Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Guys, wasn't that a wonderful part one of the conversation Xander and I had with Pastor Bruce Aubrey? Well, if you liked part one, I know that you're going to like part two. We really got into some great conversation and Bruce really shares some wonderful insights, not only for us as young adults and youth, but also for pastors. So please, you don't want to miss this. Let's go right into the conversation here on Max Impact.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: I've always tried to listen to other pastors and God has used different ones to impact me deeply. But no one has impacted me more in the last five years than Alistair Begg. And I listen to him most days and feed my own soul.
The goal is that pastors don't quit, churches don't die, communities don't lose a lighthouse. And the lost have more opportunity to hear and believe and not less opportunity. We want people's faith to be renewed. We want you to be instructed and inspired. Take something away from the conference that could help you. Right now we're praying for revival and renewal and ultimately encouragement. As I'm coaching and mentoring pastors now, I find their biggest thing is they feel alone and not appreciated. So we want to say you're seen and you are appreciated. Come. Bring your staff, bring your church leaders.
There'll be breakouts.
One on perseverance, one for the ladies that my wife is teaching, one on worship and tech, one on finance and budgeting because that's a challenge in churches. And one on next generation ministries.
[00:01:38] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. Teddy, what are your thoughts on that?
[00:01:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, one thing, two really quick thoughts is I went to my undergrad at Saint Bonaventure University. So a small town in the southern tier.
[00:01:50] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:01:50] Speaker A: And the first church I went to, big church. But in a way, me as an individual, I just wasn't ministered to as much. And maybe you're talking about only.
[00:02:00] Speaker B: Don't tell me.
Is it only.
[00:02:02] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: You got it. Yep, Yep. And then I ended up leaving that church and was looking for a church and then I found a church. It was. I went to a barber shop one day and the barber was a pastor at a small church, just like when you described. And it was actually at that church that really, like, fed my soul.
And though that church was in a small community, people really, like poured into this guy and I think their church has grown now. They got a new facility and they weren't like cutting him off, basically. And it was just really neat to see how a small church and a small community like that can thrive and can grow you know, you asked me.
[00:02:39] Speaker B: Too, about what would I say to young pastors. Yeah. First of all, if you sensing a call, there's a book you should read called Calling the Called, I think it is by Shane Pruitt, and we recommend that. But I've spoken with people recently who are, you know, God seems to be really, really moving and working in people's hearts.
Be patient. As a young pastor, you may have big dreams. You know, my guys used to say to me, the problem with Bruce, I'm an ideas guy. There's a test called the strength finders test. Gallup did research on it, and you find out what your five biggest strengths are. One of mine is ideation, which means the guy's full of ideas. I didn't realize that was actually a wiring, if you will.
So, you know, one of our pastors, Pastor Greg, used to say, xander, you know, Bruce wants to ride every horse that runs by. Which it's great that he could call me on that, but I used to say back, I'd say, well, you'd be shocked how many horses I never tell you about. And you should thank the Lord I see any of them, you know, so. But you have all these ideas and, you know, like Nehemiah did what God put in his heart to do.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: Now God put this in my heart 15 years ago, Xander.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: But now I'm living it out, you know, and so be patient. I mean, I didn't know that I would take this role. I thought I would still be a lead pastor, but. And nobody put a gun to my head or said, you know, when are you going to retire? God spoke to me in January 23and said, it's time.
And so I started taking steps to do that. But when you come into a church, don't go for the big. Don't flip everything overnight. Love the people. Preach the word. Because people are hungry for answers and they really want truth more now than ever.
You know, you don't have to be cute. Be honest, be consistent, be faithful, be gracious. I wouldn't preach long. A lot of guys preach an hour. If you're listening and you do, I love you, God bless you and do what God puts in your heart to do. But I don't. I'm not a 20 minute guy, but I think just make them want to come back and get some small wins early on and let that build some momentum to the things that are deep, deep within your heart. As you lead God's people, sometimes you're going to have an opportunity to do more Quicker.
But in general, you go to a new place, nobody knows you love those people, shepherd them with the Word, win people to Christ and be patient and be in it for the long haul. The best years are years four to 11 and most guys don't stay to the fourth year.
[00:05:04] Speaker C: Yeah, it's really great to just hear the heart of the ministry and just hear your, your passion for helping pastors thrive and helping churches thrive because of that. And with that, I want to get into kind of the crux of, you know, today's podcast. Okay. We're, we're talking about, you know, the, the climate and the pastoral ministry right now. And, you know, young men may be feeling called to ministry. You know, there's been kind of a deficit in that for, you know, people can surmise, you know, whatever reason, and everyone has their own presuppositions of why that is. And, you know, I just want to ask you, you know, the, the very easy question, why do you think that is? Like, what do you think is the, the, the kind of, you know, the, the snag in the, the snag in the door there for two people really feeling, you know, led to ministry and people, you know, staying, like, staying faithful in ministry and like going the, going the long haul for it.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: Yeah, unfortunately, there's too big a track record of people that didn't make it for the long haul. And I've witnessed that in my own life with people that I looked up to and respected, helped me in their books, their writings.
Don't ever put your confidence in man, put your confidence in the Lord.
I think one of the greatest things that I had going for me coming into ministry was parents who loved me and encouraged me and supported me. That may not be true for everybody.
And so the Heavenly Father is the father everybody wished they could have had.
If that's the case, mine passed when I was young.
But I love the fact that God is gracious and he's the Father. I think there's a lot of unknowns. Sometimes he never had a shot. Like, when I get to heaven, I can't wait to meet Reverend Lanny Fox. I call him Reverend because that's what we call him. I don't use that term anymore. But in the church I went to, he was Reverend Lanny Fox. Well, nobody ever knew Reverend Lanny Fox. I can't wait to see him, Xander.
And I'm going to hug him and I'm going to say to him, how did you know?
Because he let me as a 16 year old preach on Mother's Day in two small Methodist churches in the north country, which. Who would do that?
I wouldn't do that.
So I love that. Our church right now has a program called Pastors in Training. This Wednesday night, I've been invited, along with all of our pastoral team by the pastor who's leading this training, Pastor John north, to go and hear six guys give a 15 minute message and give feedback on it.
That's gold.
That's gold. You know, so churches have to give opportunities for people to have, to have the exposure. And Reverend Fox just took me with him, whether it was to go sing somewhere, to go serve somewhere, because that's part of ministry too.
Remember James and John's mother? Can I ask you a question? Can these guys sit at the right hand and the left? When you come in your kingdom, it's like, but the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. You know, it's not people putting you on a pedestal, it's putting a towel around your waist and washing some feet and.
And so you have to die. You know, I may be getting ahead here, but the thought hit me, like, what have you stumbled with or struggled with? The answer would be people pleasing. Yeah, I like to be liked.
[00:08:24] Speaker A: I feel like everybody does to an extent.
[00:08:26] Speaker B: Right? Yeah. So my mom, who's with the Lord now, I hadn't met at Northside long. I'm 35 when I came, so I'm going to say I'm 36, 37 years old. She calls me, we're on the phone, and she goes, I got a scripture for you. Now, my mom hasn't done that five times in her life. Okay. We've shared the scriptures often. But to say, bruce, I got a verse for you that was very unique.
And she goes, Galatians 1:10. I was like, okay.
So my mom thought I knew the whole Bible.
I knew Galatians 2:20 is one of my memory verses. 1:10. I didn't know. But if I yet please men, how can I be the servant of Christ? Am I going to please God or please men? And God let me know right off the bat, you're going to have a challenge you're going to face.
And I used to, you know, we have multiple services, so that's a blessing. Sometimes you're like, ah, it's exactly what I wanted to say. And if you didn't do a good job, you're like, I hit another shot. You know, you're glad to have another chance. But I would lay my head on the pillow at night and think, why did I say that in that message? Under point number three, what was I thinking? I'm going to hear about that, you know, Now I go to bed at night and I lay my head on the pillow, and I think, did I honor God today?
[00:09:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:31] Speaker B: You know, a guy said to me, who do you work for? And I was like, well, I work for Northside. He's like, no, you don't. I was like, well, the IRS thinks I do, you know.
I said, what do you mean? He goes, you work for the Lord, you know, and so the desire to be liked will crush you. I had a conversation about this with my son just recently.
I said, david, it's almost like an idol to me. I want people to like me. Oh, I heard Bruce Aubrey once. How sick is that? You know? So I have to die to that.
My life verse had been Philippians 1:6. And I would say this to anybody thinking about going into ministry. Be confident that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ or bring it to completion. One translation says, and the other one, my verse now, John 3:30.
He must increase, I must decrease.
In 2017, I got to speak in chapel at Cedarville University when my daughter was a freshman.
And I made a statement in that sermon that day because I was preaching on the story where John sent me the people to Jesus. Are you the one, or do we look for another? Talking about bringing your doubts to Jesus.
And I said, but John is the guy, you know, he made that statement, which would be a good theme for your life. You know, he must increase, but I must decrease.
As I was entering into this new season, God said, and that's going to be the theme for your life, you know, so it's knowing that you can walk confidently. Hebrews says, don't throw away your confidence.
Arrogance is a problem.
Confidence is necessary.
[00:10:59] Speaker C: Yeah, it's a. It's a. It's so good to hear you, like, talk about, like, and talk about this, because this is something that, when doing this podcast, something I kind of struggle with, too. And, like, I was a little hesitant, like, when we were first doing this. I've talked about this before. I was hesitant to even, like, do this. You know, I was hesitant for a little bit because I was, like, trying to figure out. I'm like, this is a big thing. This is a big thing. And, like, am I doing this because I feel like I could honor God through it, or am I doing this because this is a cool opportunity. So it's just really cool to just hear you, like, open up about that, because I don't think a lot of people do. And I think it's a conversation that we need to have more and more. Teddy, what are your thoughts on it?
[00:11:35] Speaker A: Yeah, one thing that you said that struck me quickly is.
And I'll just speak a little bit from my experience, of course, I'm not a pastor, but I have been given, like, I think, two opportunities to preach. One of them was at First Baptist Church in Chenango, and I did my sermon that day on navigating the wilderness journey. It was something that the Lord had put in my heart to talk about. And of course, my message was based on numbers, but then bounced around. And, you know, in short, everything that I preached on that day, basically, God reminded me shortly afterward, like, okay, like, you're telling other people about it.
What is that doing for you? Like, you know, are you really sure that you mean what you say when you're talking about it? So God put me through those tests of my, like, the sermon I gave immediately. So I'm wondering if you could speak on that to young pastors, like, those challenges they have to face in terms of what the measurement that you measure, like, it's going to be measured against you kind of deal, that kind of idea. So could you speak to that, especially from your experience?
[00:12:35] Speaker B: Yeah, not only that, I've. I've sometimes lived out what I was going to preach on. You know, I'd be preaching on the. I'm facing this right now. You know, it would come up or something unexpectedly. I think when I talk about preaching and coaching and encouraging pastors, you have to prepare the message, but then you have to prepare the messenger, and then you have to prepare for the moment. Is this a church service? Am I speaking at a college or university? Am I giving a devotional at a retreat? What's the context? But, yeah, you can't.
It's hard to talk about what you're not doing or taking the journey. And obviously, there's a mirror factor when you're preaching. I think, like, one of the things you had asked about and I think we were going to get into is, like, what are the differences today from when I started out?
So I think the average lost person in the 1960s knew more Bible than the average saved person does today.
Again, just facts. In the 60s, some people had a sense of what the gospel might be, that there was a man named Jesus. He did die on a cross. He was risen from the Dead. What you do, that's kind of your thing in their minds. Or they knew the stories of Noah or Joseph and the coat of many colors. Or they knew the story of Noah or of Jonah or of Daniel.
The feeding of the 5,000.
You can't watch a sports broadcast without somebody quoting from Scripture.
And sometimes it's the Sermon on the Mount. It's probably the most quoted part of the Bible, you know, do unto others, you know, or, you know, it's just.
It's amazing how stuff comes out and you hear it and you're like, that's actually scripture.
[00:14:17] Speaker C: Like, even in the music of that time, you know, like Bob Dylan, you can feel, like, illusions from different things.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Like, Alistair quotes musicians all the time, you know, and so there's that.
But I've kind of seen it cycle because I think this is a great day to be ministering.
[00:14:34] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:14:35] Speaker B: Because the hard part is everybody's divided.
Like, I led the church before Pastor Callie became our lead pastor. I was still lead pastor. And we're going through Covid as a pastor. Going through Covid, Every decision you made upset somebody.
You couldn't make the right decision. Whatever decision you made upset somebody. So at the end of the day, you had to do what you believe was best with the information you had in the moment for the people you're shepherding. And we did that. And now, again, people are just incredibly divided. So that's stressful. But here's the good news. They're also hungry. I think people are hungrier right now than I've seen in my lifetime.
[00:15:17] Speaker C: Amen.
[00:15:18] Speaker B: And so Vance Havner was an old Baptist evangelist, and he said years ago in this little squirrely voice, that's almost holy to me.
So most preachers have mastered the art of almost saying something.
That was his indictment to us 50 years ago. Most preachers have mastered the art of almost saying something. Think about today when you approach a difficult topic.
Don't use the Bible as a bully.
Peace.
But don't apologize for what it says.
The scripture says, speak the truth in love. I can't help you. If you had asked me when I started out, what's the ministry? I would have said, well, it's 80% what you believe, 20% how you get along with people.
I would have said that straight up. Ask me today, it's 50. 50. I'll actually say 51 49. Because I still believe. If you don't believe correctly doctrinally what the word says, you can't help people.
But if you don't know how to get along with people. You got nobody to help.
So it's like, you know, how can I.
Growing up in an agricultural context, I watched my father care for a herd of cattle, and I have a much greater responsibility, and he did that incredibly well. How do you know a cow was sick? How did he know who was in need in the herd? How do you know how to anticipate their needs and prepare for them? So many lessons that I learned from even the sowing and reaping. I remember preaching on the atonement one week years ago.
And after the service, one of the guys in the praise team said, I thought today a bunch of people were going to come to know the Lord. I said, yes, so did I. But you know what? He's Lord of the harvest. Some plant, some water. God gives the increase, you know? And so I just. I think we're living in a time when you can tell people just clearly what the Bible says and how practical it is for our daily lives without them necessarily getting on their hobby horse. It's an amazing opportunity to declare truth. Jesus prayed in John 17, sanctify them through the truth. Your word is truth. So when I. I've always had confidence in the word of God, Xander. Seriously, from the time I got saved, I knew this. When you meet the author of this book, the whole book takes on a whole. A whole new meaning to you.
But I've never had more confidence than I do today in the word of God.
[00:17:44] Speaker C: Amen.
[00:17:44] Speaker B: I know I don't have to check my brains at the door to be a Christian. There's way too much evidence. But I also know by faith, I accept it. And I love the word of God and what it means in our lives.
[00:17:55] Speaker A: Yeah, that's.
[00:17:56] Speaker B: I'm all over the place. I'm so sorry.
[00:17:59] Speaker A: Hey, the Lord is leading this conversation. That's the number, bottom line. And I really like what you said because I actually heard another pastor speak about this. Where it was back in, like, the 70s or 80s, there were studies done about, like, basically people going to church and, like, the statistics about them coming to know the Lord through just attending church.
[00:18:18] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: And so it was an average about like three. Back in the 70s and 80s, it was about three times someone would go to church and they'd make a decision, I'm going to follow Jesus or I'm not. I'm just going to forego this.
[00:18:31] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:18:31] Speaker A: And basically the metric for the person's decision on going to that church and then also coming to know the Lord was because they were hungry for truth because I guess at that time there was a lot of apocalyptic stuff and, oh, we need to know what the truth is if this world's gonna end.
And that would lead people to the Bible. That was how it was back then and now today. It's not that people aren't hungry for truth, but the metrics have changed. Actually, data came out. I think it was Barna.
We like Barnard here.
[00:19:02] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:19:03] Speaker A: But the data now is like in like the 2000 and tens, 2000 and twenties.
Basically, the data is saying that it actually is an average of 13 to 15 times that somebody who's not a Christian will attend a church before they make a decision for Christ or not.
And the lead factor in their decision is not just the truth, but it's also more so how people live out that truth in community, which I think is so important because that's what God is ministering to my heart. It's like, yeah, you can know the Bible very well and we should know the Bible very well. It's the foundation of our faith.
Of course, Jesus being the Bible made flesh, but how do we live that out? And that was the thing with Jesus too. He lived it out perfectly and called people out for not living it out. And that's what people who are coming into our churches need to see and know is like, not only do we know our Bible, but we're living that out as well. And it's also very important for the pastor to be living out what he is preaching as well. So I'm glad you spoke on that and gave us that insight as well.
[00:20:07] Speaker C: Yeah. Amen. Yeah. No, I think it's. I think it's a great, like you said, I think it's a great time, you know, just for the gospel. I think it's, you know, do you see people that are like, oh, it's such a hard time, it's such a hard climate culturally? I would say that, you know, first century Rome was a much worse time than this, arguably, as you know, someone who casually reads the history. But like, you have that and then this, this culture is like a cakewalk compared to that.
And I think in a world where truth has been so destabilized for so long and there's no center anymore, I think, I think we're getting a little tired of that. I think like, the younger generations coming up is needing something hold on to. And especially like what Teddy said, like, when people like live out the truth. Because that's the other thing is, you know, we've also heard like, way too many stories of hypocrisy, of, you know, varying degrees.
[00:21:00] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:00] Speaker C: And I think it's, like, so imperative that we just have just pure, unadulterated truth, like more in. In practice and in preaching. And it's. I'm really excited for, you know, just for, you know, what's going to come up in the. In the future, you know.
[00:21:18] Speaker B: One of the things that's been on my mind too, as we've been talking is you just have to soak your heart with the word of God. I mean, I still feel 50 till I look in the mirror, and then I'm like, who's the old guy?
[00:21:28] Speaker A: You know?
[00:21:29] Speaker B: You know, I was reading a passage today with three pastors I was coaching in a cohort and talks about three score and 10. I'm three years away from that, you know, I mean, if God is merciful, I hope he gives me more years than that.
But I got a lot more behind me than I have in front of me.
I can tell you, as somebody at this stage, soak your heart with the word of God.
For years, I would read the book of Proverbs every day. Like, whatever day of the month it was, I'd read that chapter. Nothing magical. It just kept me on track.
And then you could pick up my Bible. And the middle section was worn much more than the rest.
One day I was picking it up to read, and it was like the Holy Spirit just said, you know, I wrote the whole book, you know.
So about seven years ago or so, I really got more intentional in. I read a chronological Bible, which is very interesting. Read through the year. I did one of these, read the Bible through in a yearbook where they kind of cut and pasted in one bound version.
Now I use the Navigator's Bible reading plan.
It's 25 days a month. You start with Matthew, Acts, Genesis, and Psalms, and you're going through those four sections all year long. Which I enjoy that being in different parts of the Bible every day. It's 25 days a month. So it gives you some days if you miss, you know, don't beat yourself up for that.
But I would see older people whose hearts were just. They couldn't speak three sentences without quoting a Bible verse. And it wasn't a pride thing. It was just.
It was their life, you know. And sometimes people say, yeah, but I don't always get a lot out of the Bible. Nobody gets into you.
And, you know, you're sowing the Word into your heart and into your life, and you just have to Constantly do that.
[00:23:10] Speaker D: Wow.
[00:23:11] Speaker A: I don't know about you guys, but.
[00:23:12] Speaker D: Those are some wonderful and powerful insights from Dr. Bruce Aubrey. Xander and I have been blessed by this conversation. And every single conversation we've had on Max impact over the 25 podcast episodes we've done has fed our souls spiritually. As we look to make a maximum impact for, for the Kingdom of God, we hope that it's fed your soul too, because it's part of our mission here to build you guys up. Our mission here at Mars Hill is building the church and broadcasting the gospel. It comes directly from the great commission that Jesus gave us before leaving this earth In Matthew chapter 28, verses 18 through 20, where he says, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And we can't do that here at the Mars Hill Network without you. Yes, that's right, you. Because it's your gifts of financial support that help this listener supported radio station and digital media network keep its programming going. Whether it's on the radio or through our various digital channels. Even things like Max Impact that you're listening to and watching right now, it's your support that keeps us going and will continue to help us build the church and broadcast the gospel. So please, if you're led to make a financial gift of support towards the Mars Hill Network to keep Max Impact going, please go to our website, marshillnetwork.org Again, it's marshillnetwork.org thank you in advance for your support of Max Impact as we continue to make a maximum impact for the Kingdom of God. Now let's get back to the end of our conversation here with Dr. Bruce Aubrey where he shares with us what keeps his fire burning.
[00:24:57] Speaker C: Kind of a, kind of a closing thought, you know, a closing question. You know, we've already touched on it. That's perfect advice if I've ever heard it. Just soak your heart in the word of God. But do you have, like, anything else? Any other piece of advice for young men looking to enter the pastorate, you know, in light of, you know, this, this particular climate that we live in. And also just timeless advice too.
[00:25:17] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. The thought that comes to mind is, so I talk about how to keep my own fire burning.
And one of my professors said, I think you should write principles. I'm like, I'm not going to be that guy. Five steps, four keys.
He's like, yeah, but Bruce, principles are timeless. So a longer conversation for another time, but for Me, it's whose voice are you listening to?
Listen to the voice of God, Abram.
99% of the time we should listen to our wives.
But in this case, Abram should not have listened to Sarai.
And, you know, how about we have a child through my handmaid, Hagar, and that didn't turn out so well.
And you know, the next chapter, we think the next chapter in the Bible is like the next day it was 13 years later.
Abraham sought the face of God. And so primarily, God is going to speak through his Word. So just that's it. Second one is prepare for the work of God. We don't like seasons of preparation, but God honors that. And he sees us.
You know, they fished all night, caught nothing, but they're cleaning their nets and they were getting ready for the next catch. Sometimes you're just in a getting ready season. But don't despair. The third one is just do the will of God.
First John 2 says, he that does the will of God abides forever. Moody's Tombstone, Northfield, Massachusetts. I've been there.
And on his tombstone it says, he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
I think most Christians know the will of God. Their struggle is not knowing the will of God. It's doing the will of God. And we need God's will, God's way, God's time. And you need all three. It's hard for me to believe that any Christian doesn't want to know the will of God. But then once you do, you'll try to make it happen, knowing God's will, God's way. And then we struggle with time. But God's all about timing and the fullness of time. He sent forth his son. The fourth one is persevere. In the assignment almost every season of my life and every ministry. Xander Before a breakthrough came, one of the biggest challenges I ever faced in my life. And most times nobody knew about it, but I lived through it.
And then the last one is pray and trust the spirit of God, you know, but that's what I wrote.
But let me give it to you simpler, and I'll sound like a preacher for a minute. I don't always alliterate, but it's okay, you're a pastor, so I can tell you what keeps my fire burning.
Paul said to Timothy, like you had down here today, that you know the qualifications for a pastor. And sometimes this just feels overwhelming, right?
This saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires the office of overseer, he desires a noble task above reproach.
Husband and one wife. Sober minded, self control, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, must manage his own household well. Doesn't mean your kids are perfect, but it means if you don't know how to lead a family, you'll never know how to lead a church because the church is a family, not a recent convert or become puffed up well thought of by outsiders. You read that and you're like, I'll never qualify.
It doesn't mean you're perfect. But it does mean that almost every qualification in there is a character issue, with the exception of apt to teach. We think task, but we're not human doings, we're human beings.
So who are you? And Henry Blackaby used to say, God will never give a large assignment to a small character. I asked Adrian Rogers one time, what's the key to effective ministry?
And he looked at the guy that was standing next to me. We were in the building of love worth finding.
And I met Dr. Rogers on a few occasions. And he looked at the businessman I had with me and he goes, I don't know where these young guys get off thinking I can just give them a word and they're going to know how to live the rest of their ministry. And then he looked at me and said, keep your nose clean.
And he said, it's integrity.
And he lived that. I think one of the greatest pastors that ever lived. But here's my closing for Bruce Albert to keep his fire burning. It's my family.
Well, no, let's start. It's faith.
Faith comes with hearing by the word. Without the scripture, without my relationship with the Lord, I can't take that for granted. It has to be a priority for me. So I've already read today and sought the Lord in my own time with him.
Family is the second thing I am so grateful for. My wife, for our family.
And time with them keeps my fire burning. And I have to be careful that I'm not saying, oh, one day let's go visit. No, let's do that now. You know, let's do that now. Friends is the third.
I was told early on you can never be close to people within your own church. Your closest friends need to be from another church, not in your own church. And I was told that by a guy older than me and wiser than me. So I thought, okay, that's never worked for me.
I've had to have friends within the congregation. The risk you run is people think you have favorites. No, you don't have favorites. You just have similar interests. You're a golfer, he's a golfer. You like baseball, he likes baseball. You know what I'm saying? So I would have never made it without friends. I'll tell you why. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. A friend has relational equity and can speak clearly into your life. And you need that. A friend loves at all times. You mess up, they're going to love you. So faith, family, friends, focus.
You can't do everything, but you must do some things. And you got to figure out what that is and what the priority. For me, the priority was always the delivery of the word of God and shepherding the flock, leading and feeding, that was my priority. Now it's ministering to pastors. That's my grid in churches. So faith, family, friends, focus.
The fifth one is fun.
You know, I like to play golf. And there was a time when my wife said. I said, kathy, I don't think I should be playing. We don't make much money. Kids were young. It's like, what in the world? She goes, bruce, it's your favorite activity. We only get seven months out of the year here. In those days, I'm talking about playing once a week or something. And we're blessed in central New York with a lot of great courses at reasonable prices.
And I stopped feeling guilty about it. I remember standing on the first tee one day and I said, lord, if I can do this for your glory, that's what I want to do.
So I try to be sensitive to the fact of who do I meet today without making that everything? Still have fun. We love SU Sports, as you know, and you know, we're season ticket holders for women's basketball. Just have tried to support that team for years. And Kathy and I go and enjoy that, and it's the best ticket in town, 250 bucks. You get 17 games and free parking. So anyway, but that fits the budget, you know. Then the last one is. Don't miss this.
The fear of the Lord.
[00:31:53] Speaker A: Amen.
[00:31:54] Speaker B: The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I would call it the fear that removes all of the fears. Yes. And people say, well, what does it mean to fear the Lord? It means to fear the Lord. It means you reverence him, you hold him in respect and in awe. And at the end of the day, you know, whether you've done well or done poorly, you lay your head on the bed, knowing God knows it all. You know, the biggest challenge for me is I don't always feel worthy of his love. You ever struggle with that?
[00:32:19] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:32:20] Speaker B: Yeah. And my son had written a song, and there was a line in there about the lavish love of God. And we got done listening to the songs. I said, I love it, but I gotta ask you a question. This was just this summer when we were on vacation, we stopped to see him and his family.
And I said, why do we struggle believing God could love us that much? Because nobody knows us better and nobody loves us more.
He said, daddy, I think it's because, almost like an onion, the outer layer is what everybody sees. So they think they know us, but they don't know us. Then the next layer is what a few more people know.
And then the next layer is what the people closest to us know.
And then the next layer is what we really know.
He said, but don't stop, Daddy. Peel another layer, because that's who God knows He wants you to be and who he's going to make you to be and who he's helping you to be. And he loves you lavishly because he sees that in you. And I was like, I can live with that, you know? So I want you pastors that are listening and to know God loves you and he cares about you and churches. The most important thing you will ever do for your pastor or for young men considering going into the ministry is to pray for them. You've got to pray for them because there's a target on our backs. Nobody will understand until they're sitting in that seat.
[00:33:35] Speaker A: Amen to that. Yeah. Just really quickly, my closing thoughts is when I first came to know the Lord, the guy that led me to the. The Lord, one of the things that. I mean, he said a lot, but one of the things he said that really hit me was that the most fun he ever had was serving God and also just saying that you can have fun while being a Christian. That was one thing I did not believe based on just my understanding of Christianity. But, yes, you can have fun as a Christian. And the second thing was I mentioned the one sermon I gave. The other sermon I gave was actually the. The first one at my own church was about the fear of the Lord and how it basically the overarching message was it replacing the other fears.
So amen to that. I think the fear of the Lord is so important and should be number one. And that's something I'm still working on.
[00:34:25] Speaker B: So he said this before just 20 seconds. When you start preaching, you usually preach a series in one sermon, like most guys will say, I gave everything I knew. It was like 10 minutes, I was done. You know, the other side of that is typically a young new pastor. He's going to try to preach four sermons in one. Take a look at the sermon you're about to preach, it might actually be a series of four, and take it and divide it out.
[00:34:51] Speaker C: Wasn't that an awesome conversation we just had with Pastor Bruce? If you want to listen to more conversations that are just like that, click the Little Mars Hill Network logo right below my face to hear more episodes of Max Impact and other video content just like this. And if you want to take us on the go, you can listen to MHAX Impact wherever you get, your podcasts, wherever you are. And as always, thanks for tuning in and helping us make a maximum impact for the Kingdom of God. God bless you.
