A young man from our church was standing just outside the hospital smoking a cigarette. As I came closer, an expression of sheer panic came over his face. Quick as a flash he stuck the lit cigarette in his pants pocket and turned to me with a smile and said, “Hi preacher. How are you doing?” (I don’t smoke but I have never tried to offer any kind of judgment on those who do. I still don’t know why he reacted so strongly.) At this point, I was very curious about what was going to happen next. Would smoke come out of his pants or would he grimace in pain trying to squeeze out the burning with his fingers? But nothing happened. After a few minutes, I said good-bye and moved on. Why did he do that? What is it that makes people say and do such strange things around preachers? It is not the first time something like this has happened. On special occasions such as wedding receptions where alcohol is served, invariably people will hide their drinks from me. Why? Are they afraid I might turn them in? That’s an interesting question! A young Sunday school class was talking about whether it was okay to drink. We agreed that it was okay if taken in moderation, but we warned that it could also be a poor witness to someone who could not drink safely. At one point, I said, “Well since it’s okay to drink… would you be concerned if you saw me taking a drink?” “Oh no,” they all said in horror. “Pastors can’t drink!” What is it about preachers that make others so uncomfortable? The announcement was made at a sales meeting that I was leaving the business world to become a pastor. There was a long eerie silence around the room. Obviously, everyone was shocked. One sales associate in particular looked extremely upset. After the meeting, he followed me back to the office, closed the door and began to apologize about his occasional use of profanity. “If I had known you were going to be a preacher, I would have never cursed like that!” I wanted to say to him: “Why not? I’m still the same person. Becoming a preacher does not give me the right to judge you. That is God’s job!” Well, Larry what is a preachers job? Paul gave some wise advice to a young preacher: “Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them.” (1 Timothy 6:2b) I see this as a preacher’s basic responsibility: teach the truth and encourage others to obey. The rest is really between you and God. Paul goes on to say, “Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for what we believe. Hold on to the eternal life that God has given you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.” (11b-12) You don’t have to be a preacher to be reminded of these important truths. All of us have a responsibility to be the best witness we can possibly be. As a minister, I try to set a good personal example, plus I want to teach and encourage you to pursue a godly life. I leave the judging to God. Next time you see me… please don’t react too strangely. Just like you, I’m struggling to be a responsible Christian. Remember Jesus never commanded us to be perfect… He simply said, “Follow Me!” (John 21:19) by Larry Davies Webmasters note: I say Amen to this one!