It is my conviction that the Lord loves the Church and therefore so should we (Acts 20:28). In this vein, I am a committed churchman. I love the bride of Christ and have done everything I can to reform our local church ministry (Colossians 1:28-29) according to the perfect precepts of Holy Scripture (per Titus 1:5f). However, I am not without my own warts and blemishes. Those who have served alongside of me in the ministry trenches can attest to this. "By the grace of God I am what I am." I pray that like Paul I can humbly say to my people, "Imitate me as (much as) I follow Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1). I am not an uber gifted pastor-preacher but I am striving to be an uber faithful servant of Christ! To the praise of His glory, God has been revitalizing the First Baptist Church of Freeport. To Him alone belongs the highest praise!
ABOUT THIS BLOG- These blog stories have been somewhat vaguely told in order to not say more than is necessary. The 'goriest of ministry details' are often best reserved for personal conversations with God and with those directly involved in one's local church ministry. Much restraint has been exercised as I have written and edited these stories.
None of the articles that describe sinful conduct or speech have been written about current members. We all know how cowardly it is to stand behind a bully pulpit (or a bully blog) and point fingers instead of dealing with people directly. The Biblical process of confrontation/restoration is summarized for us in Galatians 6:1-4, Luke 17:3-4, 1 Thess. 5:14, Matthew 7, and Matthew 18.
Having said that, pastoral ministry is not for the faint of heart and should not be sugar coated (even though I find that it often is). Not everyone is called to shepherd a congregation this is as healthy and sound as the church at Philippi; (though all Bible-driven pastors labor towards the same biblical objectives- note Col. 1:28-29; Eph. 4:11-16; Matt. 28:18-20). Many men are called to do the work of church revitalization (which is frequently addressed here at PTL). I have really appreciated the raw testimonies shared by John MacArthur ("Black Tuesday), Steve Lawson (his painful and bloody years at Dauphin Way), Todd Pruitt (note his series on Battered Leaders and Toxic Followers), and I have especially come to treasure Paul's tear-stained testimony (AKA 2 Corinthians). Over the years I have found that pastors who have not truly experienced prolonged cold, dark seasons in difficult ministry contexts are often most critical of raw confessions of the soul. This blog is not for you. For the record, as I have stated numerous times, things are great at FBC- it took 5 painful years to get to this place...which has caused me to really appreciate the last 3 years!
Post Tenebras Lux in no way represents anyone else's official opinion but my own. This is how I view things as I interpret my experiences through the grid of Holy Scripture. These posts represent my pastoral perspective about life and Christian ministry.
As in all things, search the Scriptures to see if these things be so. Only God's Word is infallible and without error. Swallow the meat and spit out any bones that you might encounter along the way. Above all, press on and do not lose heart because King Jesus is worth it!
