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Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real with God
The Dark Side of a Pastor’s Life—A Breath of Fresh Air
Are you tired of pretending? Living walled up? Going only skin deep? Craig Groeschel, pastor of the thriving LifeChurch.tv, sure was. And in his refreshingly raw and real book, he comes clean. Not that he has anything other than typical, human stuff to confess. Check out a few of his musings: I have to work hard to stay sexually pure, I hate prayer meetings, sometimes I doubt God , and I can’t stand a lot of Christians . Through his incredible honesty, he opens the door for you to follow suit. Are you ready to dig deep and let God shine through the genuine you? No more living just to please others. No more hiding. You can be who God called you to be. You can live for an audience of One.
Is the real you getting lost
because the fake you is just so annoyingly
impressive?
“Stepping onto the platform to preach that morning, I admitted to myself that I was not a pastor first, but a regular, scared, insecure, everyday guy whose life had been changed by Jesus. And if Jesus really loved me as I was (I knew He did), then why should I go on trying to be someone I wasn’t?”
Why do we fake it so much? Why do we spend so much time trying to please everyone else and make so little effort trying to please God? When Craig Groeschel asked himself those questions, he couldn’t come up with a good answer. So one day he decided to drop the act and start getting real. With that one choice, his life began to change in a big way. And yours can too. Craig’s passionate, funny, warts-and-all confessions—and the lessons he learned from them—will help you find your own path to authentic living and a deeper relationship with God (you know He’s on to you anyway!).
Story Behind the Book
“For too many years my life had been a show—my lines well rehearsed and every performance polished. By college, I played so many different roles I lost track of the real me. I began to wonder if there was a real me. Exhausted from playing the parts, I finally took off the masks—and met a God who loved me unconditionally. Confessions of a Pastor reveals in graphic detail my inner struggles, questions, doubts, and fears—to inspire others to abandon lives of pretending—and to meet the authentic love of God like never before.” — Craig Groeschel
Are you tired of pretending? Living walled up? Going only skin deep? Craig Groeschel, pastor of the thriving LifeChurch.tv, sure was. And in his refreshingly raw and real book, he comes clean. Not that he has anything other than typical, human stuff to confess. Check out a few of his musings: I have to work hard to stay sexually pure, I hate prayer meetings, sometimes I doubt God , and I can’t stand a lot of Christians . Through his incredible honesty, he opens the door for you to follow suit. Are you ready to dig deep and let God shine through the genuine you? No more living just to please others. No more hiding. You can be who God called you to be. You can live for an audience of One.
Is the real you getting lost
because the fake you is just so annoyingly
impressive?
“Stepping onto the platform to preach that morning, I admitted to myself that I was not a pastor first, but a regular, scared, insecure, everyday guy whose life had been changed by Jesus. And if Jesus really loved me as I was (I knew He did), then why should I go on trying to be someone I wasn’t?”
Why do we fake it so much? Why do we spend so much time trying to please everyone else and make so little effort trying to please God? When Craig Groeschel asked himself those questions, he couldn’t come up with a good answer. So one day he decided to drop the act and start getting real. With that one choice, his life began to change in a big way. And yours can too. Craig’s passionate, funny, warts-and-all confessions—and the lessons he learned from them—will help you find your own path to authentic living and a deeper relationship with God (you know He’s on to you anyway!).
Story Behind the Book
“For too many years my life had been a show—my lines well rehearsed and every performance polished. By college, I played so many different roles I lost track of the real me. I began to wonder if there was a real me. Exhausted from playing the parts, I finally took off the masks—and met a God who loved me unconditionally. Confessions of a Pastor reveals in graphic detail my inner struggles, questions, doubts, and fears—to inspire others to abandon lives of pretending—and to meet the authentic love of God like never before.” — Craig Groeschel
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
10 people are currently reading
427 people want to read
About the author
Craig Groeschel
98 books1,660 followersCraig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, a multisite church with locations throughout the United States and globally at Life.Church Online.
Craig and his wife Amy started Life.Church in a two-car garage in Edmond, Oklahoma in January 1996. While Life.Church has grown over the years, its mission remains the same: to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Today, the church is known for its innovative use of technology to spread the Gospel, launching the first fully digital church experience in 2006 and the most downloaded Bible app in history, YouVersion, in 2008.
As a widely respected leader in the Church, Craig speaks frequently at leadership events and conferences worldwide. He is a New York Times best-selling author with books about topics like dating and marriage, social media, purpose, direction, church leadership, and more. He also hosts the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, a practical tool to spark new ideas and prompt innovative thinking in leaders at every level within any organization.
Craig and Amy married in 1991 and have six children. They live in Oklahoma where Life.Church began.
Visit www.craiggroeschel.com to be the first to hear about new podcast episodes, books, leadership events, and more.
Craig and his wife Amy started Life.Church in a two-car garage in Edmond, Oklahoma in January 1996. While Life.Church has grown over the years, its mission remains the same: to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Today, the church is known for its innovative use of technology to spread the Gospel, launching the first fully digital church experience in 2006 and the most downloaded Bible app in history, YouVersion, in 2008.
As a widely respected leader in the Church, Craig speaks frequently at leadership events and conferences worldwide. He is a New York Times best-selling author with books about topics like dating and marriage, social media, purpose, direction, church leadership, and more. He also hosts the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, a practical tool to spark new ideas and prompt innovative thinking in leaders at every level within any organization.
Craig and Amy married in 1991 and have six children. They live in Oklahoma where Life.Church began.
Visit www.craiggroeschel.com to be the first to hear about new podcast episodes, books, leadership events, and more.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 13, 2020
Groeschel writes with a light touch. Though not a mega-church pastor I could identify with a number of his "confessions". Although a re-read (first read a decade ago), it was encouraging to me at this point in my life.
June 24, 2014
Craig Groeschel's sermon is heard every week in not just one church, or a few churches, but in twelve locations across the United States. He is the founder of LifeChurch.tv, which boasts forty worship experiences each week. Therefore, he must be nearly perfect, right? I mean, everyone expects their pastor to at least uphold an image of sinlessness.
Well, wrong. Groeschel's second book, Confessions of a Pastor, explains how he endures each and every challenge that your normal, run-of-the-mill Christian faces. He explores the issues in chapters devoted to his struggle with lust, fear, not liking some Christians, and dealing with criticism, among others. Each chapter is written simply and tells Groeschel's story of his pursuit of perfection in dealing with the struggle. While he knows he will never achieve perfection, his comments and ideas on enduring battles with Satan are insightful and easy to understand.
My favorite passage spoke on how God is not fair. Groeschel, as he does in many chapters, starts with a personal anecdote. His brother-in-law died young from cancer, and this plagued the author regarding how God could let that happen. His conclusion is: 'If God were fair, I'd get what my sins deserve. I praise Him that He's not fair ... God is just, but He's not fair. If He were fair, I'd have to suffer ... forever.' Such simple but poignant statements characterize this wonderful book, which I would classify as a must-read for any Christ-follower.
Well, wrong. Groeschel's second book, Confessions of a Pastor, explains how he endures each and every challenge that your normal, run-of-the-mill Christian faces. He explores the issues in chapters devoted to his struggle with lust, fear, not liking some Christians, and dealing with criticism, among others. Each chapter is written simply and tells Groeschel's story of his pursuit of perfection in dealing with the struggle. While he knows he will never achieve perfection, his comments and ideas on enduring battles with Satan are insightful and easy to understand.
My favorite passage spoke on how God is not fair. Groeschel, as he does in many chapters, starts with a personal anecdote. His brother-in-law died young from cancer, and this plagued the author regarding how God could let that happen. His conclusion is: 'If God were fair, I'd get what my sins deserve. I praise Him that He's not fair ... God is just, but He's not fair. If He were fair, I'd have to suffer ... forever.' Such simple but poignant statements characterize this wonderful book, which I would classify as a must-read for any Christ-follower.
May 18, 2013
This book is outstanding! It isn't just for pastors. It is for everybody. Craig(I feel after reading this book, I can call him by his first name) is transparently honest about what he has faced.This is not a "Why Me?" book but a tool to help us defeat our struggles,grow in understanding and grow in leaps and bounds,if we decide to step out and do so. I loved it! Loved it! Loved it! I will read this one again for it is one of those books that can bless, step on your toes and encourage you over and over,if you will let it! Thank you so much Craig! This was and is truly a blessing.
July 30, 2011
Great book! His honesty shows we are are all human. Definitely worth reading!
April 25, 2018
Confessions of a Pastor by Craig Groeschel is an example of where my system for picking books to read has failed me. I bought it because I have appreciated his other writing (especially The Christian Atheist and #Struggles) and it was on sale. The $4 I paid for it was too much. The book was a total bait and switch. The title is provocative and the author makes much noise about being “authentic” and “dropping the pose and getting real with God” (the book’s subtitle), but I found myself cringing more often than nodding my head. The bait here is the promise of an inside peek at a pastor’s real thoughts on Christians and church life. But the book actually ends up trying to be about progressive sanctification. Which would make for a great book, if the topif was given its full due and not forced to play the role of a priest in the confession booth. I’m not opposed to pastors talking about their personal struggles and sin issues, but airing dirty laundry about specific people and specific churches in public is bad form at best, gossip at worst. Time and place mean everything sometimes and this is one of those times. Craig Groeschel wants you to know he isn’t a perfect pastor. I appreciate that, because I’m not either. But there is a fine line between being authentic and being voyeuristic, and your congregation is not intended by God to be your counselor or confessor. Kind of the opposite most of the time, actually.
March 17, 2017
INTRO: I had been living a lie. I want to encourage you to put down the masks and claim the real you. In seminary, I was taught to keep your hard up and "the pastor's mystique" because people don't want to know their pastor is a normal guy. But God knows the inside. I confessed to my church that I was "a full-time pastor and part-time follower of Christ" and we gathered at the ALTAR to repent. Then I became a full-time follower of Christ and a part-time pastor.
CH1: I can't stand Christians because they are judgmental, hypocritical and create laws. But I hate myself the most for failing to be holy and saying stupid things. My actions and attitude need to change.
CH2: I have to work hard to stay sexually pure.
CH3: I feel lonely a lot. I was fake and that took energy. I didn't trust anyone.
CH4: I hate prayer meetings. I pray "attention deficit disorder" prayers.
CH5: I worry all the time.
CH6: Sometimes I doubt God.
CH7: I feed inadequate.
CH8: I am terrible at receiving criticism.
CH9: I'm afraid to fail.
So drop the act and admit your failures and support one another.
CH1: I can't stand Christians because they are judgmental, hypocritical and create laws. But I hate myself the most for failing to be holy and saying stupid things. My actions and attitude need to change.
CH2: I have to work hard to stay sexually pure.
CH3: I feel lonely a lot. I was fake and that took energy. I didn't trust anyone.
CH4: I hate prayer meetings. I pray "attention deficit disorder" prayers.
CH5: I worry all the time.
CH6: Sometimes I doubt God.
CH7: I feed inadequate.
CH8: I am terrible at receiving criticism.
CH9: I'm afraid to fail.
So drop the act and admit your failures and support one another.
January 24, 2023
Main themes:
- Pastors are "human" too and they struggle with the same issues, fears and doubts as lay people.
- We all need to be honest with each other about our weaknesses. Living openly and transparently is the best path to relationship with God and other people
I didn't find anything new or earth-shattering in this book, but I appreciated Craig's openness and willingness to share his weaknesses. This as a good framework for exploring many of the struggles we all face.
One observation (not a criticism though): this book, like many other Christian living books in the genre, contains a lot of humorous asides and folksy comments that don't really contribute to the ideas in the book. My feeling is that CL authors like to include these as a way to soften the message and not appear too preachy.
- Pastors are "human" too and they struggle with the same issues, fears and doubts as lay people.
- We all need to be honest with each other about our weaknesses. Living openly and transparently is the best path to relationship with God and other people
I didn't find anything new or earth-shattering in this book, but I appreciated Craig's openness and willingness to share his weaknesses. This as a good framework for exploring many of the struggles we all face.
One observation (not a criticism though): this book, like many other Christian living books in the genre, contains a lot of humorous asides and folksy comments that don't really contribute to the ideas in the book. My feeling is that CL authors like to include these as a way to soften the message and not appear too preachy.
November 1, 2018
This book has changed my life. I can relate to every topic Craig discusses. It is so refreshing reading such honesty. I absolutely think this book is applicable to anyone, not just leaders in ministry. As I read it, I laughed, I cried, I reflected, prayed and most importantly feel a closeness to Christ that I didn't feel before.
Thanks you Pastor Craig for your vulnerability and truth in the Word.
Thanks you Pastor Craig for your vulnerability and truth in the Word.
October 17, 2017
Sensacional! Desmascara e ajuda nas questões de pecado implícito que, em quase 100% dos casos, atrapalham e muito a caminhada cristã.
Alem disso, é um livro extremamente encorajador, auxiliar a combater os medos cotidianos e subjetivos, traz uma linguagem super acessível, sem contar que o pastor Craig tem um senso de humor aguçado.
Recomendo e muito a leitura.
Alem disso, é um livro extremamente encorajador, auxiliar a combater os medos cotidianos e subjetivos, traz uma linguagem super acessível, sem contar que o pastor Craig tem um senso de humor aguçado.
Recomendo e muito a leitura.
June 21, 2021
Honestly, this is an amazing book that made me feel soooo much better about a lot of my own thoughts, actions or lack there of, and decisions. I will be passing this book around to everyone I know! Highly recommend.
July 19, 2017
i read this about 8 years ago! This is a must read for anyone in ministry or with an opinion about your pastors :) Read this at a very necessary time during our pastor in days.
February 5, 2015
Even though written to the church members when I read it first I saw this book as a fellow pastor being honest about his inner attitudes and feelings. I appreciate Pastor Craig's honesty. A great look into important issues of heart and attitudes in the lives of Christians. We had created a Chrisitian culture where at times we act "Christian" when the inner man is not an agreement. These chapters will challenge one to look with honesty and at times with humor on your own self and find a way to reconcile with God and brethren. As many books by the author they were inspired by a sermon series, but the book looks at a number of issues not touched ninth sermons.
June 23, 2008
I like Craig. Of course, he is the preacher/teacher I choose to listen to every Sunday so I may be biased. This is a very honest and challenging book. He encourages one to rethink how you live and what choices you make.
July 18, 2008
eh...... I hoped for a lot more from this book. It's "honest," I guess, but it didn't seem to have much depth to me. I'm in a different place, I guess. I probably would have liked the book a lot more 15 years ago.
March 19, 2014
I liked this book but felt like I could have read the table of contents and gotten almost as much out of it. I think it's a great book for "normal" people in the pews to understand their pastor(s) - seeing them as pretty "normal" too.
August 4, 2014
This was my first introduction to Craig Groeschel. I very much appreciate his candor and transparency and the way that he openly shares how God has faithfully helped him to deal with struggles that are common to many of us.
September 21, 2007
This book was incredible. It hit me exactly were it needed to. Truely made me realize I am not alone in my world. Definate read for all pastors.
December 17, 2007
I loved Craig's humor and his brutal honesty. I would read this one again.
January 25, 2008
The pastor of lifechurch.tv blew me away with his brutal honesty in this book. I love everything that I've seen come out of lifechurch.tv, and Craig's books are no exception.
March 17, 2008
Have a friend that is a pastor. Have a pastor. Want to be a pastor. Read this book.
September 15, 2008
Very honest look at life in Christ. Not just about or for pastors.
December 12, 2008
This is a humorous book by my own pastor. I really enjoy his books and his sense of humor but also his straight forward way of telling you things.
January 3, 2009
Was an enjoyable book. Easy to read.
January 14, 2009
He's a much better pastor than author.
jbna
jbna
February 24, 2009
Must read!
July 15, 2009
Great books for Christians and church leaders. Plain talk.
April 8, 2010
I liked this book because Craig Groeschel - Pastor of LifeChurch.tv ask some good questions.. Like I can't stand a lot of Christians. A good book to read before Easter
June 28, 2010
Everything I have thought is true!
July 18, 2010
I read this at the same time that I was reading Craig's newest book Christian Athiest. This is a great book too. I love how raw and real Craig gets to expose himself as just a man. Loved it.
July 21, 2010
Honest and transparent. Groschel's frankness will motivate you to clean the closet and live a life without secrets.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews