This past weekend, I bounced down to the central valley of California to meet with a number of ministry partners and to preach in one of our supporting churches.

15 years ago, I was the pastor of the Kingsburg Evangelical Free Church, just south of Fresno, so it holds a special place in my heart as I learned much about ministry during those years. Today, although the church looks quite different, many of the same faces are still present, and I was able to meet up with many others who have wandered away to other churches.

The time was filled with back to back appointments throughout the weekend as I met with, listened to, and reengaged with faithful mission supporters.

From my time there, I was struck with a few key thoughts:

1. Faithful saints continue to serve the Lord and bless others. I met with many dear friends who are continuing to walk with God and long for others in their community to do the same. I enjoyed quickly moving below the superficial chit chat to hear of their heart to see God’s kingdom grow. Many expressed a desire to move beyond the challenges of the day toward a better future as they trusted Christ to lead them on.
2. At the same time, there are many hurting saints who are disillusioned with various institutional churches. I’ve written previously that it is a hard time for pastors as church members are at odds with each other and with leadership. But it is also a hard time for church members as they have extra needs, many of which are being left unmet. People who have long been part of the core of various churches across the country are finding now is the time to settle into a new church home, or maybe they are distancing from the church altogether and choosing (for different reasons) to live stream in their living rooms. I listened to story after story of struggles from all different angles, and prayed that God would offer His comfort for His dear children.
3. Time changes us all. 15 years ago, I was a different person, when I was pastoring in Kingsburg. I look back with regret at some of the choices I made, for example being more task driven in ministry than people driven. In other ways I was encouraged as friends expressed their appreciation for how I invested in their lives over the years. I also realized I’ve also grown in my global perspective and calling, and might find it difficult to settle back into pastoral ministry in a small town. At the same time, my core values remain, things like a commitment to preaching God’s Word expositionally, working to draw people closer to the Lord, and striving to encourage people through challenges they face.
4. Finally, as I travel around the country and listen to many pastors and parishioners, I was struck with the reality that most people have a lot of opinions these days about common issues: politics, COVID, vaccines, the church, finances, relationships, the future, etc. I was reminded of a passage from Colossians 3 that Andrew and I are memorizing, “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:1-3) It is so easy for us to lose perspective of the eternal and become consumed with the temporal, but Paul and Christ would encourage us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” (Matt. 6:33)

Pressing on by God’s grace, Eric