Part of the danger with loudmouths is they haven’t recognized that knowledge divorced from love is empty; this is why they frequently cause trouble in churches. Their ultimate concern isn’t for Christ and his church but themselves.

In the pastorate you need wisdom to know when to ignore criticism and when to take it to heart. This is one of the reasons why as the pastor, or any person for that matter, you need to be in constant prayer to ask Christ to give you boldness and confidence to ignore inane or baseless complaints on the one hand, and to have humility to accept valid criticism with grace and charity on the other.

If our heavenly Father considers every one of our concerns, both big and small, in prayer, should we not listen to our children in all of their concerns, both big and small?

These days our culture seems to be wrapped up in themselves—“Let’s talk about me.” Buck the trend and express interest in others. Whether you’re a pastor or someone in the pew, get to know the people around you and build stronger bonds within the body of Christ

You have the opportunity either to scare people away or make them feel wanted. You can be scary or inviting. My advice, whether in ministry or life, is always say yes.

As a minister, I am merely present to assist a person in diagnosing the problem—I constantly remind myself that the Holy Spirit applying the word is ultimately necessary for convincing the person of their sin and that only Christ can sanctify the sinner.

The most important book, I believe, you should study is the Bible. Read it, memorize portions of it, meditate upon it, and learn it. It may seem cliché, but the most important book you can read to get ready for attending seminary is your Bible.

Ensure that people are not alone in the building without taking precautionary security measures. Yes, we should trust the Lord to care for us, but he also gave us brains and common sense. So, trust the Lord but keep your powder dry!

Handling loss graciously is not about being a good sport but rather revealing the cross of Christ and accepting God’s providence rather than responding in anger, crying foul, or thinking the worst of others. Only God’s grace in Christ through the Spirit will enable you to lose graciously, so seek him in all circumstances, whether when you win or lose.

In the end, there is no hack, no shortcut, no easy road for sanctification. Only by drawing nigh to Christ through the means of grace will bring us in greater conformity to Christ.