Pastor’s Blog

Al Mohler has an interesting post about pastors who don’t believe in God. Several of those interviewed keep their atheism secret and stay in the ministry because they need the money.

In case anyone wonders about me: I most certainly believe in God. A God who exists apart from me, the God who is there (to borrow from Francis Schaeffer). Not just a generic, least-common-denominator ”god,”  but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The God who spoke creation into being out of nothing. The God who planned, accomplished, and applies his redemption. The God of the Bible. That God.

(posted 3/18/10)

Or at least Mondays. The sun is shining as I write this.

I saw a blog this morning saying that for preachers Monday is often the hardest day of the week. A week of ministry has finished, culminating with the services on Sunday. On Monday, the preacher is tired. Maybe the sermon did not go as he hoped. Maybe attendence was down. Maybe someone hit him with a complaint or criticism. Now, he is at the bottom of the next hill, starting the climb toward Sunday all over again. (This may be why many preachers take Monday off.)

I have not found this description of Mondays to be my experience. I am in the study on Mondays and take off Tuesdays. It started this schedule mainly because our Session and Deacons meetings are on Monday nights. But I have found that I rather enjoy being on the office on Monday.

Being in Monday gives me a chance to process what happened that day before. It means reviewing my sermon notes of the day before and adding to them anything that might have come to mind in the act of preaching (where the mind can often be far more creative than in the relatively sterile confines of the study). Being in on Monday also gives me the chance to follow up on conversations I may have had on Sunday while they are still fresh on my mind.

Something else I like about Monday: It is as far from Sunday as I’m ever going to get. That means I can begin my study of next Sunday’s sermon text with little of the pressure I might feel when Sunday is only a day or two away. (Some preachers begin their study weeks in advance. I find doing that more of a hindrance than a help.) Since my mind is more relaxed, and I do have the whole week before me, I am able to meditate on the text in an unhurried way.

Also, since I am not yet feeling the pressure of Sunday drawing near, I am able to do some other reading apart from that required for sermon preparation. In that respect Monday becomes for me something of a personal retreat day.

So I like Mondays. Mondays are for me like Friday for most people–a little more relaxed, a little less pressure. And if the sermon did not go as well as I hoped the day before (as is usually the case)…well, to paraphrase the old sports cliche, “Wait till next Sunday!” Hope springs eternal that one day–maybe this Sunday–I’ll get it right.

(posted 3/8/10)

Last Sunday marked 15 years for me here at Old Peachtree. It seems like no time and it seems like a lifetime, all in one. Perceptions aside, I have been here for one-third of my life. I am thankful as I reflect on all that our faithful God has done here over the years, and I look forward to what he will do in the future.

A big “Thank You!” to my OPPC family for the many cards and notes. Your words and love encourage me more than you know.

(posted 2/11/10)

Here are a couple of good verses to go along with my “Presuming on Grace” sermon from last Sunday night (Jeremiah 21:1-14). (I wish I had remembered these before the sermon!)

Do you suppose, O man–you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself–that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:3-4)

(posted 8/19/09)

In July, the Johnsons and Peeds gathered in Orlando for a Disney vacation reunion. The Johnsons were the four of us, my brother and his family, and my parents. The Peeds were my sister and her family. Together we totaled 16, including my three-month-old niece. More on her later.

We stayed in a some condos not far from Disney that my brother had secured for us through a time share arrangement. They were very nice, convenient to Disney, and we all had a little room to spread out in.

We had a lot of fun visiting the Disney parks and Sea World, and a lot of fun being together. And a lot of tired feet! I’ll spare you the daily details, but instead share an observation about Disney.

When it comes to theme parks, there’s Disney and then everyone else. We could learn something from Disney about excellence. What they do, they do well, from customer service to landscaping to moving immense numbers of people through rides all day long. The parks are remarkably clean, and the “cast members” (Disney lingo for employees) are (almost) invariably cheerful and helpful.

Quote of the week, from my five-year old nephew Henry (as were were taking too long to go from one ride to another): “Henry is wasting his time!”

On the way home we spent Saturday night in Macon, Georgia, with my sister and her family. Sunday, we worshiped at the First Presbyterian Church of Macon, where I had the privilege of baptizing my niece, Caroline.

It’s rare these days that my brother, my sister, my parents and I are all able to be together at the same time. To be together at a place like Walt Disney World, and with our own families, was a special treat, for which I thank the Lord.