I’m not much of a mechanic, but I have tried to fix a few things in my day. And what’s discouraging is when you invest a good amount of time into fixing something, and at the end of the day… it’s still broken. UGH!

The same is true about preaching. When you invest a good amount of time into preparing a message that you have studied, and prayed about, and soaked your shirt while delivering its content… and the application fails to stick. UGH!

This past Sunday I started speaking on a new series entitled True Colors, and for the next three weeks it is all about the power of words. We can breathe life into people, and we can breathe death into people by the words we use (Proverbs 18:21). So, after sharing my heart on what the Bible clearly says about complaining, I was surprised to have someone come up to me immediately after the service and… complain. I thought there would be at least a one week delay. (Ha.)

The complaint wasn’t even about me, but it felt like death being breathed into me. There are people who simply have a natural tendency to always see the negative first before they see that God is working in our midst (positive). I am not trying to minimize people’s concerns (complaints), but sometimes we just need to sit back and know God is in control, and that He uses even the things we don’t like, to accomplish his will.

I guess it’s back to the drawing board to figure out how to make application stick. UGH!

Pastor Donald Calder