other Christians would think of me and making myself vulnerable by sharing it all.
http://brunettekoala.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/pregnancycrisisjourney1/
I lie to people. Plan and simply. I hide behind my lies. Now they aren’t anything major like affairs, etc., but I lie about stupid little things. It may not seem like alot, but when you live a life of lies, it is addictive. I don’t do it to hurt them, but I lie never the less. For example, I lost my job once due to a dishonesty. It was basically a tax issue. My thought, everyone lies on their taxes. In the end, it was still a lie. In the end, I lost my job for a lie that brought me about $20 extra bucks a year. lies are lies. Small ones can grow into larger ones. They build walls between you and the ones you love. They don’t have to be big in your eyes.
@Michael. Thanks for your honesty. Wow!
Covenant Eyes, huh? What a great idea! Nothing like the knowledge that you know you’re gonna get busted to prevent you from things that might tempt you.
(Incidentally, that’s not why you haven’t commented on my blog lately, is it? Because frankly, I’m a little hurt that you didn’t comment on your cartoon/character likeness on Match the Pastor to the Character post. But that’s cool.
Oh Great blog Pete! Thanks for sharing honestly. Thanks for confirming my decision to often “go first” when I write and when I speak. You rock!
Unrelated… Just stopping by to say THANK YOU for all of the prayers for my pregnancy and our little baby. I gave birth to Jaxon on Tuesday and we are both doing great. He’s healthy and adorable and we give God all the glory!! Pix and more info on my blog if/when you have time to stop by there.
Thanks again, Pete — you’re a good man. See you soon.
Heidi Reed
Thanks pastor Peter. great to know you are human. You’re a great leader!
Wow! Great post today! I’ve been reading for a while, but never commented. I have seen this principle play out in my life. When I am vulnerable with others, they often feel more comfortable being open with me. So often, though, it’s hard for me to trust others for fear of rejection or having some of the most sensitive things spread in a negative way. And yet, I believe this fear probably keeps me from having the relationships God intends for me. Thanks for a thougt-provoking post and the willingness to be real.
Pete,
I’m not a member of your church, but I do have a good friend who is, and who shared her heart and went “first” with me last night at Bible Study. God is working on both of us, and I appreciate your encouragement in her life. Her transparency was a big step for her, and also prompted me to share my “second” and ask for her accountability in return. Thank you for prompting us to share our struggles with each other. Praise Him for grace that covers the ugliest of sins!
@M.A. Hearing that makes taking the risk of going first totally worth it! Thank you so much for sharing.
I loved this post. When we confess…we are healed…pure and simple – (James 5:16). Our marriages, our friendships, our small groups…will find healing when we allow ourselves to “go first.” Pete…thank you for leading us in this way!
I loved the thought from 3amjosh that said, “when people openly confess their sins, the others around them don’t see the sin, they see what God is doing in their lives.” Wow…there is so much there.
Hi there. THanks for the honesty. I grew up as a pastor’s kid and knew (know) how to play the church game, and any other game that involved managing people’s expectations, very well. My father often talked about Christians, and particularly a minister’s family, as being a “city on a hill”; this translated to us often unintentionally focusing more on appearances than substance. When my parents ended up getting divorced—honesty at last!—the church fired him. Thankfully there seems to be more of a place in some churches for honesty and for ministers to be “wounded healers” as Nouwen termed the phrase, not perfect leaders these days.
The other “skill” I learned in the church was to appear to be being very open by discussing things that might appear to be personal, but to keep those things that really made me feel vulnerable hidden. As you pointed out in your great podcast, those secrets grow, fester, and make us sick over time. It is essential to let the light of day in those dark places.
That having been said, I think we do have to pick and choose where and with whom we make ourselves vulnerable with care. Not everyone is ready for our disclosures—it really is a gift to receive someone’s innermost thoughts—and we need to be respectful of what we are asking of others. Further, our sharing may involve others’ lives, and we need to be respectful of exposing their secrets for them. The idea is to heal by receiving and giving the experience of God’s love in community, not cheap intimacy. That you can get from daytime television!
I still struggle with the legacies of perfectionism and people-pleasing that I learned at home and at our church, but have healed much through the rigorous honesty and community of a 12-step program. I feel that I can say anything really in the 12-step communities that I am a part of because there are certain agreements that help to facilitate this sharing; in particular, we agree not to gossip about what we hear ( “what is said here stays here” ). I think that some of these agreements are essential to establish real community.
I applaud your courage to discuss meaningful things in church and to live a transparent role, particularly as a pastor! There may actually be hope for the church over the long haul!
Thanks, too, for making your thoughts open via the Internet to those who are not in the NAshville area.
Be well.
@Pete, Jeremy Robinson, & others who have installed safeguards- it is a wise man who takes the time to build sturdy guardrails where the side of the road leads off a cliff. Recognizing your weakness is a sign of strength. Think of these things as part of your spiritual armor.
Our victory over sin comes by conquering one temptation at a time through the power of the Holy Spirit. We’ll never do that until we take our sins seriously enough to face them and do whatever it takes to deal with them. I am encouraged by your honesty and willingness to take the offensive with temptation rather than wait until it has you wrestled to the ground.
I struggle with not only to “click” put when I’m at the mall, gas station, walmart, a country road, well just about everywhere. Like I heard said “everywhere I go, there I am”. I am strong and then BOOM!! Temptation to do all kinds of crazy things hit. I pray one day to find a way, a venue that I along with other people can help others to expose satan so his butt can tuck tale and hide!! I am so thankful for your ministry Pete!
Thanks for being honest. Most pastors wouldn’t talk about this struggle for fear of all the grief they could get. Thanks for going first.
Pete, please don’t be disappointed in yourself. I think we should allow God’s pleasure to fall on us when we don’t sin. Not when we don’t feel temptation. That is just never going to disappear. Because we are tempted does not make us a failure and because you are a man and are attracted to women is a very healthy thing. You have chosen, however to direct that attention to your wife and to be held accountable by you covenant eyes partner. I applaud you.
Years ago, I was hooked on porn. I was finally caught…by my wife. Was the best thing that could ever have happened. Today, our whole office uses software from xxxchurch and my accountability partner is…my wife. I would have it no other way. Desires are forever. But, I want her to know that all of mine, whether tempted or not, are truly and honestly directed at her. She is my queen and deserves the world from me.
So, all this to say. Ia m not disappointed in my desires, but only in my failures to direct all sexual attention to y wife and ultimately to please the God I serve. If knowing I could be caught is incentive to keep from sinning, I’ll take it. I’ll take anything that keeps me away from that world of crap.
Great stuff Pete. Thank you for going here. It’s what the church needs to hear. So many people carrying so many burdens that would be so much easier to carry or offload if they only felt comfortable enough to let others in on their vulnerability. Sometimes it takes one to lead the way.
thank you Pete. thank you.
I love your honesty and humility. I am continually encouraged. A few things I am tempted with daily would be anger, and bitterness. I think checkpoints is something we all need that keep us from falling as often. It’s great that you admit to being human like the rest of us.
I missed this one yesterday… it was a good one and a great example for you to go first. I was just going to say that and leave it at that, but I guess that sort of defeats the purpose of opening yourself up, doesn’t it? So I’ll go, too. I went through treatment for anorexia over 20 years ago, some habits were left behind because I chose to, some were left behind because physically I no longer have the choice to act on them, but mentally it’s always there and is easier to pretend it’s not.
Oh Pete, you know I have major “managing impressions” issues and am just so grateful to have a pastor, boss and friend like you who is willing to go first.
I wonder how many of us ‘church’ people have a problem with sharing our current issues because the ramifications that it may bring. What happens if the church finds out someone in the choir is struggling with an addiction to prescription drugs? Maybe the choir member is afraid that they won’t be allowed in the choir any longer.
You can use that example across the board. What happens if someone in the congregation finds out the pastor is struggling with lust issues – would they ask him to step down?
Most of us are willing to talk about issues we have already overcome or the small stuff that we all share in common (pride being among them)… but what about the big ugly stuff in our lives today?
Scary stuff, Pete. Thanks for posting.
Way to go setting the tone for your whole congregation! I wish more pastors would do this. I believe that while we should never condone sin in our midst, on this side of heaven brokenness needs to be normalized in our churches: the church should be the home for unshockable realists who know the great power of sin and therefore can boast of the great power of our Savior. God doesn’t always free us by taking away our weaknesses, but by allowing us to cry out to Him in the midst of our weakness.
Glad to hear that Covenant Eyes is a big help to you. I am the Covenant Eyes blogger and I would love to get you some free brochures for your church. If you are interested please contact me and let me know.
Oh yeah . . . one more thing. Would you be interested in writing up a guest post for the Covenant Eyes blog anytime?
Blessings,
Luke Gilkerson
Internet Community Manager
CovenantEyes.com
Pete, when you talked about this at CP on Sunday, I was blown away. Your ability to be vulnerable on stage was so encouraging, and I know that it brought people closer to Jesus. I grew up in a church where the pastors pretended to be perfect and never admitting to struggling with anything. It wasn’t real community, and it warped me for a long time. Thanks for being real with your congregation and your blog readers.
Pete, this is what makes you such an amazing pastor and leader. God does not want us to hide. Satan has convinced us that we should hide because he can really work on us when we have no one to talk to and be “real” with. I absolutely LOVE your authenticity and for the way you allow God to use you and your life to further the kingdom.
Thanks, Pete, for going first. God taught me this leadership lesson a few years ago: “If you want other people to be vulnerable, you have to go first.” Bleh. It can suck sometimes, no? I like the Tozer quote that says: “Christians don’t tell lies; they go to church and sing them.”
Thanks Pete. The church today has lots of prophecy, and how to get rich schemes, but vulnerability, not so much. I truly believe that our pews would be overflowing if the members of every church would go first.
Bravo! That is just like my pastor out here in AZ said in a sermon-you as leaders of the Church are completely HUMAN!! And that is understandable!! And it is awesome you go from the one sermon to this one…complete respect in Christ! Keep your focus on Him-He will keep honoring you and glorifying your church for His purpose-to share His Good News in all ways you can get it across!! A big Thumbs up! He had plans for you and this sermon I think long ago! God Bless…
Posts like this are what keep me coming back to your blog Pete. I may stray from time to time but I do keep coming back. You are such a huge part of my Christian community because I learn so much about Him through you. Thanks for keeping it real.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your honesty. I share your desire to not want to want.
Blessings,
Darian
Darian Burns’s last blog post..Grace on the Field
Pete, My husband and I just finished reading this and truly appreciate your courage to share. I have felt so inferior to so many pastor’s in my life, including my grandfather. (A fire and brimstone Pentecostal Preacher in the Ky Appalachian Mtns.) I truly feel that when a Pastor is willing to share their shortcomings, it makes it possible for the church to relate on a more intimate level and not to feel so inferior. When we look at a Pastor, we often think, “close to perfect.” That seems to make it hard for me to admit my failures for fear of judgement or disappointment. So, thanks for reminding us that not only are you our teacher, but you are a human who struggles with the same issues we do in this scary time! Love and enjoy your messages.