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New Blog – Small Church Pastor

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For nearly twenty years this blog has been my personal blog. My journey as a pastor. It has been the place that I have shared my family, my devotional thoughts, and things that interest me.

I began it with the intention of just giving people a glimpse of my life as a pastor. It has served that purpose well for all of these years. Yet, as I grow older, my goal has changed. Rather than sharing about me, I would like to share about Christ’s church. Especially, the part of the church that has been a part of my life and ministry for over thirty years now. The Small Church.

For the last three decades, Sonya and I have spent our lives serving in small churches. Many of these years, we have had the privilege of being able to serve full-time. While, for some of those, I was bi-vocational. Working a more than full-time job and also pastoring a church where I had no staff and I preached three times a week. It would be an understatement to say that I understand the plight of the small church pastor.

With that in mind, the focus of this blog is going to change. It will still be similar to the life of a pastor blog, however, the shift will now be on what it means to be a small church pastor. This will be a place to encourage, to share insights that I have gained over thirty years of pastoral ministry in churches of 200 or less.

I encourage you to stay tuned to this blog page as we begin to journey together on the life of a small church pastor. The challenges of it and the blessings of it and more than anything to help us understand that God is with the small church pastor.

The Light of Christmas Poem

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Twenty centuries ago, in a manger lay
A special child of whom the prophet’s say

Would be the one that would bring light to all mankind
That if we would look, in Him we would surely find

Our hearts prepared, our eyes to see
The one who would come to die for you and me

His start was such a humble beginning
He would come into a world that was full of sinning

The spotless lamb who was born in a stable
This is truth, the Word, not just a fable

In a place no king should ever begin
Yet it seemed, there was no room in the inn

In a field that was not too far away
The Shepherds kept their watch after a long day

The angels appeared and a bright light around them shone
They were Told where to find the baby and then told them to go

As the came to the place of His miraculous birth
There They found a child that was of such great worth

There With His loving parents, the Christ child lay
It was at that glorious time, the first Christmas day

The gift that was wrapped there in His swaddling clothes
The shepherds did bow for, in Him, now they would know

That the Savior had come, into the world He was born
A time to rejoice and no longer to mourn

For the angels had declared good tidings of great joy
Because in a manger laid, God who’d come as a little boy

The incarnation, here was God who came in the flesh
The little Christ child had come to give mankind rest

Rest from the toil, and the weight of their sin
Now, He had come to make His home among them

So hard to understand why God would come down to us
But to redeem mankind, this birth was a must

For God could not save unless first He endured
and to overcome the temptations by which we’ve been lured

He had left Heaven and come to earth, so darkness He might fight
And Satan’s powers, so that we would have the light

As the prophet’s of old generations ago have said
One would come who would certainly rise from the dead

Arise Shine for Your Light Has Come
For now, the world beholds, Christ God’s Son

This Light of Christmas into our hearts does shine
Look to Him this Season and Him you will surely find

The babe in a manger, who would die for our sins
Look up, for one day soon, He will come again.

-Danny Cheney-

Check out Danny’s books, including his newest book, Cloud of Witnesses.

God Knows Your Name

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Ever feel that God doesn’t even know your name?

Paul, in writing to Timothy, shared a powerful truth, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His…”  II Timothy 2:19

Need I say more?  God who is all-knowing knows your name.  The God who is all-powerful has the power to change your life.  Too many times we go by our feelings and feel unloved.  We may not feel His presence one day, and we think He has forsaken us.  The fact is, we do not have to live by feelings but by faith.  If He said, “He knows those who are His”, shouldn’t we take Him at His word?  God loves you and cares for you.  You are special to Him!  He knows the number of tears you cry and the number of hairs on your head (and those that fall off too).  We can delight in the fact that God cares for each one of us so much that He knows us all by name. 

My comprehension is not capable of grasping the fact that God Almighty can be everywhere at one time and know billions of individual names.  Not only that, He knows every detail of those many billions of people.  Amazing, is it not?  What an awesome God we serve!  Paul relates that this is the solid foundation of God, and it stands with the seal of His ownership on our lives.  Friend, the next time you feel forsaken, unloved or unmoved, think on this verse (II Timothy 2:19).  You are special, you are chosen, you are loved.  Jesus said that God knows every time a sparrow falls to the ground, how much more does He know your needs and hurts.  Rest assured that you are the apple of God’s eye, and He knows you by name.

Check out Danny’s books, including his newest book, Cloud of Witnesses.

Cloud of Witnesses Kindle Version Free

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You have until Friday, August 18th to get a copy of my latest book, Cloud of Witnesses, for free on Amazon Kindle. Follow the link and read it. I believe it will be a blessing to you.

Here is the description of the book:

Learn the Secrets to True Success. It’s more simple than you think.

Hull Christian Church is a dwindling church in a dying community. Two years in, Pastor John Watkins is out of answers and his leadership struggle is evident to his twelve parishioners. He is ready to give up when an unknown visitor prays over him at the end of a church service then vanishes without anyone seeing him. A few weeks later, this mysterious man appears in John’s office and sets the course for the future of this young pastor’s ministry. The mystery deepens as John Watkins is introduced to ancient wisdom, millennia old, and he is given seven secrets to true success; proven laws that have been passed down through time. Watkins has tried everything else to no avail, will these secrets work even in this small struggling church?

In this book, pastors and leaders will discover the secrets of true success. The Cloud of Witnesses will challenge and encourage the reader. Whether you are a pastor or a member of a local church, this book will give you insight into the life and heart of a pastor.

Get your copy for free here.