Writing is hard… Here I am, seven days into the new year, and it’s been over a month since I wrote a blog post. Thank goodness “more writing” was not on my non-existent resolution list. Writing is hard for me. I know what I want to say, but I don’t have the linguistic skills to get it out of my head. And then there is the spelling and punctuation dilemma. Spell check and Grammarly take care of most of it, but not enough.

Talking is easy… I usually know what I want to say in the moment I need to say it, and it comes out fairly clear. If it doesn’t, then I just keep talking until it makes sense to the one who is listening! Being a pastor, I have a captive audience on Sunday morning. Over the years, maybe they’ve been sitting there pretending to listen, but not really paying attention; that’s a given. I have had people walk out on my sermons. I have had people tell me my sermons were good when I know they weren’t, and I have had people tell me I could do better when I thought I “hit it out of the park!”

Pleasing people is hard… Can I get an “amen” from the crowd? It is impossible to please people, and that’s the endless merry-go-round we find ourselves on. If you are employed, you face performance reviews and customer service ratings. Everyone wants something they don’t have, and they usually don’t like to take responsibility for any of it. We all have a drought within us; we are all looking for that insatiable thirst to be satisfied. We have a longing in our souls and an emptiness in our hearts; we keep searching and writing and talking, and we come up empty!

Pleasing God is simple and challenging… God never keeps it a secret from us. He outlines in His Word to us (the Bible) what He expects, what He desires, and what He requires!

“The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Happy New Year!