When people would ask him if he loved to preach, he was honest and said that he didn’t, because it was painful. They’d reply by asking him why he continued to preach, and he told them it was because of love.
“I don’t love to preach, but I love the people I preach to, so I keep on doing it for their benefit. And I am addicted to changed lives. And I have endured the 43 years of pain because of love,” Rick explained.
The pastor said that before every sermon, he would pray, “Father, I love you. And you love me. And I love these people and they love me, and you love these people, and they love you. This is not an audience to perform to…This is a family to be loved. There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out all fear.”
“I will tell you that it was love that kept me going all these 43 years of painful preaching. By God’s grace, and by His love, I made it to the finish line. That is the power of love to endure and overcome difficult situations,” Rick said. “I don’t know what situation you’re going through right now. But if you inject love into it, your persistence, your determination, your diligence, your endurance, will go up because you have a reason for doing what you’re doing. And it’s a reason beyond yourself. It’s for Jesus sake. It’s because you love the Father, because you love the Holy Spirit, because you love the people that Jesus died for.”
