This will be the third time I have tried to get this blog off the ground. Both previous attempts were miserable failures due to my inability to keep posting.
Writing is a strange activity. Especially for a pastor. In order to be relevant (and I hate that term), true to yourself, and create a connection with your audience, the writer must be, above all things, honest.
I have a problem with that.
I know, you're thinking, “but you are a pastor, you preach ‘thou shalt not lie’, how can honesty be a problem if you are in YOUR profession?” Its not that I have a habitual lying problem (though I probably do- honestly, who doesn't?), its more about HOW honest I want to be.
You see, I am still a pastor. Currently. So any illustrations from my life have to be either changed to unrecognizable when in print or I need to use no personal illustrations at all. Because to be honest, what I want to write about, will get me into trouble. Trouble with loved ones. Trouble with church members. Trouble with other pastors.
My solution? With this re-launch of the blog my promise to you is that I will be honest with everything I publish. But names will be changed to protect the innocent. And situations will be fabricated occasionally so that no one sees themselves in a story. But the underlying truth of what I write will be open and honest.
The reason for my disclaimer? Recently I have found myself increasingly irritated by many things. A short list would be, in order: the current culture in our country, the lack of a Biblical world-view among Christians, the hostility in society that seems to be normal and expected. And that is just the start.
The irritation is something I struggle with, because I know it’s not a Christ-like attitude. I don’t want to be irritated by other peoples attitudes and actions, I want to be moved with compassion on them. I pray about this, that Christ would give me a softer heart. But my personality (excessively macho) and my life experiences make it hard for me to believe that I can be helped by God.
There might be your first shocker. A dirty little secret those in my circle never admit to. Pastor’s struggle with having faith to trust God in certain circumstances. We never admit to this because it is a chink in our armor, it reveals us as human, frail, imperfect.
So pray for me about that. Pray that God would soften my heart towards the failures, frailties and outright atrocities people, especially Christians exhibit today. Pray that God restores that “Pastor’s Heart” that they told us about in Bible College.
I have a lot more to say, but I’m going to shoot for 500- 600 words or so on each post.
One more thing… and I’ll write more about this in later posts. You will notice on the side column a picture of myself with my wife Patty. I also have two boys, Luke (14) and Ben (13). I will exempt them from most of my posts except when I want to brag on them. Writers’ privilege means I get to get mushy about my wife when the mood hits (and I’ll warn you that it hits often) and I also get to extol the virtues (strengths) of my boys from time to time.
I will do my best (for it is a new years resolution) to post here often, but only when I have something important to say.
Oh, and finally… Beware my sometimes dry, usually strange sense of humor. Did anyone get the joke about honesty? I didn’t think so. There are a lot of things that are funny only to me.
I pray that as you read this blog, you will be encouraged that we pastors go through the same (and some greater) problems that you do. I also pray that as you read these posts, you keep praying for me.
-pastordave
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