Emphasis Preaching Journal

I know a preacher who was in a difficult period of life that often is called a "faith crisis." He was serving a medium-sized congregation that had been challenged to grow. The congregation had grown from an average attendance of 100 each Sunday to 140. Now they were back to 100 or even less. The preacher was discouraged. He wondered what was wrong. He blamed himself; he blamed the Holy Spirit. During the next few months he spent many hours in prayer. His attitude changed from anger, to cynicism, to self-pity. Sometimes he almost believed God to be a children's myth.