First, this column is the first of what I hope will be many for this publication.
And I believe pride is a good topic to introduce the purpose of this column. My goal in writing here is to give a pastor’s perspective on life, and not just life in general. More specifically, I plan to write about the personal ups and downs of my life. Pastors can be a guarded bunch. It’s understandable. We’re supposed to lead spiritually, not flounder about in life.
Pastors often put up walls. We don’t want people looking inside us, even though it’s what we do with others. It’s dangerous to build these barriers. I know in my life, pride builds these walls, brick by stubborn brick. This column is my opportunity to purge pride in my life by opening up and being real.
Second, the topic of pride is universal.
Part of what I desire to accomplish through this column is to connect pastor, church and community. With these words, I want to connect people with the true purpose of the church. Pastors lead churches, and churches should benefit the community. I hope to demonstrate how important the church is to our community. With these words, I also hope to show through my own personal experiences that we humans share something. I believe every person is created in God’s image. Therefore, every person has intrinsic worth. God loves us. So we should love each other. The church should be the spiritual hub of every community. The church should be where love is strongest. Perhaps this column—in some small way—can help bridge what can be a divide between the church and community.
Third, the topic of pride cuts to the core of my biggest weakness.
I think too highly of myself. I shouldn’t admit it. I am a pastor. Pastors are supposed to be humble creatures. I’m not. Through this column, I hope to give God my weaknesses in an open and raw way. If I share them publically, then there is no turning back. I’ll have to deal with my struggles. You readers can think of yourselves as my accountability partners. I might just share things with you I have never shared with anyone. I hope it keeps you reading.
In case you were wondering, I don’t steal food from the church anymore.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I’ve roamed classrooms on Monday looking for leftover donuts from Sunday. I’ll just call it “stewardship.”
We shouldn’t be wasteful. Nothing is more wasteful than an uneaten donut. And that makes eating donuts a spiritual discipline.
Just don’t tell my wife. We might have a debate about it.
