That was the beginning of the end of a great season for my favorite team.

Till next year! Now bring on NASCAR!

What most people say when they are finished listening to me preach is, “What on earth are you doing in the pulpit, you loser!” No, just kidding. I think the thing I hear most is “Good message.” But another thing I hear a lot is “I enjoyed the sermon.” Should that be the case? That is the question Steve Mathewson asks on the PreachingToday.com blog. It is an interesting question. Are sermons something to be enjoyed? Some people, he says, are simply expressing their appreciation and don’t know any other way to do so. They want to show their gratitude to their preacher. Others may sincerely mean that they enjoyed it because it uplifted them or caused them to feel more in touch with their Creator. But some people truly do judge the quality of a sermon by how it makes them feel. If they feel better after it is over then it is a good sermon. If they feel worse (convicted, guilty, concerned about their spiritual situation or someone else’s) then they don’t think it was good.

I would say that all sermons should take me to the throne of God and by the time I am done responding to it, I should feel good. That is to say I feel more inspired, in awe of God’s glory, or filled with gratitude for the grace that has just been imparted to me due to the challenge of that message which caused me to confess my sins and commit to repent.

So if hear me preach and say, “I enjoyed your sermon,” then I hope it is because your faith was built stronger or your life was change for the positive!

As a pastor who is also interested in Politics, I’ve sometimes wondered what it might be like to become a politcal candidate. Well Rev. Mike Huckabee knows. And as many know he won the Iowa Caucus. And he may very well go from the Pulpit to the Presidency.

Today, pundits are trying to explain away why he won. But the truth is he won because he is a man of sincere and profound faith. What the mainstream politicos can’t fathom is that when people who have real conservative values get involved in politics in this country they often do well so long as they do not compromise them. That is why I am initerested in this man. I would never stand in my pulpit and proclaim my support for one polical candidate. I am registered as an independent voter. But I find Mike Huckabee to be a breath of fresh air. So check him out. I’m not endorsing him, but I am interested in him.