Questions to ask to stay spiritually sharp

In the middle of the twentieth century the Christian Business Men's Committee urged each other to confront themselves with these questions daily:

1. Does my life please God?
2. Do I enjoy being a Christian?
3. Do I cherish in my heart a feeling of dislike or hatred for anyone?
4. Am I studying my Bible daily?
5. How much time do I spend in secret prayer?
6. How long has it been since I led a soul to Christ?
7. How long since I had a direct answer to prayer?
8. Do I estimate the things of time and eternity at their true value?
9. Am I praying and working for anyone's salvation?
10. Is there anything I cannot give up for Christ?
11. How does my life look to those who are not Christians?
12. Where am I making my greatest mistake?
13. Do I place anything before my Christian duties?
14. Am I honest with the Lord's money?
15. Have I neglected any known duty?
16. Is the world better or worse for my living in it?
17. Am I doing anything that I would condemn in others?
18. Do I hav e a clear conception of my place in the Lord's work?
19. What am I doing to hasten the coming of Christ?
20. Am I doing as Christ would do in my place?

(David R. Enlow, Men Aflame: The Story of CBMC (Zondervan).

Guidelines for churches/pastors politically

A lot of leeway for pastors. Good.

Pastors and porn

This is bad. And why?

According to many Christian groups, pornography is a disturbing and increasing problem. A Promise Keepers survey found that 53 percent of its members consume pornography. A 2000 Christianity Today survey found that 37 percent of pastors said pornography is a "current struggle" of theirs. Fifty-seven percent called pornography the most sexually damaging issue for their congregations. A Barna Research Group study released in February 2007 said that 35 percent of men and 17 percent of women reported having used pornography in the past month.

Whew! The pastorate is messy!

Good quote from Larry McKain

Being a priest in Old Testament times was not for the faint of heart. Imagine if your job description included activities such as removing "all the fat from the bull of the sin offering... both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver..." (Lev. 4:8-9). It probably felt a lot more like being a butcher than being a preacher!

Pastors today don't have to deal with entrails, but their job is still plenty messy. Their weeks hold much more than just preparations for Sunday's sermon. Every day, they have to deal with the messiness of their church members' lives--whether it's a marriage in crisis, a teenager's rebellion come to a head, a worsening conflict between ministry leaders, or a report of giving being down and expenses being up. Add to that the pressures of his own family life and struggles to keep everything in balance. Sure, there are many joys in serving, but much of being a pastor is day-to-day nitty-gritty, roll-your-sleeves-up, dirty, and thankless work.