The Difference Between Young Men & Old Men

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (Joel 2:28)

For years my family would gather each Summer and spend a few days in the hills of North Carolina to enjoy the Wilcox Family Reunion. The old codgers would gather together and tell stories of the good ol' days. To me those events could be called just about anything, but good would not be one of the descriptions! (Though my family's roots go back to the country, my life has been fully entrenched in the suburbs and I gladly take the title of "city slicker".) I would also see my cousins getting together. When we were younger, we would gather for games of football or other competitive activities. As we got older, some would take off in their cars and find out what was happening down in the hollers of Lenoir. When we all became adults it seemed that most of the guys would get together and talk about their work.

This was interesting to me. The older guys would sit on the porch and talk about the past, while the younger guys would gather together and discuss the future. Isn't that what Joel 2 states would be the case? The older guys are more worn out than the younger guys and they enjoy stopping for a few minutes to reminisce about some of the events from years gone by. They have seen a lot of things in their years on this earth and tend to be more cynical about the future. Change might be made and then again, maybe it won't. The old men view what is important from different standards than the younger guys. Most of their stories center around people instead of the great things that they have accomplished. These seniors have their priorities established much better than the young bucks. Boy, can they tell some good stories!

When the young men get together, they discuss how they are going to become a success, and if they already have, they are more apt to look down on you since you haven't arrived. While the old men are dreaming dreams of a bygone era, the energy that the next generation has, allows them to see visions. Their discernment has not been sharpened like their parents, but they do have a strong desire to get something done and make a difference in this world!

As I look around at the group of pastors that God has given to the Virginia Baptist Bible Fellowship, I see the same thing. We have a discerning group of pastors who are my seniors. They have been through much of what I have not. When they discuss the good ol' days, it doesn't always sound so good. They have sacrificed so I could enjoy the fruit of their labor. But at times this group can become cynical and say things like the congregation I pastor, "We've never done it this way before!!" God has given me energy and vision and I am excited to be a part of something that can make a difference for eternity! Maybe at times my vision is lacking the "know how" that only experience can give us. At other times some of us young pastors have taken the baton and ran ahead too quickly. Conservative Baptists are almost always more traditional, than cutting edge. (It appears to me that you can't be conservative and cutting edge anymore than you can be a Republican and agree with Hillary Clinton.)

It apears at times our fellowship meetings are a lot like my family reunions. One group is sitting over on the porch talking about the past and then we see a group energetic renegades wanting to change everything around them. Sometimes both groups are eyeing the other in distrust thinking the other is either outdated or immature. What would happen if the old folks shared some of their discernment with the next generation? What would it be like if the younger pastors shared their energy, vitality and vision with their seniors in a way that they felt respected and appreciated? The old men receiving new strength and the young men accepting some better judgment! One thing that 14 years of experience working with pastors has shown me is that we may never know!

Regular Ministry Problems!

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:35-40)


Not long ago, I attended a seminar and met another pastor named Jimmy. I met Jimmy during a prayer time at the invitation. While I was singing a verse of invitation, God began speaking to my heart about praying for the man standing beside me. I told God that I was sure this pastor would think I considered myself superior to him if I offered to pray with him, but God was not convinced. I bargained with God and told Him that if another verse of invitation was played, I would ask this man if I could pray with him. Since the invitation had already gone long, I felt pretty comfortable, until the next verse of the song began to play. At that point I told the Lord how crazy it was of me to not be willing to pray with another individual, especially another pastor.

I put my hand on this man’s shoulder and asked him if there was anything that I could pray with him about. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and with a refreshing countenance that simply stated, “Thanks for caring”, and said these words to me, “Just regular ministry problems”. I said to him that I knew what he meant and took his hand to pray with him. Later he introduced himself to me as Jimmy and I also was able to meet his wife. Throughout the rest of the conference, every time Jimmy walked by me, he just looked at me and smiled.

Later I got to thinking about what Jimmy said to me, “Just regular ministry problems”. I thought back to Bible times when men would be sent to jail, tortured or martyred. Regular ministry problems for the Apostle Paul were running away from town leaders to save his neck. He would face shipwreck and go without food as he shared the good news with unreached people groups. Throughout history we see the same type of things happening to our Baptist forefathers. But the regular ministry problems of today are quite different. Most problems today do not stem from the lost outside the church but from those inside the church. The ones that can’t get along with others. The ones that criticize our leadership. Those who would rather tell some bad news about someone instead of telling the good news of Jesus Christ.

Boy, haven’t times changed! Let’s do our best to be an encouragement to other pastors and even the members of our churches that cause the Regular Ministry Problems!