Pastor Pusch

Our family spent the 4th of July weekend in Gatlinburg, TN. We had a beautiful cabin in the Smokies and scene was magnificent. Scenes like this always take me to two passages in the Psalms: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and all that dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods” (Psalm 24:1) and “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps 19:1). Gatlinburg has become one of my favorite places on earth. There is a bit of humor in that because when I was younger, still living in Michigan, I used to ”poke fun” at people who would vacation there as it always seemed to be the “older” folk that made the journey. I know now that it was mistake as Gatlinburg is my number one choice for retreat. Needless to say, we had a great time. I even managed to pick up a couple pairs of cowboy boots for me and a pair for my two-year-old daughter, Jovie.

“Yes! I Love that Sin”
On Saturday, my wife and I ventured downtown to walk the strip and do some “window shopping” (we actually did pick up a couple items). About midway down the strip, we heard someone yelling rather profusely. As we approached the scence, his words became clearer and we noticed he was thrusting a Bible in the air rather intently. (The Bible was nearly the size of the old family Bible we used to have in our living room growing up). It was obvious. This man was preaching on the street corners in Gatlinburg. He was extremely forthright and poignant. His message was clear; yet abrupt. The man was passionate and through his words and demeanor, I believe he thought everyone within the sound of his voice was on a one-way path to eternal damnation. I listened in as we walked along the way.

Two points he made extremely clear:
1. Sinners go to Hell.
2. You are all sinners.

After making these statements, two men walking behind us began to mock and ridicule the preacher quite harshly. Without skipping a beat, one man responded to the preachers second point by blurting out, “Yes! I love that sin.” He said it in such a way in that his “practicing of sin” wasn’t worth giving up, let alone, trading in for this preacher’s message. My heart sank as I listened to the disparaging words of these men as they continued to mock the street corner preacher.

Having been in church all my life and a fellow minister, I understood what this man was saying. His message was true. It wasn’t difficult to understand or put together. A life without Christ is destined to hell. Scripture is clear, “there is none righteous”, “all have sinned”, and “the wages of sin is death.” While I disagreed with some of this man’s methods, primarily his approach, his message was right though in my opinion incomplete. My heart sank because the two men behind me were completely blind to it. I remember looking at my wife and saying, “if these guys only knew.” The street corner preacher was all over the place. He was loud. He was condemning. He was blunt. These two men had a field day with him and I began thinking, while these guys are mocking the man’s method, they are completely missing the truth of his message.

Could it be that the answer to the overwhelming majority of issues facing the church can be answered with these two words, “discipling men”?

This is the question I have been asking myself the last few days. Discipling men sounds like an “easy” solution to issues created by the lack of said discipleship. I’ve been reading the book, Pastoring Men by Patrick Morley and I have been challenged even more deeply about the lack of Christian discipleship happening in our churches. The truth is many churches struggle. I know this because I work with hundreds of churches across the country as I try to encourage our pastors and leadership. Churches do struggle. Often times their ministries go unfulfilled; their resources are depleting (or at least not up to par); their pastors are tired and tried by those who, truthfully, are intentional about monopolizing their time and/or make it their life goal to bring him down as he does his best to lead the flock. As a result of weakened discipleship, we’ve allowed personal preference to rule over Godly principles which has lessened our effort to do whatever it takes to win the lost to Christ. (Side Note: We seem to worry more about who to keep out of our churches as opposed to seeing all changed by the power of God we claim to know all about.) Our worship is weak and our faith isn’t much stronger.

All of the above are really secondary issues in light of what really matters most. I believe the answer to the opening question is a resounding YES. While the answer is easy to define, the process of making disciples can be much more complex. What does it mean to be a disciple? It’s much more than showing up at church and knowing the songs. It’s more than giving. It’s more than ministry. It’s more than evangelism. It’s more than being a good husband or a good father. It’s more. It is, as one pastor describes it, being a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. It’s making Christ the center of all life to where we “take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” It’s more than knowing the language. It’s implementing His message and making our lives more like His; being “doers of the Word and not Hearers only”. It’s counting the cost and picking up the cross. It’s more about giving up than merely showing up. It’s about living the abundant life found in Christ. It’s not about figuring how to place God in our life. It’s all about how we can place our life completely in Him. It’s about pursuing an eternal relationship with the Living Christ. It’s valuing that relationship above all others. Knowing Christ IS the primary issue. We must concern ourselves with discipling and mentoring others in Christ. When that happens, all of the secondaries will fall into place.

A Final Thought: Scripture tells us that if we “delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts.” Delighting ourselves in the Lord is no means to a Ferrari or even 10 bucks. However, when we truly delight ourselves in the Lord, His desires will become our desires as we seek to be more like Him.

“Bro Color Day” Sparks Invaluable Discussion

In what areas do men need help?

Lately, I have been doing a lot of thinking in this area. Everyone remembers the “bra color day” fiasco that took place on facebook last week. I suppose there were both pros and cons to the “awareness” factor. Yes, it got a lot of people talking, however, the talk was not all about breast cancer.

I had my own reaction to the “bra color day” when I first learned about what the colors women around the world were posting. I asked a friend of mine, a pastors wife, what the colors mean. She indicated that she could not tell, but only to say that it was a girl thing. I immediately thought this must have something to do with the color of underwear. I thought this for two reasons, 1. I had real doubt that the privacy had anything to do with their color shirt or ink pen, 2. I am a man.

Just yesterday a friend of mine who pastors a church in Alabama called me and asked me my opinion concerning the question mentioned above. He’s working on graduate studies project. My guess is thatit primarily deals with men as they interact with the ever-changing culture. I did not give much thought to the “bra color day” on facebook until I hung up the phone.

In what areas to men need help and/or accountability? There were several I spoke with in regards to “bra color day” who opposed it because they thought it was inappropriate and TMI (too much information) especially for their husbands to see. One friend mentioned that she simply told her husband not to go on facebook that day. She did not want for her husband to see what color bras his friends were wearing. That is certainly understandable.

My intent with this post is not to rehash the “bra color day” debate; we have already had that discussion. However the recent event best illustrates what I am after. Where do men need help? In what areas? One suggested that men need mentor. I agree, but in what areas? I am looking for more specific answers. I would like to hear from both men and women on this one. The benefits of this subject is invaluable. Won’t you help a brother out?

Thanks -
PastorPusch