Micah J. Sturm

Recently, I finished 1,827 days as pastor of our flock in Georgia. 

They heard 708 sermons from me.

Just thinking over the past five years and sharing a few lessons learned by a middle-aged preacher…call them my “last-Sunday thoughts…”

(1) We need more URGENCY! Time is moving quickly! 

(2) Words are powerful…they either energize or drain the hearer.  “Oh, be careful, little mouth, what you say!”

(3) Time + Energy = Difference 

Prioritize…Rest…Encourage…then see and be the difference!

(4) Lost people matter most.

(5) We’ve confused the shepherd/sheep model in the Church.  Sheep are not pets to be pampered.

For the shepherd, the sheep are his livelihood—his ‘life’s work’ to which he becomes very attached as the sheep provide companionship with the wool and milk to meet the needs of others. They further the shepherd’s work by reproducing and enlarging his flock.  

For the sheep, the shepherd is their very life.  He leads, feeds, and protects them.  

(Psalm 23–Led/ Fed/ No Dread)

(6) Pastors and their families get discouraged.

(7) Success is not always measurable.

(8) The miracle of grace where God sanctifies a believer entirely is a definite necessity for this journey! (I still preach holiness because I’ve seen both the devastation of carnal attitudes AND the beauty of those lives devoted fully to Christ!)

(9)  The fruit of the Spirit must be tended to be kept fresh!

(10) Struggle does not get the last word—resurrection does!