Yeah that’s right.  Billy Graham’s dirty little secret.  So what is Wild Bill’s secret?  Beats me.  Maybe he didn’t have one.  That’s not what this post is actually about.  Honestly I have no idea if he ever had a dirty little secret or for that matter ever sinned past the age of 11.  But the point is that it seems like we are just waiting for the next guy to fall.  Pastors, counselors, worship leaders, priests, etc.  It seems like every few months now we hear of another fallen comrade and we are just waiting to read about it.

Are we just waiting for our leaders to fail?  Ok, maybe we aren’t necessarily looking for it, but we sure wanna know when they do!  We see the headlines or read the Twitter and our first instinct many times is to click to find out more of what they did.  So and so had an affair.  This guy’s getting divorced.  He was arrested for drug use.  Whatever.  I know I’m guilty.  It’s hard not to.

A few weeks ago a leader that has some influence on me came tumbling down.  I had all the same thoughts as I have many times before.  I wanted to know what happened.  I wanted to know the gossip.  But then God changed my heart and showed me what I was thinking.  Showed me what I should be thinking.  My heart shouldn’t be digging for more details, but instead hurting for those involved and praying for God to shine through somehow.

So I have been working on that.  I still don’t know what happened.  I know that something did and I also know that our God is far more powerful than the stupid mistakes that we humans walk right into.  Now every time I remember or think about that person, I am trying to change my mindset and pray for everyone surrounding the situation.  It is not up to me to judge nor is it up to me to gather all of the information.  Any attempt for me to do so is me stepping out of line.  As Billy Graham put it, my job is to love.

They sinned.  Yes.  Let’s let those God has placed in authority over him to deal with him and the rest of us that have nothing to do with it can just pray and love.  Now we are reminded that they are not perfect either.  It doesn’t change how God has used them in the past.  It doesn’t stop God from being able to use them in the future.  God can still do amazing, life-changing, world-changing things through us even though we are screw ups.  So, next time you hear or see that someone fell off the perfect bus, remember you aren’t either.  Love them and pray for them instead of gossiping and tearing them down.

As a part of a band, a staff member and a pastor, I know that a ton of work goes into a Sunday morning church experience.  Despite the sometimes popular opinion that pastors only work on the weekends, there really is quite a bit of planning, studying, learning, practicing, etc. for every week.

BUT before you go thinking that this post is about appreciating your pastors, stop your fingers from typing!

There is so much more to what goes on than just the main people that you see all the time.  There are people that clean, setup, play instruments, take care of kids, fill communion cups, type out and stuff the bulletins, run sound, fix things, and so much more!  I could try list them all, but I would miss something and it would be a really long list.  Without these people the way church is done wouldn’t happen!  The lead pastor, worship pastor, youth pastor and kids pastor could all get there early in the morning, but church wouldn’t be the same.  Coffee may be brewed and on the verge of getting cold, but the donuts wouldn’t have made it, the lights wouldn’t work, no one would be there to watch your kids and the grammar in the bulletins and onscreen lyrics would be horrendous!

So what then?  Am I trying to convince you to become a volunteer?  No.  We would love to have you but that’s not the point.  The point is, that there are so many people that deserve a thank you or butt slap or man hug or whatever beyond the normal church staff.  This week as you go to church look around.  Notice all the other people that are there making things happen.  They are why you enjoy going to church where you do.  God has given them gifts that they want to use to love on you and your family!  Find those people and tell them thank you.  Tell them you appreciate what they do.  Tell them how much it means to you to have a church like you have.  They deserve it!

To all my volunteers over the past decade of church work as if I could say it enough times, thank you.  I know this in no way does it justice, but I just want you to know how much I love you and appreciate you!