I love Christmas! Growing up, I loved to wake up on Christmas morning to the smell of the gas heater and peek in the living room to see if “Santa” had come during the night. Sure enough, he had come and delivered bunches of presents wrapped in red Santa paper.

Being a younger pastor has many wonderful blessings, but also some unique challenges. Here are just a couple of the tensions that I am still learning how to properly manage as a younger pastor.

Without question, the greatest responsibilities a pastor carries are prayer and preaching. Even so, administration is part of the leadership package as well. In fact, this administrative aspect is captured in the New Testament word for pastors of bishop, which means “overseer.”

Have you ever met someone who is like way too joyful? You know, the person who literally always has a smile on their face? The person who is always upbeat and never has a bad day? Sometimes those people are too much to handle. However, that person is most likely full of joy, not just happiness.

Our grandson, Chandler, recently went to the doctor for a follow up appointment on his lungs. (He had severe necrotizing pneumonia and lung surgery last year.)

Americans must never forget the origins of our national Thanksgiving holiday. Its spiritual significance is no longer taught in our nation’s public schools. In fact, most school children today are taught that Thanksgiving originated when the Pilgrims invited their Native American friends to dinner to thank them for their help in troubled times after the Mayflower landed. As with much of modern American revisionist history, there really is much more to the story.

Every church has a culture—a functioning set of values and identity. Hopefully, this culture reflects what the church says it believes and teaches. But that is not always the case. Too many times, the culture of a church becomes one of divisiveness, pride, or worldliness (although no one is likely to acknowledge those).

I recently did something I should do more often—turned notifications off on my phone, drove to an area with no cell reception, hiked to the bottom of a canyon, and sat for two and a half hours with a good book.

Ill-gotten gain always comes with the attached string of eventual guilt. That is why there are many who are increased with goods yet decreased in their ability to enjoy them.

One of the plaguing sins of American Christians is ingratitude. So many people spend their lives looking for that something—some other place, person, opportunity, recognition—that will be better. Their discontentment diverts their attention from what they already have.