Milestone years are always cause for reflection for me. I’m quickly approaching the 25th anniversary of my ordination as a pastor, which hopefully means I’m at about the halfway point of my ministry career. So it’s halftime.
In the locker room of my brain, I have recently found myself assessing the the first half. In particular, I have been asking myself, What is my passion? What drives me? Why do I keep coming to work?
Fortunately, these questions have been easy to answer.
My passion in ministry is to help people grow closer to God, by helping them get over, under, or around any and all obstacles that block their way.
As I further assessed, I identified seven main obstacles that have been all too common. Here they are…
- Self-Esteem (I can’t believe God can or does love me)
- Disappointment (Life has not gone according to plan)
- Doubt (The Bible seems archaic and irrelevant – can it be trusted?)
- Church (Religion is man-made rules and Christians are all hypocrites)
- Science (Evolution and other science make it hard to find a need for God)
- Pain (How can a loving God allow such evil?)
- Ignorance (I don’t even know what the Bible says about God)
Chances are, one or more of these obstacles trips you up. But they don’t have to.
I want to help in two ways:
- Threshold will begin a new Sunday series on April 7, focusing on these obstacles.
- For the most part, each of my future blog posts will address one of these obstacles.
You can help by commenting on the posts. Let me know how I’m doing. Share a story with me. Use the buttons at the bottom of this post to share with friends or followers on Facebook or Twitter. Or email it.
I pray that my words will be comforting, healing, re-assuring, and far-reaching.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Jeff Gardner Online 