Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox:

How does God want us to deal with intimidating people?
2 Timothy 1:7 (Good News) gives us the answer: 'For the spirit that God has given us does not make us timid. Instead his spirit fills us with power, love, and self control.'
That's the way God wants you to deal with people. He wants you to deal with them in power (confidence), in love (focusing on their needs), and in self-control. God's Spirit doesn't make us timid. It doesn't turn us into weaklings.
The Phillips translation of this verse says, 'God has not given us the spirit of cowardice.' The Living Bible version says, 'God doesn't want you to be afraid of people.'
Yet, I know Christians all the time who unconsciously think, 'I have to be afraid of people in order to be spiritual. I just have to let people have their own way.' If you'll look at the Bible, you'll see that's not the case.
You won't please everyone. That's a fact. So stop trying! When those difficult people come along, hold your ground, pray for those who persecute you, and leave the rest to God.

In light of some difficult things going on recently in my ministry and our town, this is a very helpful article for me today!

In many ways, I wish I could be more open and transparent in this blog. Yet I am fearful. I am fearful of people. I pastor in a small town (pop. 2000) and word gets around quickly. Plus it is a very old school, modern mindset that doesn't welcome openness, struggle, journeying. Everyone would rather be seen as having it all together. So what if everyone discovered that the pastor doesn't have it all together? In fact you could read the same statement this way: So what if everyone discovered that the pastor doesn't have it all together!

The funny thing is, I seek to debunk this idea each week. Most Sunday's in my sermons, I put myself in my place. I think this is important in all communication and especially for church leaders. We need to be put in our place; fellow strugglers, fellow sinners, fellow humans. After all the church is the only organization that our membership is dependent upon our failure and our admission of that failure.

I think the emerging church understands this better than many modern churches. As the associate pastor at the church I grew up at used to say: "we're all bozos on this bus."