Tomorrow I don’t have to speak. We’ve got a guest, Dr. Mark, who will be sharing about some of the things God is doing in the world today, especially in the Muslim world. I just spent the day with him and thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me of just how privileged we are that God calls us to live out our lives in community with other believers. We have so much to gain from one another.

Normally right now I’d be thinking and praying very hard about the service tomorrow. But tonight I am relaxed… sitting by the fire and taking it easy. I know that the service is in good hands. It’s a great feeling.

Of course, that relaxed attitude can also be a danger. I ought never to forget that each square inch of spiritual territory is fought over and that when it comes to Muslim teaching, that fact is especially true. Although Mark is a qualified brother who is well schooled in the spiritual disciplines, and although he has shared this message in multiple settings around the world, we have an enemy who does not want his message to reach our congregation. This enemy wants nothing more than to leave us misinformed and listless and hopeless in regard to the spread of Islam in our times. He would be delighted if we think about it as little as possible – and if we do think about it, he wants us to believe that there is nothing we can do about it.

I realized tonight that I am even succumbing to Satan’s devices by relaxing about tomorrow. I may not have to speak, but my responsibility to pray is just as great as ever. I ought to be as desperate for the message to touch our people as I would be if I were bringing that message myself. Unfortunately, I have often fallen prey to the danger of letting down my guard when I don’t feel the pressure to perform.

With that realization, I turn now to pray that God will break through the cloud of deception with which Satan tries to blind us and that he will put a fire in our hearts for Muslims around the world. Please grant it, oh Lord.

I’ve been reluctant  to try blogging. For the most part, I really can’t imagine that there would be any great interest in my thoughts. So if you’re reading this, that’s amazing to me, in and of itself.

I’ve taken the blog name, pastorinseattle, because that identifies pretty well the kind of content I’d like to put here. Namely, I’d like to reflect on what it’s like to be a shepherd in a city that has a reputation for not being particularly enamored with shepherds. Apparently, the Pacific Northwest no longer holds the title of “most unchurched area in America,” but we’re still up near the top of the charts.

After having lived in Hamburg, Germany, for 18 years, I’m used to people reacting to the church with a strong degree of indifference. What’s different for me is the fact that, in spite of the low level of church attendance in Seattle, there is still a plethora of church options for people to choose from. I’m disappointed inwardly – it often feels like churches are fighting over the few sheep that are out there, competing for which one can best package a program that attracts them into the fold.

I had a lot of discussions with other pastors in Germany about the “attractional model” versus the “missional” or “servant model.” The discussion always seemed to lean toward either-or thinking. I don’t believe it’s ever either attraction or mission. When you look at the church in Acts, it’s clear that both movements were present – both inward and outward, both centripetal and centrifugal.

My hope is that I can effectively lead our congregation to be both – and to do that within a cultural context that is basically skeptical toward the Christian message.