I am a young pastor.
I am young in age as well as in years involved in pastoring.
I count myself extremely blessed to be a part of the generation that currently resides on the Earth. There are a ton of problems, there are a massive amount of issues facing us as humanity, and there are mountains of situations arising in The United States.
I count myself blessed because as I look across the landscape there are amazing men and women dedicating their lives to lead the local church and to serve cities, communities, and villages all around the world.
In my tiny sphere of influence I have had the incredible honor of meeting a lot of these leaders from all over the U.S. and Central America. Most of whom you will never hear about or get a chance to read their latest book, but who are changing our world.
When I first started in ministry every week I was listening to podcasts by different Pastors from all over the place. They were and are incredible communicators and visionary leaders. Even today several years later I have my go to leaders that are challenging me and investing into my life and ministry. They are passionate about what God has called them to do, and are doing it extremely well.
I have over the years as I have watched other young leaders and talked with young leaders seen something that is scary, it is something I have been guilty of more than I want to admit.
Pursuing the stage instead of the closet.
The lie that we often buy into is if I build it they will come, if I copy someone else's successful model we will grow.
We want the massive crowds, cool Instagram time line, most popular Snaps, most reTweets, most likes, most attaboys we can get so we copy methods and models instead of seeking Heaven's direction.
God has a plan for you and the ministry he has called you to lead, whether that is on staff at a church, as a volunteer, or a stay at home mom, or a corporate CEO, God has the perfect plan for you to spread the Gospel and make him known on the earth.
When I look at the life of Jesus the thing that got the most return on his investment it was not the Sermon on the Mount, or the feeding of the 5,000, or the 4,000, it wasn't raising Lazarus from the dead.
It was the three and a half years he invested into 12 guys.
Great sermons and massive crowds will never trump faithful long term discipleship and prayer.
I am convinced now more than ever that prayer is the most important use of our time as Jesus people. The world around us is rocking and reeling in the chaos of culture and it desperately needs an encounter with a Holy God who is madly in love with His creation, humanity.
I pray that we would be remembered as a praying generation, a desperate generation, who engaged God in the moments of our lives to move mightily on our behalf.