It’s too easy for pastors and leaders to miss the miracles of the Holy Spirit, but when we open our eyes to see them we’ll be more full of strength, courage, and expectation as we minister. 

I grew up in this family of churches, a proudly charismatic group. I also grew up afraid of the Holy Spirit. One of the people in my church referred to the Spirit as “The Holy Ghost” and as a kid, I wanted nothing to do with a strange ghost. I was a kid who liked order and predictability. I didn’t like how unpredictable prayer times or ministry times seemed.

Yet, later, I had a powerful encounter with the Spirit at age 13 during a missions week in Mexico. I wept tears of joy. I received some clear spiritual gifts. And then I spent some of my teen years wishing and longing I could experience that every week, and slightly disappointed when church seemed “normal.” 

As a pastor, I often find myself caught between those two extremes as I minister to my church. There are times I want the Holy Spirit confined to a tidy corner of my statement of faith and don’t want our plans or ministry calendar interrupted. There are also times I long for some of the old experiences and wish we saw more of that every week. 

But here is the poblem: In either extreme, I’m missing the miracles of the Spirit in everyday life. And when I miss the miracles of the Spirit, my church often misses the miracles too. 

This article originally posted on our SGC Pastors website. Click here to read the full post.