The part I miss the most is the power of the Wind

Not all my friends know this, but speaking from a church pulpit has been a fairly regular part of my life since the 1980s.

Changing churches several months ago has significantly reduced my opportunities to do this. In fact, presently, they are nil.

It's been an adjustment. There's the freedom of not having to prepare throughout the week; that's true. But after several months, the thrill of that freedom is getting a bit old.

It's a freedom I'm not sure I'd like to be enslaved to.

The bottom line: I easily get to feeling like I've been sidelined.

Sidelined at 26 or 36 is one thing. Sidelined at 56, well, it feels like the cleats have been hung up for good. The thoughts are too complicated to describe in words, at least on a blog post.

These days I sometimes critically evaluate my preaching in the past. How hard it is to do well! That's because, besides all of the prep, there's one thing you can't control. It's what I call the anointing of the Holy Spirit while delivering the message. Some times you have it. Other times you don't. And it is never formulaic, because the Spirit is Wind.

All there is is humility and hard work. If ever given the chance again, I would want to learn that humility more than in the past.

But the part I miss the most is the power of the Wind.

Logos2Go

John 3.8-10 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?