Coming to the Still Waters

Clint Pressley is the senior pastor of the Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.  He gave a pastoral reflection at the end of the chapter titled The Reconciling Pastor of Andrew Hebert's book Shepherding Like Jesus: Returning To The Wild Idea That Character Matters In Ministry.  This book is a terrific read and I fully endorse it.  Not only do pastors need to read this book but also search team leaders and denominational vetting committees.  Andrew Hebert applies the beloved Beatitudes to the life of a local pastor.  Clint Pressley gives a list of 10 to the title of his reflection, How To Bring Healing To A Hurting Congregation.  I instantly resonated with his list as I thought of how I have tried to implement these practices not only in my interim pastoral work but also as a stationed pastor.  Let me share them with you along with some of my thoughts and experiences. First, embrace joyful exposition. It is more than just preachin...

  Sometimes, better yet, many times things don't always go as planned.  Many times it isn't what I expected.  Many times I don't get what I want.  Scary when I am talking about last Sunday's sermon!  What do I do as a leader when the sermon doesn't go as planned or didn't come off like I wanted it to?  What do I do when the message I was trying to convey fell flat in my opinion?  What do I need to remember and do as a leader when these things happen?  I think this is the jest of the passage closing out the book of Haggai and also my feelings when driving away from the church on Sunday. Stephanie said, "That was a little anti-climatic  to last Sunday's sermon."   She was being kind and also very truthful.  This is why I look forward to writing about a sermon after I deliver it and also to the next time I will be able to present this material.  My first run at it in front of others rarely satisfies my mind that I have communicat...

  We are getting closer to the close of this book, all 2 chapters consisting of 53 verses.  The minor prophet Haggai has spoken first to the leaders Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest.  He then speaks to all of them but zeroes in on those who were looking to the past and getting stuck there (the weepers).  This section has Haggai speaking to the priests, the spiritual leaders of the day, and next week we will look at Haggai speaking again to Zerubbabel, the governor, with a final message.   S1 asked the question to the leaders, "Who are you listening to?"   Is it " them " or the LORD of hosts?  "Who's your daddy?" S2 asked the question to the people of God, "What is our commanded assignment?"   The people of God of Haggai's day was to rebuilt the temple and the people of God today is to "make disciples," the temples where God resides as the Holy Spirit in His children. S3 asked the question to the weepers, ...

  Haggai first speaks to the leaders, Zerubbabel and Joshua, in 1:1.  The leaders shift from following what "they say" (its not the right time) to what the "LORD of hosts" says and therefore after 24 days and after a 16 year work stoppage, the leaders pick up their tools.  1.12 shows that the remnant also join them in the effort. Haggai then speaks to the leaders and the remnant in 2.1.   He narrows down his message to the weepers in the group.  There was a segment of the group that remembered what Solomon's temple looked like and from the looks of things, this temple was not going to be anything like that one.  Referring back to the book of Ezra, some were weeping while others were woohooing!  (I know that is not a word.) I love looking back.  Those were really good times.  But we who remember and were a part of those good times need to "yet now be strong..., work..., and fear not" (2.4-5).  We need to advance forward so we don'...

  I wish you could have heard the sound of the spikes being driven into this cross to hold the purple cloth.  It not only echoed through the building but it penetrated the hearts of those who were there to experience it.  Another awareness of what an impact Jesus has made upon our lives. Haggai's message to the people of God from the LORD of hosts takes hold after 24 days.  The leaders and workers pick up their tools again after a 16 year work stoppage and start up from the foundation that had been laid.  You have to read the book of Ezra along with the book of Haggai to get the backstory and how God provided again everything they needed to complete the task as He did 16 years ago.  The people of God had come back to obedience to what the LORD of hosts said over what " they " were saying. As the people of God of Haggai's day in 520 B.C. were called back to obedience to a God given task, the rebuilding of the temple, so are we, the people of God of th...