Avoid settling

Have you ever sat down in church and wondered if you were even in the right place? Did you spend an hour or two hours listening to readings and talks, but feel like your time would have been better spent somewhere else? Well, if you haven't, I have.

Ministers and pastors have to put a lot of work into doing their jobs. They work with people all week, they handle the administration of the church, and some pastors are also married. What do you think that means from week to week? It means that the true message, the powerful information, sometimes gets mucked up in the normal grind of life.

I'm not here to go on and on in a criticism of full-time pastors, but I do believe in this: If a pastor does not produce a quality message on a regular basis...reconsider where you are spending your time. After doing church for years and years, I took some time off. I did a lot of reading, I created lots of projects, and when I was ready to come back, I did. Now, I was 18, and I would never suggest that anyone avoid church regularly, but the idea is normal. Just like businessmen need sabbaticals and leaves of absence, so too do people need to experience other messages. The most popular Christian denomination in the world, Catholicism, has several churches in every large market. If one priest does not work for you, switching is a piece of cake.

My point is that the message needs to do certain things, and if it does not, then you are missing out on the main mission of Christianity: interpreting reality so that the power of Jesus shines through EVERYTHING. People not only need to grasp the purpose of living, but they must experience the peaceful and powerful nature of God, now more than ever.

Please, if you are a person who feels like you are not benefiting from the Sabbath...SWITCH THINGS UP A LITTLE! I'm not telling you to stop going, but maybe there really is something that you are missing, and your current pastor is not providing it.

Don't accept a lukewarm message. Don't accept a pastor who is not passionate about being a pastor. God does not accept junk, and neither should you.