Tag Archives: Resume

Boasting of My Weakness

June 12, 2025 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”
2 Corinthians 11:30 (NIV)

Over several years I had the honor to serve several individuals as a mentor and coach as I attempted to help them develop in the art and craft of preaching. To be honest, I’m not sure how effective I was. I honestly think I may have learned more from my protégés and the process than my protégés learned from me.

One of the most simple, yet most profound, lessons that I learned during those years was that people have a desire to hear people who are real about themselves, their lives, and their struggles.

I had one charge who I met with for the first time after I’d listened to him preach the previous Sunday. As we sat down over breakfast he asked me my initial thoughts about his message.

“The thing that came to my mind as I listened to you,” I said honestly, “was that you came across like a lawyer pleading his case to a jury.”

“I am a lawyer,” he said with a shrug.

I had no idea he was an attorney because that’s was not what he did for a living. We had a good laugh together about that.

Over the coming months, we talked about the fact that it is certainly important to know your material and present a strong case. Paul told his protégé Timothy to be one who “correctly handles the word of truth.” At the same time, however, I urged my charge to be willing to share how the iron-clad case he is presenting intersects with his own daily life, his own personal failures, his own personal struggles, his own faith in Jesus, and his own spiritual growth. People want to make an emotional connection as well as much as an intellectual one.

A year or so later, he experienced the unexpected and sudden death of a loved one. He was scheduled to preach just weeks later. To this day, it was the best message I heard him deliver. He didn’t simply deliver well sourced points complete with chapters and verses. He stood there and showed us his raw and broken heart. He talked about how his faith was helping him through the grief. Through his tears he told us what God was teaching him in his pain.

In today’s chapter, Paul continues to address the conflict he’s experiencing with other preachers and teachers who have been going to the local gathering of Jesus’ followers in Corinth and slandering him behind his back. They had been boasting about how great they were and telling the Corinthian believers that Paul was a no-good schlep and they should forget about him.

I found it fascinating that Paul did not present to the believers in Corinth his very impressive resume of credentials. Paul truthfully had a more impressive earthly resume than any of Jesus’ original twelve apostles and likely more impressive than his slanderers. He came from a prominent family of means. As a Roman citizen, Paul had social standing that likely none of the people of Corinth or his critics enjoyed. Only 1-3% of the population in the provinces had Roman citizenship. Paul had been a student and disciple of the most prominent Rabbi and teacher in Jerusalem. Before Jesus called him, Paul was among the most prominent, up-and-coming students of his prominent teacher. Like my friend and preaching protégé, Paul was a lawyer. He knew how to plead a case.

Instead of presenting that resume, however, Paul confesses that he wasn’t the most dynamic preacher in the world and then tells the Corinthians about his sufferings. Paul had been arrested, tried, imprisoned, and brutally punished. He was on the lam, a wanted man who had escaped justice and was wanted in many cities. He’d been shipwrecked three times. He’d found himself homeless, naked, starving, and penniless on multiple occasions. And, he did it all for the sake of sharing Jesus’ love and His message with others. “If I must boast,” Paul writes, “I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

I know that I personally don’t want to listen to a preacher with a polished persona, an iron-clad case, and a seemingly flawless life. I know in my heart that it’s not real. I want to listen to a preacher who makes mistakes, struggles with their weaknesses, and is honest about striving to make a little slow and continuous spiritual progress rather than projecting perfection. I don’t think that I’m alone in this. I know that I get the most feedback from others when I’m vulnerable in a message. When I share about how God is at work in me despite my own personal struggles, failures, and weaknesses people seem to connect more deeply with the message.

One of the reasons that I struggled being a vocational pastor as a young man was that I felt pressure from people to be perfect, or to at least have the pretense to project that appearance at all times. I became a follower of Jesus, however, because I realized that I am flawed and He loved me anyway – loved me enough to die for me. Being a disciple of Jesus has never been about perfection. It’s been about God’s kindness and forgiveness towards me in spite of my flaws, weaknesses, and struggles which then leads to me to grow in His Spirit and becoming perpetually more loving, kind, and forgiving to those around me in spite of their flaws, weaknesses, and struggles. If I ever lose sight of this simple reality, then I’ve completely lost the thread of what it means to be His disciple.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

Of Differences and Discernment

May 22, 2025 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

“Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way…”
2 Corinthians 6:4 (NIV)

As you might imagine, publishing these chapter-a-day posts and podcasts has an impact on my social media algorithms. I get a lot of social media posts pushed into my feeds from many different flavors of Christianity. There’s been a recent surge in posts rooted in the orthodox church, which is experiencing a bit of a revival. Good for them. And of course, there’s also a lot of traffic from the Roman Catholics and their new pope from the south side. I’m a bit sad he’s a White Sox fan, but I agree with my dear friend, Kevin: they could use divine help this season.

I have shared many times over the years that I’ve always been a non-denominationalist at heart. To borrow a phrase from baseball, I’ve been a bit of a journeyman along my life journey. I’ve worshiped in and served in different denominations. I adhere to the Apostles Creed and belief in the “holy catholic church” which means I’m part of the church that exists beyond denominational boundaries. The one made up of all believers everywhere.

Of course, as I scrolled through my social media feed the other day I saw posts from an individual dissing on those who weren’t from his denomination and arrogantly proclaiming his brand of belief to be the one true way. These conflicts have been around for hundreds of years. History is filled with Christians killing one another. The only winner in that battle is Satan.

One of the things that I’ve noticed in today’s chapter, and in this chapter-a-day trek through 2 Corinthians is the conflict that is brewing in the sub-text of everything Paul is writing. There is a conflict boiling among the believers in Corinth that Paul is addressing with teachers who are telling the Corinthians to ignore Paul and listen to them.

What I find interesting in today’s chapter is how Paul approaches the conflict. He doesn’t diss on these other teachers, how awful they are, and how wrong they are. Instead, Paul simply describes his personal resume. He points out his work as Jesus messenger and how he has always acted and behaved towards them “in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love.”

At the heart of Paul’s argument is his realization that he can’t control these other teachers, what they say, or how they behave. Getting into an antagonistic battle of egos will only escalate things and, once again, the only winner in that battle is the enemy. So, Paul appeals to the Corinthians’ spiritual discernment. They know Paul and how he has always affectionately loved them and been concerned for their spiritual well-being. They will have to decide for themselves if these other teachers dissing on him are true and if their motives are pure.

Which brings me back to the social media feeds of teachers and leaders dissing on those who don’t belong to their brand of belief. I’ve encountered these individuals in every denomination. I’m reminded of Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats that I referenced a few days ago and that we recently read in our chapter-a-day trek through Matthew. On Judgement Day Jesus doesn’t describe denominational lines. He just describes sheep and goats. My experiences and observations along this life journey are that there are sheep and goats in every denomination and every local church. I don’t think denominations matter other than offering different experiences that appeal to different people. The only thing that matters is whether I am a sheep or a goat. Paul seems to understand this same reality as he addresses his Corinthian conflict.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Managing Misinterpreted Motives

November 9, 2018 Tom Vander Well 2 Comments

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.
1 Thessalonians 2:3 (NIV)

Some time ago I was invited into a meeting with the executive leader of an organization which I served. What quickly became clear in the meeting was that my motives had been called into question by certain individuals. My colleague simply desired to clarify my desires and wants as it related to my service and position within the organization. I quickly answered the questions posed to me and clearly stated my motives for serving and leading. The meeting quickly ended.

In yesterday’s post I discussed my need to continually and personally define my own motivations for the things I do and say. Along my life journey I’ve found this to be a critical step in understanding myself and making healthy decisions about my time, task list, resources, and relationships. But there’s a corollary importance to understanding my motivations, and that’s the reality that others are watching my actions, listening to my words, observing my relationships, and weighing my decisions. Others will question and make their own conclusions about my motives.

Paul spent the introduction of his letter to the believers in Thessalonica complimenting the pure motives of their accomplishments, toil, and perseverance in the faith. In today’s chapter Paul shifts focus to shine the spotlight on his own motivations in relationship to the believers with whom he’d had little time to spend.

One of the constant threats to the small communities of early believers was outside voices who could distract and even destroy their faith. There were angry Jewish zealots branding Paul as a crazy heretic, and demanding that followers of Jesus must obey all Jewish customs. There were traveling charlatans claiming to be preachers of the faith, but who quickly demanded that the local believers pay them for their service and provide for all their personal needs. Then there were local tradesman and trade unions whose livelihoods were centered in casting likenesses of all the pagan idols and deities. They saw Paul and his anti-pagan message as a threat to their pocketbooks and attempted to protect their livelihoods by accusing Paul and his companions of being a threat to Rome itself.

I thought that today’s chapter read like a resume as Paul attempts to make his personal motivations perfectly clear to his friends. He’s preemptively providing the believers with reminders they will need as others will most certainly try to cast doubts into their minds regarding Paul and his motives:

We proclaimed the Message despite persecutions and threats to our own lives. (vs. 2)
We weren’t trying to trick you, our motives were pure. (vs. 3)
We weren’t flattering you like salesmen or covering up some secret motivation of greed to get money or resources from you. (vs. 5). In fact, I used my tent making skills to provide for myself so that you wouldn’t have to provide for me. (vs. 9)
We treated you like a loving father (vs. 11) caring for you, and as a nursing mother cares for her baby. (vs. 7)
We didn’t abandon you and move on for any other reason than we were forced to do so. We desperately want to come back and see you but have been prevented from doing so. (vss. 17-18)

This morning I’m reminded that I can’t control what other people think or say. I do, however, control what I do and say. Sometimes it’s important to be mindful of how my motives might be misinterpreted. It’s wise, at times, to anticipate how misconceptions regarding my own motives might thwart the good I am trying to do. Paul’s example has me thinking about the fact that it is sometimes judicious to make motives clear and head off the misconceptions that experience teaches me may arise.

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend, my friend. The first snowflakes of winter fell on us yesterday. Stay warm.