This Poor Pastor's Podcast

This is the overdue second part to our last conversation on friendship.  Enjoy!

It is really tough to develop strong friendships in the ministry.  Maybe brutal is a better word!  In this two-part discussion I want to have an informal chat with you about this topic.  I will discuss the challenges I have faced, as well as the blessings of seeking friendship in ministry.  Most of all, I want to encourage you to 

Have you ever been told that there is no need to reinvent the wheel?  Do you know who says that?  Wheel salesmen.  The people who need you to keep buying their product.  That's who. Since the invention of the wheel, it has gone through countless stages of reinvention and innovation.  Not only that, but other methods of transportation have also become available that may utilize a wheel in some small way, but not as the main component.  Think of the majority of airplanes.  In this episode, I want to encourage you to reinvent the wheel.  Especially when it comes to church, church work, and following Christ. Don't be afraid. Don't be intimidated by the men who were themselves innovators, but now want to tell everyone else not to innovate.  Keep after it for Christ!

Do you ever have self-doubt?  Do you want to help people but face the fear that no one actually needs or wants to hear what you have to say?  Are you convinced the world wouldn't even notice if you disappeared?  Pastors and normal people face these fears on a regular basis.  This is my honest discussion of my battle with those doubts, and what I am trying to do about it. 

In this episode, I share some of my favorite lines from J.R.R. Tolkien's writings.  I hope you find it an encouragement.

Yesterday, another horrible mass shooting in a school took place.  It is heartbreaking.  The response has been swift, predictable, and as usual...not helpful.  This episode probably won't help either, but I just needed to talk about it. 

Is it time to acknowledge that the office of Pastor has outlived its usefulness?  Do Christians even need to be under a pastor?  Haven't pastors done more harm than good?  Should I just quit and go get an honest job?  After all, doesn't the Bible say that I have the Holy Spirit and don't need anyone to teach me anyway?  

I have a confession to make.  I didn't make a public statement or preach about Roe V. Wade over the weekend.  And I don't think that makes me a bad pastor.

Episode 90 generated some questions that I thought would be good to discuss.  Rather than wait until Monday, I decided to release this response episode earlier, and continue with next's week show as planned.  In short, does promoting the idea of a "minimum viable product" in Christianity lend itself to people doing less than their best?  Does it encourage people to be less godly, less Christ-like, and less honoring to God?  I don't think so, and in this episode, I will explain my position even more.