In episode 27, we talked about pastoring through dry seasons, and Pastor John as a pastor,

how did you deal with seasons when you did not feel joy in God, and yet you were preparing

to enter the pulpit and preach to your people about joy in God?

Did you ever feel the need to disclose your personal condition in those sermons, or

did you just preach confidently knowing that this God's ever relevant word?

How did you approach the pulpit in spiritually dry seasons?

The principle I would use, then I'll say the actuality, the principle I would use is be

real with your people, don't fake it, don't ever fake it, they'll see through that pretty

quick and your own conscience will condemn you.

That doesn't mean that you always need to say every hard thing you dealt with during

the week.

It just may mean you need to say there was a text appointed for today, and I wasn't

able to do it, or this text is appointed for today, I want you to know I don't feel

the fullness of this text, but I'm going to tell you what this text says, and you pray

for me and I'll pray for you, you can say things like that.

But my experience to me is simply astonishing.

In all the depression, discouragement, and blankness that I have felt over the years,

the Lord has always lifted it enough so that as I've gotten ready for Sunday, I've

loved what I'm about to say.

It's just in Kenny how on Thursday, I used to take Thursdays off, and some of those

Thursdays off were just the lowest days, they're just low days, and I remember saying in

Desiring God, I would sit in the necomas park on the grass, and I couldn't even remember

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