February Update

February 06, 2023

February Update

"The Pastor needs as much prep as the sermon."

The way that our ministry is set up, with a group of pastors that are sheparding a group of people, it makes it a bit easier for this quote to be a reality. This quote comes from a lecture on the Puritans, a group who focused on personal piety and the inner move of the heart. It really stuck with me in thinking about my own ministry and what Jesus says about the inside of the cup and the outside of the cup in Matthew 23.

Q&R with Iain for Christian History Class

The outward actions are much easier to contrive, to make it seem like everything is going well inside of us. But God cares about our hearts and our motivations. He desires hearts that face him, ones that seek His face. I find myself tempted to think that because I am doing the right things; praying, preaching, meeting with students, that I am in a good spot. But those things aren't representative of all that is happening inside of me. I am not just my actions. God cares about how I think about other people and in turn how I treat them in response to that.

Which brings me to this quote above. I am thankful to have my character invested in. I am encouraged to spend time at the Lord's feet and let Him change me. I am challenged in my thinking and called out when I don't look like Jesus. We get to have book clubs to help us think through topics we might not discuss with people who think differently than us. We get to go on retreats where we are pointed back to scripture and the truth. One of my favorite things that I get to do currently is teach a class on Christian History and get to learn alongside the first year staff I teach. I love getting to hear about how others over the ages interacted with God and glean from them insights I might not come to on my own.

The Lord is really sweet in this season. I really missed our staff when we were on break and it makes me so grateful to be back to the students and our staff!