Why Do I Think Too Much??

I'm sitting in my office at the church... the first service is about to end... and my mind is racing on everything and not much of it is on trying to meet with God this morning. I really hate Sundays like this... when I'm more concerned with the ministry then spending some great time with God. This is happening more and more and I'm really not having a time of worshipping God on Sundays... all I do is wonder and worry about the people he keeps sending here to Woodside.

I end up just looking around and wondering if we're really making a difference in people's lives... or are we just playing church? I see so many new faces and wonder if they'll ever get connected here or will they be gone next week and never seen again? I wonder about all the young dads (and there are TONS of them)... will they be godly husbands and fathers or will they become the statistic of another failed marriage? Are people truly growing in a meaningful relationship with God and each other... or are they just going through the motions?

Maybe it's just the stress of this past week with my mother-in-law's surgery... maybe the stress of a mid-term this week... maybe I'm getting a cold... or maybe it's that Holy Discontent that Hybels talks about... I'm not sure what it is but I feel like my head will explode with how much I think and think and think about the people of our church family here.

Comments

Dave said…
Hey bud!

Nice post. Dave's take:

1. Stop thinking? Might as well buy a white caddy, die your hair blond, slick it back and wear a white suit. Once you give up thinking, it's a short leap to burning down an abortion clinic...

2. "God", "Allah", "Frodo" can be worshiped any day of the week. Sunday is just another day - don't get hung up on a calendar. I think the sabbath is Saturday anyways (you bunch of xtian heathens :))

3. "I end up just looking around and wondering if we're really making a difference in people's lives... or are we just playing church?" I liked this quote - I think most churches are just playing church. More interested in being the biggest, shiniest, holiest church around... Go back to the teachings of Jesus, even a hell-bound non-believer like myself can appreciates the message of love your neighbor. I think modern churches are nothing more then the temples that Jesus abhors thru out the NT.

4. Young fathers - forget the meaningful relationship with god. How about you get things right withing the family first, focus on practical skills like budgeting, coping with kids, a wife and work. Time in a church basement looking for god is time away from the family.

Scenario 1:
Timmy: Where's dad?
Mom: At church looking for god.
Timmy: Again? Gee, I wish he was here to help with my math homework.

Scenario 2:
Timmy: Where's dad?
Mom: At the bar looking getting drunk.
Timmy: Again? Gee, I wish he was here to help with my math homework.

This may seem far fetched, but I had a similar conversation with a young man about a year ago. (Scenario 1 - not 2)

Last point: stress - yup! Sick MIL and mid terms... rough!

I encourage you to keep thinking, questioning the role of the church. That is how you can make a difference, if it helps a handful of people, even if they ain't "saved" you've made a difference. That is all you can do right?

Keep up the good fight

Dave still loves you :)
9:31 AM
Dave said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
9:32 AM
Pastor Kevin said…
Thanks for the love Dave! Much appreciated :)
10:00 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Practical Atheist

Image
Over the past few weeks our church has been doing a preaching series called Practical Atheist. This is based on the book The Christian Atheist by Pastor Craig Groeschel. I've been blown away by how God has worked in the hearts of so many people over the past few weeks. Mind you, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Pastor Craig's ministry has had such a huge influence on my personal walk with Jesus so just is just a continuation of that blessing. This week we're probably going to hit the hardest topic for me to preach on, I Believe in God but I Pursue Happiness at All Costs. I'm going to be using Jesus' parable of the sower and look at how our pursuit of happiness causes us to miss out on truly how God wants from our lives. This topic hits me right between the eyes as I'm being open and honest with God about what allow to be entertainment or how I go about trying to be happy. Do I allow myself to be entertained by sin? Do I pursue the world's view ...
Read more

Wellness Journey Update

Image
  In early April 2020, I decided to take better care of my health. Actually, the decision was made on January 1st, 2020. It just took me time and a month of lockdown in my basement to get me to do something about it. My focus was to care for myself physically, emotionally/mentally, and spiritually. In the first year of the journey, I saw some significant changes. I dropped nearly 60 pounds of weight, reduced back pain, and began sleeping through the night for the first time in my adult life! I also did some great work with my Christian therapist to strengthen my mental health. I began deepening my walk with Christ through strengthening devotions and intentional mentoring. As I experienced these blessings, my hope was to pass along these blessings to others. I became certified as a DDPY Fitness Level 1 Instructor and a FastTrack coach.  While there were blessings, there were also challenges. Particularly in the area of whether my involvement in particular exercise programs was ...
Read more

Revitalized Pastors and Leaders

Image
On March 15, 2023, the Barna Research Group released the "The Resilient Pastor Initiative". Its goal was to explore and share the state of pastors in America in the post-COVID climate we find ourselves in. According to the data, the state of pastors may not be as good as it appears from behind the pulpit. From 2015 to 2022 Barna notes the following where pastors responded "Excellent" in a number of categories: Spiritual well-being dropped from 37% to 14% Physical well-being fell from 24% to 9% Mental and emotional health plummeted from 39% to 11% The overall quality of life dipped from 42% to 18% The level of respect they felt from the community tanked from 22% to 10% Level of ‘true friends’ dropped by 50% from 34% to 17% The data also showed that this drop in wellness was more prevalent in younger pastors! Older pastors are riding it out to retirement. Now, before anyone from my church begins to panic, I'm OK. As shared in a blog post from January 2023 entitled...
Read more