Your website has helped me a lot in putting together lessons

Question:

I felt compelled to write and thank you and any others that may be contributing material to your website.  Your sermon outlines and lessons have been very helpful to me these last several months.  You see, my brother-in-law, who preached for the small congregation that meets here passed away recently, and as the congregation could not afford to hire anyone new, I have taken over those duties.  I have no formal (or informal) training and do not possess the knowledge that I imagine most who preach do, so I use the Internet as a research tool to put my lessons together.  Of course, I don't rely on this exclusively - it's just a tool. Most of my research is done simply by reading the Bible and trying to bring together all the pertinent passages and thoughts on a particular subject in a way that will help the congregation understand God's will for us.  My use of the Internet arises mostly when I come upon a passage or subject that I find to be difficult, as Peter said of Paul's arguments, and it's interesting that almost every time I do a Google search (with "church of Christ" as the modifier) I am led to your site.  I usually read between 5 and 10 sermons or articles on these "difficult" topics until it begins to coalesce within my mind, and invariably I eventually end up with your thoughtful remarks being the most comprehensible and understandable of the bunch.  Many times you have helped me to glean what I feel to be the most important aspect of a topic or the true meaning of a verse.  So, this is really just an email of thanks and of hoping that the Lord will continue to bless you in all of your efforts on His behalf.

Thanks again, brother.

Answer:

Thank you very much for your encouragement. I'm sorry about your loss. I've noticed one of the frequent motivators that get people doing more is "there's no one else." And having worked with small congregations all my life, I fully understand the struggles you face. I'm so glad the brethren there has someone willing to step in and do the best that he can.

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