Shepherds Circle is going to help a lot of pastors.

It will be an encouragement center. An equipping center. A place where weary shepherds can catch their breath, where healthy pastors become healthier, and where those sensing God’s call can discern it with wisdom and confidence. It is a needed ministry—for pastors, future pastors, and those just beginning to wonder if the Lord might be calling them. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to help build it. Thank you, Nazarene Bible College!

But there is something I’ve discovered over these last few months.
I miss preaching.
Not a little.
A lot.

To my fellow preachers: never become so familiar with the pulpit that you lose your wonder of it. There is nothing quite like the moment when the Holy Spirit takes hours of hidden prayer, study, and preparation and breathes on them. Truth catches fire. Eyes brighten. Hearts awaken. The Bible is expounded. Christ is lifted. God is magnified. And somehow, in His mercy, He chooses to use ordinary people holding open Bibles to accomplish extraordinary things.

I’ve missed that.

Stepping into the pulpit (and yes, I know many of us haven’t stood behind an actual wooden pulpit in years) is one of the greatest privileges entrusted to a person. It is also one of the greatest responsibilities. Every sermon is more than a talk. It’s not a speech. It is an act of stewardship. The preacher stands between an open Bible and hungry souls.

When the preacher has prayed, studied, wrestled with the text, depended on the Spirit, and then faithfully proclaims God’s Word, something holy happens.

The lost find Christ.
The wanderers come home.
The weary are strengthened.
The proud are humbled.
The broken find hope and healing.
The lonely realize the Lord is with them.
The believer is shaped a little more into Christlikeness.

Not because of the preacher’s talent, but because the Spirit delights to work through faithful proclamation. There is a joy in being part of that miracle that is difficult to describe. It is not the applause of people. It is not even the satisfaction of delivering a good sermon. It is the quiet, settled wonder of knowing that, for a few sacred moments, God allowed you to carry His Word to His people.

My Bible-proclaiming brothers and sisters, stay faithful.
Stay on your knees.
Stay in the Word.
Stay filled with the Spirit.
The world is full of opinions. The church (the world) needs God’s indescribable power.

Keep opening the Book. Keep lifting up Christ. Keep trusting that the Lord is doing far more than you could ever see.

I look forward to filling pulpits again, preaching renewal services, and encouraging pastors through retreats and conferences. But this season away from regular preaching has reminded me of something I never want to forget.

The privilege of preaching is too precious to presume upon.
Every opportunity to proclaim Christ is a gift.
Every sermon is grace.
And there is no joy quite like watching God use His Word to change a human heart.