Emphasis Preaching Journal

Pastor Bill was not your ordinary pastor. Bill loved cattle. When he came to our congregation, he immediately struck a deal with a local farmer to allow him to raise a few cows on his farm. Next, he developed a relationship with the manager of the local auction barn and spent every Friday helping at the cattle auction.

Bill was also a bachelor. He often arrived on Sunday morning with uncombed hair, wrinkled shirts, and dirty fingernails. It also was apparent that Bill wore the same shoes at the auction barn as he did to church.

Many of the parishioners were scandalized by Bill's activities and appearance; this wasn't what a pastor should look like, or how a pastor should behave.

But it didn't take long for their opinions to change. Bill had a caring heart. His hospital visits brought comfort; not only to his congregants, but also to the many others Bill visited. His grief work was such that soon most non-churched people in the community sought out Bill for their loved ones' funerals. Bill worked tirelessly with people beset with addiction problems, and organized support for farmers who had lost, or were in danger of losing, their farms due to financial problems.