Ronnie Martin
@ronniejmartin
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Artist | Director of Leader Care for Harbor Network | Author of “The Unhurried Pastor” | Co-Host of “The Heart of Pastoring” pod w/ Jared C. Wilson
Ashland, Ohio
Joined February 2012
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For those of us who feel like bare branches right now.
Remember, we are no less connected to the vine than when we are full of green leaves.
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Dear churches who have elected to gather on Sunday for whatever reason,
To extend public invitations to those who attend churches that made the difficult decision to cancel their gatherings, is not a good look. Or responsible.
In Love,
Pastor R
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Pastor, you are not your sermon, you are a shepherd. And this morning you served a flock you didn’t save, with words you didn’t write, for a King who didn’t need you.
So take that nap.
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Dear Pastor,
It’s ok if you just can’t seem to fit that Wanda quote into your sermon.
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If we’re being honest, the desire to “do big things for God” is a convenient way to mask our desire to do big things, God or no God.
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When you pastor in a small town, you don’t get to avoid those who have left your church.
You see them everywhere.
You are constantly reminded of the loss.
But this too is a grace. A grace to be kind.
And to remember that not all who leave are lost or ever unloved by God.
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“No child is born evil and sin is not inherited.” - Tucker Carlson
Only two kinds of people disagree with this statement:
Calvinists & Parents
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The Psalms teach us that it’s ok to pray...
1. Help me
2. I don’t know
3. I am afraid
4. I am alone
5. I am angry
6. I am sorrowful
7. Do you hear me?
8. Why is this happening?
...while we wait helplessly. In hope.
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To my far-right reformed friends:
I prefer my reformed theology beautiful rather than brutal.
Though my sin be brutal, the grace of Christ is more beautiful still.
And it’s the gently and lowly nature of the latter that keeps me from the despair of the former.
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My dad was in a phone booth at LAX in the mid-70’s. It was raining.
Someone had left a gospel tract.
Mom was saved a year before, but dad remained uninterested.
He read the tract.
He repented & believed.
All of our lives changed.
My life is still being changed.
#gospel
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Small-town church planting:
1. Be slow, & happy about it
2. Honor tradition, the good parts
3. Enjoy the pace, it gives you space
4. Don’t rush relationships, be steady
5. Preach simple, but direct, w/ depth
6. Lead w/ grace, but in truth
7. Cultivate what diversity you do have
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This was greeting me when I arrived at our live stream this morning.
I’ll most likely never be known as one of the great preachers, leaders or pastors of our time.
But I’ve certainly felt like the most loved.
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The one thing we need more than Christian books, Christian movies, Christian music, and Christian media are
Christian Christians.
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A prayer from Tim & Kathy Keller:
“Lord, when I visit with a person who is bereaved or suffering, I am tempted to speak in spiritual platitudes. Shut me up, and teach me how to comfort the way Jesus comforts me—not with answers for every question but just with His presence.”
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Imagine waking up one morning & feeling no:
Guilt
Exhaustion
Shame
Body Pain
Anxiety
Selfish Ambition
Envy
Relational Conflict
Fear of the Future
Money Worries
Depression
Instability
Or Lovelessness
For the Christian, this is a future more sure than the sun rising at dawn.
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Few of us are great preachers, but that’s not the call.
Few of us are visionary leaders, but that’s not the call.
Few of us are organizational masterminds, but that’s not the call.
Many of you are humble pastors, faithful leaders, & trustworthy servants.
That’s the call.
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I just spent two days with 18 other pastors in Raleigh.
Here are some of the themes that emerged in one word: loneliness.
Pastors are starving for faithful friends.
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Go ahead, pastor.
Stand in front of that camera.
Feel the nagging awkwardness.
Stare into the vacancy.
Long for that missing energy.
Fumble with your feeble words.
Stutter.
It was always supposed to humble us.
“For when I am weak, than I am strong.” - 2 Cor. 12:10b
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In his grief, Job asked God to leave him alone. God denied Job’s request.
God sticks with His people through their suffering, regardless of how they feel about Him in the moment.
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I’m cynical when it comes to Christian movies, and I say this to my shame. But I’m going to see “Jesus Revolution.”
Because my non-hippy parents were saved in the mid-70’s at Calvary Costa-Mesa.
And three years later I was baptized by Pastor Chuck in the Pacific.
Jesus saves.
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Finally, some of us Christians are feeling like the exiles we became upon conversion.
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You know you’re eating lunch with a Gen X’er because the conversation always goes back to how you rode your bmx bike all over town and your parents were FINE.
And you were 6.
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My wife just asked, “How does Shakira do that thing with her hips?”
So I showed her.
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My dad was saved in a phone booth at LAX after he read a Chick tract someone had left.
Would I ever use a Chick tract? Probably not.
But the Lord does whatever He pleases.
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For the weary and worrisome pastor on Saturday night:
1. You will enter a church you did not build.
2. You will preach words you did not write.
3. You will sing songs you did not compose.
4. You will serve people you did not gather.
For the Lord who loves you, and you Him.
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I always imagine that if Jesus walked into the room, he would be so happy to see me.
Not because I’m so wonderful, but because He is.
And that’s how humble people respond to others.
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Hey discouraged church-planter, remember:
1. How you feel is normal
2. God is not judging your progress
3. Faster is not better
4. Isolation is not your friend
5. Seeking help is holy
6. Failure is not the worst outcome
7. God is the actual church planter behind church planters
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I believe that a man named Jesus, claiming to be the Son of God, died and rose again.
I have no time for conspiracies concerning other men.
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Before I was a preacher:
“How on earth can those dudes speak for 40 minutes without running out of things to say?
Today:
“For the love of all things help me keep this thing under 40.”
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You will not accomplish all of your 2019 resolutions.
You will fall short of your goals.
You will progress very slowly in some things.
There’ll be sins that continue to nag at your soul.
You will need mercy, you will need grace.
And if you have Christ, you will have it.
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To be clear: Those flags people are waving in DC with the name Jesus on them is not our Jesus.
He is not the Christ behind this travesty.
But He is the Christ for this travesty.
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“A nation devoid of grace immiserates its people. A church devoid of grace rebukes the cross.”
Holy heck,
@DavidAFrench
.
Preach.
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My pastor was on vacation when my dad passed away years ago. On a grief-filled afternoon, he called.
All these years later, I can’t remember even one sermon he preached.
But I remember that call.
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We will try almost anything other than prayer.
Which is why exhaustion feels more familiar to us than peace.
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I read the Psalms every day because:
1. I feel the need to pray.
2. I don't know how to pray.
3. I don't know what to pray.
4. But I see how God changes a person as they pray.
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“Congratulations, Dr. Martin.”
Those were the words just spoken to me by my doctoral committee. I didn’t correct them, but for the rest of you I will now be affectionately be referred to as…
DOC MARTIN.
God is good. :)
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The time Jesus rebuked His disciples for their mild but exclusionary mistreatment of children should mean a lot to us right now.
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Dear Discouraged Pastor,
You have never stood alone behind that pulpit.
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Praying through the Psalms helps us believe that God is:
1. Not surprised by our pain
2. Not shocked by our surprise
3. Not exhausted by our pleas
4. Not shaken by our confusion
5. Not wishing we would just shut up, buck up, and leave Him alone.
Not God.
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Five joys of pastoring small towns:
1. Slowness is next to godliness
2. Bigger is never better
3. Faithfulness matters more than flash
4. Being a pastor is not always a barrier
5. Simple things are seen as virtuous
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Pastors, you’ve heard it said that you should preach like it’s your last sermon. Maybe, but this could also produce sharp, jagged, tone-deaf words.
Maybe we should preach like farmers who plant seeds w/ the hope that tomorrow they will plant again, & eventually, reap a harvest.
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Marks of maturation in Christ:
- Your initial reactions are less sharp
- Quicker to forgive than to condemn
- You listen much more than you speak
- Complexities are far less fearful
- Praying & waiting is your first response
- Christ is the lens through which you see all things
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Only Jesus can fix everything, and there are some things Jesus leaves unfixed for His glory. - Zack Eswine
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When Paul left for Damascus, you would have thought he was as far from embracing Christ as was humanly possible.
In reality, He was never closer.
Some who seem far, are ever so close.
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I have an album of instrumental songs coming out this fall that I’m really excited about.
Think long-form, beautiful, contemplative electronic pieces inspired by the Psalms.
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Pastors need a friend who
-Is not intimidated by their role
-Is deeply aware of their humanity
-Is secure enough to speak in
-Is intentional w/ communication
-Is committed to initiate fellowship
-Is willing to listen more than speak
-Is eager to show grace
A rare find. For all.
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Your “bad” sermon may not be as bad as you think after God gets through with it.
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The pastors who have had the greatest influence on me are not those whose sermons I have listened to and loved.
They are those who have loved me enough to listen to me.
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Pastor friends, I know you’re looking down on your sermon right now and—
-seeing the lack
-feeling the weight
-wishing for more.
But God is not fixated on your sermon. He is—
-looking at you with delight
-singing over you with joy
-upholding you with untrembling hands.
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Too many stories of dudes preaching from IPads and the thing coveniently going lights out during a sermon.
As for me and my house, I’m keeping it analog, preaching from trees.
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I’m telling you, if God came to me right now and offered to give me whatever I asked for like He did with Solomon, I might say pancakes.
Prayers.
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Woke up at 4am to find that a large portion of my sermon notes had been lost.
Received an email minutes later from a church member saying he felt the need to pray for me after he woke up.
We share the same Spirit.
We encourage.
We build one another up.
We, the church.
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I’m convinced that the best preachers don’t spend as much time writing their sermons as they do preparing to write their sermons.
Observing
Pondering
Wondering
Praying
There is unspoken work that needs to be done before we do the work that needs to be spoken.
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Coming this April on
@bhpub
!
A lot of heart and soul went into these pages that
@TheCarolinaDon
and I hope will be a huge encouragement to pastors everywhere.
We see you, we love you, we’re with you.
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The greatest thing you can do for your pastor is pray for him as he steps into the pulpit.
And not argue with him afterwards.
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Look, some pastors are not academics.
Greek words are still Greek to them
Commentaries are hard reads
Theological debates feel like static
But they love God, preach w/ heart, & pastor w/ soul.
If this describes you, remember this: God is not unhappy with the choice He made.
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Every pastor goes to sleep on Saturday night knowing that in the morning there’s a battle to be fought in a war that’s already been won.
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The burden of sermon preparation would likely decrease for many preachers if they stopped working so hard to:
Look smart
Appear clever
Be funny
Sound intellectual
Pump themselves up
Perform for an audience
Gotta guard Sunday’s from becoming seminars.
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From the window of our church today.
It’s fine.
Everything’s fine.
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Remember a couple of years ago when everyone thought the phrase “gospel-centered” had become trite & overused?
Well, phrases come and go, but 2020 has proven Christians are less centered on the gospel & all of its cultural implications than anyone could’ve possibly imagined.
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All the reformed misogynists out there putting the T back into TULIP for us.
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“I’m making eggs.”
“With bacon?”
“I can.”
“Why would you not?”
“I will.”
That’s called married conversation.
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In a room of pastors—
Them: You still print out your sermons, Big R?
Me: Yeah, I’m analog.
Them: That’s so funny, man.
Me: How’s it going with your iPads?
Them: Awesome. Except the time my screen went blank. And my battery died. It’s only crashed once, though.
Me: Awesome.
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It’s not that pastoring is hard, it’s that it’s heavy.
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Guys, mixing dates have been confirmed and booked for my debut solo album, w/ a release set for summer ‘21.
This is happening again.
#wantedtoshare
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Christians struggle with art because they have difficulty seeing God as anything but functional.
Except beauty is functional. It does unseen health for our hearts.
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Well, I don’t really know
@rayortlund
all that well, but I know that every time he speaks, writes or Tweets, I’m encouraged to carry on and become more like Christ. Like Ray.
Happy Birthday, pastor.
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Entering ministry later in life has had its drawbacks, but also some advantages:
1. You know you’re not going to change the world
2. You don’t tend to overwork to prove yourself
3. You’re comfortable with the areas you’re not gifted in, because you’ve had time to discover them
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It’s good to speak up.
It’s good to shut up.
Wisdom tells us when.
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“Occasionally, weep deeply over the life that you hoped would be. Grieve the losses. Feel the pain. Then wash your face, trust God, and embrace the life that he’s given you.”
- John Piper
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How to prepare for Sunday:
Pray for:
1. Your pastor
2. Yourself
3. Your church family & the obstacles they'll face in the morning
4. Newcomers
5. Those unfamiliar with the gospel
6. Courage to be kind to those who keep to themselves
7. Desire
8. Gratefulness
9. Joy
10. Urgency
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The Book of Ecclesiastes is like your dad has died and left you his stack of Dylan albums.
@jaredcwilson
#normpascon
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GenX’ers response to COVID-19:
Self Quarantine?
-We were latch-key kids from birth.
Global Crisis?
-We were Cold War kids.
Depressing News?
-We grew up with The Cure, Depeche Mode & The Smiths.
Social Distancing?
- We lived without WIFI, iPhone’s, FaceTime or Zoom.
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I couldn’t find a good place for that Wanda quote so I just blurted it out at the end and received a standing ovation. My first during a sermon, guys.
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Met at church, & boy did I love those curls.
2 years later, see her at a cafe, ask if I can buy her coffee. She says no.
Get her # from a friend, call, great convo.
And then, nothing.
Until she calls & tells me she’s been calling a different Ronnie for WEEKS.
29 years.
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Regularly praying “help my unbelief” indicates:
1. An innermost desire to believe.
2. An acknowledgment of our need to believe.
3. An inability in and of ourself to manufacture belief.
4. A yearning for unbelief to be abolished.
Should this not be one of our daily prayers?
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Somebody’s literally having the best year of their life, but they’re afraid to say it.
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I have people who care about me, but few who care for me.
This was a revelatory discovery for me not long ago…because there is a difference, and it’s a dilemma.
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Don’t stress, pastor friends.
Your Easter sermon means saying the same things you said last year, which are the same things you say every Sunday:
“Jesus died & rose again because of God’s great love for us. Repent & believe the good news.”
Repetition never sounded better.
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It’s a good day to announce my new Christmas album.
12/01/23
CD/LP/Cassette
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Good theology without godly character is called heresy, I think.
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At the Christmas tree farm—
Worker: You want me to cut it down or you?
Me: Dude, it’s all you.
Worker: I just didn’t want you to be offended if I started cutting without asking, in front of your wife and all.
Me: Masculinity secure here, but thanks for asking.
#treeday19
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Sometimes, a pastor just doesn’t feel like themselves on Sunday morning.
They might feel…
- out of sorts
- fearful
- exhausted
- depressed
- frustrated
- lonely
- unappreciated
- anonymous
- unprepared
…but they faithfully complete the work before them.
He sees them.
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Finish one book, begin another.
Coming Spring 2023. Excited for this.
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You will not accomplish all of your 2020 resolutions.
You will fall short of your goals.
You will progress very slowly in some things.
There’ll be sins that continue to nag at your soul.
You will need mercy, you will need grace.
And if you have Christ, you will have it.
0
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Small town/church pastors,
You’re being bombarded with resources you may not have the staff/budget to utilize.
You feel overwhelmed.
You fear your flock is feeling underserved.
Don’t.
They have a compassionate God who’s given them a compassionate pastor, who’s not God.
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If you’re a pastor, but you’re not a big “vision” guy, you can always fall back on the vision Jesus cast for the church in Matthew 28. It might suffice.
#makedisciples
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I will stick w/ you
I will disagree w/ you & be ok
I will be open to reason w/ you
I will give you the benefit of the doubt
I will think the best of you
I will value you over my opinions
I will sacrifice for your good
I will love & defend you
Baseline Christianity, friends.
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Maybe younger pastors are stressed because it was never stressed to them that they are called to be servants, not strategists.
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I’ve been waiting a long time to announce this.
Coming this fall on
@BHpub
.
#christmasiscoming
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Let me just say that people who go running on Thanksgiving morning are the same people who work out on vacation.
Depart from me.
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Maroon Five feels like if Audio Adrenaline got the half time show.
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At the risk of sounding self serving, but as someone who talks to pastors all over the country on a weekly basis, here is my question:
Why are people giving their pastors such a hard time right now?
Because the story is the same, EVERYWHERE.
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Me and the boys, minutes before our historic Live in Louisville performance.
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