"Let's stop and pray for that." "Let's talk about our feelings." "Are you struggling right now with sexual purity?" "Let's confess our sins to each other."
Such questions can be awkward to ask. But they can be awkward for one of two reasons-- one good, one bad.
Some pastors ask these questions because they are pop-therapist masquerading in the cloak of a clergy. They tend to be sentimental (def: "effusively or insincerely emotional") or simply like to talk about the touchy-feely inner workings of troubled people. Or, they think that just talking about the problems and "getting them out in the open" is the end-all solution to them.
Other pastors ask these questions because they are true shepherds and know that the wounds in God's people often need to be opened and cleaned before the bandage and medication of truth can be gently and powerfully applied. Truth changes us at our deepest places. Because of this, those deep places sometimes need to be exposed to the light through personal "word ministry" of another Christian.
An earlier post compared a pastor with a doctor. This is an extension on that thought. Going to the doctor can be awkward in the way it exposes parts of our body. Pastors can be awkward in the way they expose the heart and soul. But both of them are aiming at increasing and nurturing life.
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