Nearly every conversation I had in the first months on my pastorate would bring up the question of how I was “settling in.” There were moments when I could have answered, “I have the Internet and know I need to preach on Sunday” but not much else was settled.

So here I am, pastoring people that have been through trauma and I am doing my best to not mind the shadow. His preaching compared to mine. His promises compared to my unwillingness to make promises. His experience and intellect compared to my . . . well, lack of experience or intellect.

Whatever you face today, be it a hard conversation or the good report and everything in between, take your trust in the Lord along.

When I am inclined to be frustrated when someone is just not “getting it," I am reminded of Jesus’ gracious and patient teaching by way of reminder among the disciples.

I don’t know what your opposition looks like. It might be a senior leader that prefers you preach four points to a better job rather than freedom in Christ. It might be a church member that can’t stand the songs you sing on Sundays. Or it might be the elder that spends more time thinking about "what could have been" instead of "what can be." But I do know this: there is gospel opportunity where you are.

As our culture wrestles with the tension between social media and real life interaction, the church has not remained some bastion of personal, face-to-face, living life together. We know we crave it. We hear it preached about. But we still check in and out once a week and push off interaction to the digital realm, if we have relationships in the church at all.