I have been disheartened by the news of so many huge, devastating fires that continue to burn in so many states. It can be terribly unsettling. And with the strange pattern of weather we have experienced for the past many months, lots of people are suffering and grieving over lost property and possessions because of heat, cold, floods, tornados, earthquakes, or storms. Not so much “the best of times,” but not yet “the worst of times” either.

 
When I was pastoring, school would usually begin the first Tuesday after Labor Day. The following Sunday would be a really big day. In fact, preparation for that Sunday would begin weeks in advance.

To borrow a line, “The best-laid schemes of mice and men oft go awry.” It happens and, in many cases, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. Imperfect expectations!

As I have watched the beginning of the 2012 Olympic Games from London, I have been touched by the losers. So many of these young people have spent their entire lives practicing, working hard, and sacrificing for this one moment. They are as ready as they can be, yet something happens. Maybe something goes wrong in their performance that hasn’t before. Maybe someone else is just a little better on this particular day.

It used to be that those Olympians who had fallen short of their highest expectations could grieve and process their disappointment in quiet. However, with the technology we have today, the whole world is able to zoom in on the face of a teenager or twenty-something young person and watch the heartbreak that crosses their face and causes their body to tremble.

Very few of us live our lives as members of the clergy without disappointments and heartbreak. I think the question is, “What do you do when your dreams lie on the office floor like a scattered stack of newspapers?” I don’t have a fail-safe response, but one that I ask you to think about.

The sun will come up tomorrow. How you face the new day depends on how you finish this one. Consider the following suggestions:

1. Confide in reliable people.
2. Search your heart for any motivations that might appear selfish.
3. Remember that, normally, your ministry does not rise or fall on one isolated event or circumstance.
4. If you have made a mistake, apologize to the proper people or group.
5. Don’t allow a perceived failure to drive a wedge between you and your family.
6. Make your next move only after you have had some time to recover.

Bottom line: To those who love the Lord first and foremost, there will always be God’s way ... a better way. As Stan Toler and I said in The Minister’s Little Devotional Book, “He has chosen you to spread His Word! And whenever you do stumble, He will pick you up, brush you off, and set you back on track — brighter and smarter than when you started.”

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).

As you know by now, there has been another tragedy in Colorado. Very early Friday morning, a gunman entered a theater in Aurora, Colorado, and began shooting at movie patrons. Twelve people were killed and 58 others were injured. The ages of those who died ranged from six years old to 51. During the attack, James Holmes, 24, allegedly set off gas canisters and used a semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol to open fire, police said. Holmes also booby-trapped his apartment with an array of complex incendiary and explosive devices, designed to kill anyone who entered.
 
Once again, our nation is stunned. Once again, people cannot understand how something like this can happen. Christians and non-Christians alike are seeking answers.
 
“Why does God allow bad things to happen?” you may be asking yourself (or others may be asking you). In the Focus on the Family booklet, Why, God? Why?, Dr. Dobson points out, “‘Why’ will have to remain unanswered for the time being. We have been given too few facts to explain all the heartache in an imperfect, fallen world.”
 
Do we believe God is obligated to explain Himself to us? Trying to analyze His omnipotence is, as C. S. Lewis described, like attempting to teach physics to a four-year-old. Dr. Dobson adds, “Unless the Lord chooses to explain Himself to us, which He does not often do, His motivation and purposes are beyond the reach of mortal man.”
 
Our role as clergy is not to construct answers to a complex question, though we often attempt to do so and feel inadequate when we cannot.
 
Our role is to comfort people, to point them to life over death, to remind them of the brevity and uncertainty of life, and to encourage them to live each day with purpose and thanksgiving — to prepare them for eternity.
 
You know how to do that. I encourage you, my colleague, to help your people be ready for eternity with the saving knowledge of Jesus and His gift of life everlasting to us. Please don’t beat yourself over things God does not yet want us to understand. Concentrate on that in which we have our hope.

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

(I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic in the comments below.)

With Memorial Day upon us, I was thinking about the legacy we as clergy will leave and the overall impact our ministries will have on those we have served.

While reading about the death of Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 34, I was impressed by the following: “He buried him in Moab ... but to this day no one knows where his grave is” (Deuteronomy 34:6). What was he — 120 years old? He still had good eyesight and evidently was strong, but yet he died.

Think about it. They couldn’t even find his grave, but they would not forget his deeds. Read on — “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses ... who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 34: 10-11).

The point: Even if you are a Moses, it is not so important where you are buried after you have passed on as it is how you are remembered for what you did while you were alive. Your assignment is to live life to the fullest, accomplish all that God has instructed, and then let someone else handle the burial details.

And so, on this holiday, we pause to remember the lives and contributions made by those we have loved and still do — those in the military and those who have served us in some other capacity. But, in every case, it’s not so much about the grave as the person. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

I sincerely hope you had a great Mother’s Day this past Sunday with your own family and with your congregation. If your mother is still living, I hope you were able to reach out to her with your love and words of appreciation. If you have children, I hope their mother felt special and honored by you and the kids.

Fresh out of the tomb, Jesus began to comfort those who loved Him most. He saw Mary crying at the entrance to His grave and comforted her. “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20: 18), she told the disciples. In one of my favorite biblical narratives, Jesus walked with two of His followers on the Emmaus Road. When they recognized Him, their hearts burned within them (Luke 24:32). He ate with His disciples and showed them the scars in His hands and feet. He comforted Thomas, “Stop doubting and believe” (John 20:27). Thomas was overwhelmed.

Then, there was that marvelous moment on the beach when Jesus fixed their breakfast while Peter and his comrades were out fishing. In that life-changing moment, He reinstated the one who had denied Him three times. In simple words, He commissioned Peter to “follow me.” The fisherman never looked back. In the time before the Lord ascended into heaven, He encountered hundreds and hundreds of people. The reality of the resurrection would in time take over the world. It’s amazing what can happen in just a few days — from loneliness to exceeding great joy, from emptiness to fulfilled!

Well, Easter has come and gone. We know the story. We have been confronted with resurrection power. Now what? The church is in many ways impotent, but the power that amazed Jesus’ disciples the week following Easter is just as powerful today as it was then. Will we recognize it? Paul wrote, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10). How about you? The aftermath of Easter’ is more powerful than ever! Are you ready for it?

 

I never get too excited during “March Madness^®,” the NCAA^® men’s basketball championship tournament, which starts this week. I’ve occasionally had a favorite team or coach that I might pull for, but to be honest, I usually know very little about most of the teams in the brackets — except to say that they all must be pretty good to be listed among the 64 best in the country.

However, I do have many friends and acquaintances who really look forward to this time of year with a fervor. They know every team’s strengths and weaknesses, and celebrate every victory that advances someone to the next round of the tournament. They rejoice in every step taken toward the final prize of being named “national champion.”

The teams that play in the NCAA tournament do not get there without good coaching, hard work, in-depth planning, hours of practicing, efficient teamwork, and good execution. They all start at the bottom and work their ways toward the “Big Dance” one step at a time.

Most of us in ministry don’t begin at the “mega” level. It takes time to learn your strengths and weaknesses. There is a learning curve and cost to success, and being sensible and patient when you begin will give you the very best chance of succeeding. The Lord promises us that, if we are faithful with the small things, He will in time trust us with greater things (Matthew 25:23). But that doesn’t always mean a change of venue.

In one section of our book, The Heart of a Great Pastor, Neil Wiseman and I take a fresh look at the misguided notions of “pastoral success.”

Opportunity blindness always worsens when a pastor considers each assignment as a stepping stone to something better. Such a stance forces him to consider every pastorate as semi-temporary. In some unexplainable self-fulfilling way, his thinking causes the assignment to actually become restrictive or even suffocating. Yet, the opportunities he hopes to find in another place already exist where he resides.

Francis Bacon’s advice helps us bloom: ‘A wise man makes more opportunities than he finds.’ I would imagine that any long-term pastor has considered moving on to another place only to be reminded by the Lord, ‘I have not released you; I need you here; your work is not finished.’ ... The secret is to make our assignments ideal by blooming where God plants us.

God does not measure our success by numbers. Neither should we. I believe that, if you will determine to bloom where you are planted, opportunities will appear where before there were only walls. And rewards will come — in one form or another.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9).

The past few years have seemingly brought many of us increasingly destructive weather. In the past few days, we have heard of tornadoes, snow storms, earthquakes, and other natural disasters that have left devastation and suffering all across our nation. I sometimes think that these sudden and terrible changes to the lives of so many people have become so commonplace that we have a difficult time fully comprehending how bad and how long these hard times can really be.

Suffering, in one form or another, is a daily reality for most people. Natural disasters, automobile or work-related accidents, catastrophic or temporary illness, loss of jobs, broken relationships, or unmet expectations are just a few of the causes. How can we cope?

Years ago, I received a letter from Vonette Bright, the wife of Bill Bright — founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International. She wrote of Dr. Bright’s declining physical condition.

In the letter, she related a conversation she had with Bill and a question she asked him: “Why do you think you’re suffering? Why would God put you through this?” Bill’s immediate reply was, “I’m not suffering! It depends on the definition of suffering. Even grasping for breath for extended periods of time does not compare with what Christ went through during his trial and crucifixion. He had six hours suffocating on the cross. Think about Peter being crucified head downward, Paul’s persecution and finally being beheaded. All the disciples were persecuted and martyred, except John, who was exiled.” Dr. Bright continued, “What I am going through is very minor. Suffering is a matter of perspective. It is not pleasant . . . but God allows only so much.”

Later, when Dr. Bright’s blood oxygen level dropped to a dangerously low level, he asked his wife to read from 1 Peter: “These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold” (1 Peter 1:7, NLT).

When suffering comes, hold on to your faith, my colleague! Hold on! It’s a matter of perspective.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).

Assuming that all of the prognosticators were correct, I was planning on talking this week about Tim Tebow again and emphasizing that, even when you lose, you can get through it because you know that God is still with you. However, as you certainly know by now, Tebow and the Denver Broncos pulled off one of the great upsets of post-season history by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Sunday on the first play of overtime — with a long touchdown pass.

This is the first week of a new year. What do you plan to do in the next 365 days? What will you determine to accomplish? A lot of people make resolutions for the new year. I don’t do that because a resolution is more of an end than a means to reaching that end. Without a plan, a resolution usually becomes a wish or hope instead of a strategic reality. And a plan for the new year will involve a plan for each day.

Do you begin each day with a purpose in mind? Do you have goals for each day, or do you just start your day with no specifics in mind? When we have a plan, we have strategic steps for accomplishing something. And, as believers, we know that God must be an important part of that plan. "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14).

Each of us must surrender our plans to the Lord each day. He will orchestrate the day, but He needs to know we are workers who are diligent and productive. In fact, if we know what should be done and can be done to God's glory, and we fail to seize the opportunity, we have failed God. James calls it sin: ''Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4: 17).

My colleague, today will pass by quickly. When the day is over, what will you have contributed to the greater good, and how will you have embraced God's plan? The ministry is one calling that can be easily shortchanged. Please do not make that mistake. Your contribution is much too important.

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men" (Ephesians 6:7).