Revitalize Your Church

Mark Batterson calls what pastors experience the day after Easter a "Holy Hangover."  Most ministers can relate to that feeling.  In light of this, let me share a story from my book, Filled Up, Poured Out. Just Wait Till Tomorrow A few years ago, after the last of four exhilarating Easter worship services, I turned to my elder associate, Pastor Ben, and joyfully proclaimed, “Isn’t this fabulous? I can’t imagine it getting any better! Being a pastor is pure joy!” Pastor Ben grinned wryly and replied, “Just wait till tomorrow.” Sure enough, Monday was another story. Pastoral counselor, Arch Hart, calls Monday, “adrenaline letdown day.” Another pastor talked about “Bread Truck Mondays”, when the fantasy of delivering bread is far more appealing than continuing in the pastorate. That Easter Monday, problems sprang up everywhere. I had to deal with a leadership squabble, a budget challenge, a marriage crisis, and a swarm of other difficulties. I called Pastor ...

Judas left the fellowship of the twelve apostles after the anointing in Bethany and arranged to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-15). But when they met again at the last supper, there he was! Near enough to dip in the Savior's cup. When our family read this for devotions last night I was angry at the absolute wickedness of Judas coming back to eat Passover with the one he had just sold. I said to my daughter, evidently with more emotion than she was used to, "That is utterly wicked!" She said, "What is so wicked?" I said: "What if I went out tonight and arranged for a cruel man to kill you on the way to school tomorrow morning? That would be horrible. But then would it not be wicked to high heaven if I came home, after arranging for your murder, and had devotions with you and prayed with you?" She was shaken.Small wonder that Jesus said, "It would have been better for that man if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24). John ...