Pastor's P.O.V. - Stone The Preacher

Beyond Thoughts and Prayers

Nov 20, 2019Steve SanchezPastor's P.O.V.

MASS SHOOTINGS ARE IN THE NEWS AGAIN and I hate that I have to write this article. Anticipate more controversy of what could have been done, what should have been done. Also, expect those who offer their thoughts and prayers to be shamed once again.

CNN reported that the phrase “thoughts and prayers” had reached

“semantic satiation, the phenomenon in which a word or phrase is repeated so often it loses its meaning.” MSNBC’s Chris Matthews said that thoughts and prayers after a shooting “should be outlawed…Usually, it’s a throwaway line by a staffer who knocks off some script, some product, some wordage for somebody political to make it sound like they give a damn.”

I can understand that sending good thoughts during a time of crisis mean nothing, but Scripture says prayer is “powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7) The implication is that we are to continuously ask, seek and knock.

Why I Can Never Vote For a Democrat

Nov 13, 2019Steve Sanchez50 Million+, Pastor's P.O.V.democrats, leftists, liberals

A WOMAN ASKED ME IF I, AS A PASTOR, GOT INVOLVED IN POLITICS. The pastor at her church refused to talk about political issues and discouraged congregants from doing the same. I assured her that I thought it was a Christian Pastor’s mandate to involve themselves in the issues of the day. There are many

The Mistake I Refuse to Make

Oct 16, 2019Steve Sanchez4 CommentsPastor's P.O.V.

I’VE MADE A FEW EMBARRASSING MISTAKES IN MY 22 YEARS AS A PASTOR. Two in particular cause me to get red-faced whenever I remember them:

At a Communion service several years back, when reflecting on the punishment Jesus received, I said to the congregation that “Jesus was beatilly bruten on our behalf.” I then proceeded to tell everyone to drink the cup BEFORE eating the Matzo, reversing the order of service described in the Gospels.

That was a bad day.

Even worse was the funeral I officiated after having prepared two memorial services at the same time to be given on the same day to two families I did not know. As I sincerely delivered the comforting message to the gathered aggrieved, the family sitting in the front row kept shaking their heads frantically as I solemnly eulogized their dearly departed…and used a wrong name! I had somehow gotten my notes mixed up. It was at this point a career-change to a Chick-fil-A fry cook looked pretty good.

Those are some embarrassing errors, but there is one mistake that I will never make. Ever. I will never…

The Love Heard ‘Round the World

Oct 9, 2019Steve SanchezPastor's P.O.V.

The younger brother of a man who was shot by a former Dallas Police officer stunned the world when, instead of condemning Botham Jean’s killer for shooting him in his own apartment by mistake, said something so outrageous, so ridiculous, so weird, that he must have been an authentic believer in Jesus Christ.

What did Brandt Jean say to Amber Guyger in the courtroom after she was sentenced to ten years in prison for murder?

“I hope you go to God with all the guilt, all the bad things you may have done in the past…if you truly are sorry…I forgive you, and I know if you go to God and ask him, he will forgive you. I love you just like anyone else. I personally want the best for you. I don’t even want you to go to jail; I want the best for you. And the best would be to give your life to Christ. I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want you to do. Again, I love you…and I don’t wish anything bad on you.”

What Brandt said was nothing short of supernatural. It makes no human sense at all. Unconditional forgiveness? That’s crazy!

B.Y.O.B. to School

Oct 1, 2019Steve SanchezPastor's P.O.V.

IT’S TIME TO MAKE A STATEMENT! Do the very rare thing that has been long forgotten. Show that you are different, “Contra Mundum.” Be a quiet rebel by carrying one simple object that declares, “This is the way; walk in it!” Students, bring your Bible to school on Thursday, October 3, to show that you are not afraid, that you are a person of The Book and that you are the generation that will make a difference for God and country.

Because the adults have dropped the ball.

In a 2019 study conducted in partnership with the American Bible Society, the Barna Research Group found that only 5% of adults interact with the Bible frequently, and that it has transformed their relationship with God and others.

Sadly, 48% of adults said that they interact with the Bible infrequently, if at all, and that it has minimal impact in their lives.

Even more concerning, religious freedom in America is under threat as believers face an ever-increasing secular culture. Our nation’s Christian heritage is being forgotten—even denied—and our right to worship and live according to Christian conscience will soon be legislated.