Few pastors admit their deficiencies. Fewer still embrace them. So we continue in the charade—refined liars who live under the crushing burden of performance. But this isn’t just a pastoral problem. It’s a human problem. Whether in the pulpit or the pew, we all try to hide our flaws. We want to be seen as competent, strong, and successful—not weak, broken, or needy.

But here’s the challenge: we must run into the battle, not away from it. There’s no time for retreat or passivity. In Christ, we’ve been set free from slavery to the flesh. And now, by the Spirit, we are empowered to fight and to grow in godliness.

Nothing saves us but Christ, and nothing will sustain or transform us apart from Him. This is the essence of the cross-centered, Spirit-empowered, and Word-shaped life.

An orator is a skilled public speaker—eloquent, persuasive, and compelling. A preacher, on the other hand, is a herald of God’s Word.

Willie is right in one sense: we can’t undo the past. But that doesn’t mean we’re without hope. That’s where the Gospel pierces the hopelessness of regret.