From the Desk of Pastor Brandon

Good morning, Reader,

In a quiet English countryside in 1783, Reginald Heber was born into a life of privilege and promise, but he did not take hold of these privileges selfishly. He saw his blessings as gifts from God, and to waste them would be a rejection of God Himself.

So, he applies himself to study, hard work, and prayer. Over time, he becomes a scholar and a minister who is recognized as a man after God's own heart.

Rather than seeking fame and prestige in a prominant cathedral pulpit in London, he chose a small stone church in Hodnet where the silence was broken only by the sheep bleating across the fields. In this small village, he became known for two things...his devotion to Christ and his gift for poetry.

In 1823, Reginald was called to India to become the Bishop of Calcutta. Despite the fierce heat, Reginald served with all his might, preaching and teaching, even starting a school to train local ministers that would serve long after he was gone.

And then, one Sunday morning, while preaching in the heat of Calcutta, Reginald's body succumbed to the heat, and he passed away. In life he had given his all to God, even his last breath.

But Reginald's story didn't end there. In a drawer back in the little parsonage in Hodnet, lay an extraordinary treasure - a collection of hymns penned from the depths of a soul who was passionately committed to the Lord.

Reginald's wife discovered the collection and shared them with the world, many of which are still sang in churches all over the world today. Most notably, a hymn full of theology and deep in worship. The opening lines are,

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.”

There is so much we can learn from Reginald Heber and his hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy". Most importantly for us today is how service to God is about the humble sacrifice of our souls rather than uplifting promotion of our names.

Have an awesome day, Reader,

For Disciples of Jesus

For Pastors and Church Leaders

As pastors and ministry leaders, most of us struggle with the tension of a couple of things...pride and fear. Even the most confident of us struggle with fear of failure, fear of letting people down, fear of not measuring up. At the same time, being public figures leading a group of people, we also struggle with the pride of our names, of our platforms, and our place in people's hearts. Unfortunately, when we allow the struggles of fear and pride to become dominant in our thinking and attitudes, we experience separation from God, other people, and ourselves.

Separation from God

• too arrogant to pray
• too ashamed about failure to talk to God

Separation from Others

• too prideful to ask for help
• too fearful to say no, even when its the right answer

Separation from Ourselves

• too busy with other people's problems to fix our own mess
• too obsessed with our own schedules to wait on God

All of us run this risk and danger in our service to others. We will never rid ourselves of fear and pride completely, however, we can keep them both in check with diligence, prayer, and humble reflection on our true value in God's eyes.

My prayer for you today, Reader, is that you can find peace with your fears and gain a healthy understanding of your quality and worth in this world.