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October 7, 2024

Live Your Passion?

Joshua Tufte

What drives you in life?

Is it your ability to provide financially for yourself or your loved ones? Perhaps your children or spouse play a pivotal role in motivating you? Maybe it’s the pursuit of achieving some significant goal that you have dreamt of for your entire life, something that fuels your desire for a better future.


For most people, passion is the essential element, the “IT” that propels them forward in life. When someone possesses a deep-seated passion, they will bravely work through discomfort, push past pain, and strive far beyond what many rational-minded individuals would define as a typical or normal existence. Passion becomes a necessary ingredient for anyone seeking to evolve from the ordinary to the extraordinary in any aspect of their life, whether it's in their career, relationships, or personal growth.


Simon Sinek, a renowned author on leadership and motivation, would refer to passion as our “WHY.” This intrinsic motivation is what explains why we get out of bed each morning, why we work late into the night, why we overcome countless obstacles, and why we continue to push ourselves even when we feel utterly exhausted.


However, when someone loses sight of their “why,” or when that reason for being seems to evaporate, their passion can quickly diminish or even die. We witnessed this phenomenon in stark detail during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many individuals, who were previously driven by factors such as financial success, established personal routines, meaningful social interactions, and a host of other motivating elements, found themselves feeling listless and adrift, struggling to find purpose while being confined at home. The absence of passion left a void that made everyday life feel overwhelmingly challenging.


Here at Passion Church our WHY is simple, but not easy. We get it straight from the Bible in the book of Matthew, chapter 28 and verses 18-20.


18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20 NIV


This is what is known by many as the Great Commission. It's why our church exists and why most others do as well. We express this through our mission statement saying "We exist to reach people far from God." The only thing that differs is how we go about this mission, not the mission itself.


The way we do this here at Passion Church in Kernersville is through relationships that start with Grace and lead to Truth. That means every event, service, blog, video, and beyond is designed to create an environment where relationships can flourish with other people and God. We are passionate about this and will not be swayed from our goal. 


So, I'll ask again, what drives you? 


Is it something that will last into eternity based on a God that never changes or something that will be swept away in the next pandemic, recession, health struggle, or job change?


If you are passionate about God and People, if you want something in your life that will last beyond your time here on earth, and if God is calling you to step out of your comfort zone, I want to invite you to join us at Passion Church.


Let's go make a difference together!


To get connected with us, Click Here


Josh Tufte

Lead Pastor

Passion Church

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Mortification is a massive part of leadership. Whether your leadership role is in your home, your workplace, or beyond, people are watching. And as Christians, we are often under a level of scrutiny that feels heavy and constant. How do we walk through fires in life? How do we deal with frustration, lose our tempers, face addictions, shortcomings, and failures? The scenarios are endless, moments where others are watching. And whether we want to admit it or not, they are looking to us to see who Jesus Christ is… or at least to watch us fail. So the question isn’t whether or not we are leading someone. The real question is: what are we leading them toward, and is it worthwhile? And even when we choose to pick up that mantle, that responsibility, we still mess up. Sometimes in very public ways. Sometimes in ways that leave us mortified at our own actions. Sometimes accidental. Sometimes intentional. Sometimes deeply hurtful, until we stop and realize the damage that’s been done. For me personally, I’m no stranger to embarrassment. In many cases, it’s not intentional failure; it’s things that slip through the cracks. Missed appointments. Texts that go unanswered for weeks because they slipped my mind. But then there are the bigger failures, the ones everyone else gets to see. Being a pastor is a lot like living in a fishbowl. And when there’s something wrong in the water, everyone notices, and everyone has something to say about it. I’ve grieved my sister’s loss in front of hundreds of people. I walked through a divorce while pastoring a church of several hundred people and was well-known in the community. I’ve been stopped in Walmart and told how evil I was, because, of course, it happened at Walmart. From that, and too many other situations to list- I’ve learned a few things. 1. Thick Skin Is Not Optional If you are going to put yourself out there and lead in any capacity, someone will have a problem with you. Most likely, multiple people will. And often, they will be people who don’t fully understand what’s actually going on—but know just enough to say something that stings. If I’m honest, that’s frustrating. Because sometimes these are people who contribute nothing to your life, yet their words still hurt. And that can make you even more upset. So you have to learn to prioritize who you listen to and who you work for. Pick five people. Five voices that truly matter. Make sure they are mature, close to you, and trustworthy. Don’t give this privilege to just anyone. Choose people who know you, who love you, and who are willing to speak truth into your life. Then remember who you are ultimately leading for: Christ first, Family second, Friends and those who don’t know Christ next. When you align who you listen to and who you’re doing this for, the hard days don’t necessarily get easier, but they do gain purpose. 2. Approval Is a Trap You Can’t Win Working for the approval of others while leading is a battle you will never win. It’s incredibly easy to fall into the trap of doing what you do because it feels good to be needed… and praised. I’ll be honest, there’s real joy and fulfillment in providing value to others. There’s something deeply satisfying about helping people, leading well, and seeing impact. But that can’t be your driving force. Because there will always come a moment when you do something people don’t like, and they will leave. Often loudly. Sometimes angrily. Take joy, even healthy pride, in leading and serving well. But don’t let feedback define you. Christ should define you. At the end of the day, when my life is over, I want to stand before Jesus and, God willing, hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” That hope drives me. It gives me purpose. It pushes me forward. And yes, there are people who believe that will never be said about me. Some with reasons. Some without knowing the full story. But that’s okay. They are not my audience. Jesus Christ is. And when that perspective shifts, everything changes. 3. Bravery Is Not Optional Whether your leadership role is parenting, pastoring, or leading in a boardroom, you will fail publicly at some point. Why? Because leadership requires risk. And risk is necessary. Pushing limits is good, and stepping out in faith is essential. But sometimes, it will go badly. It takes real bravery to take those risks, knowing you might fail, and to choose to do it anyway. One of the best ways to build that bravery is to remember your wins. Not to inflate your ego, but to remind yourself that failure isn’t the full story. Final Thought Time heals more than we think. What feels like a massive, overwhelming failure right now, one year from now, most people won’t even remember. So don’t give up. Don’t shrink back. Don’t let failure convince you to stop leading. Because mistakes will happen. But they don’t have to define you. They can refine you. And if you keep moving forward, God can still use every part of your story, even the parts you wish never happened.

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How Do We Fix Anything? In a world full of war, politics, injustice, inequality, and beyond, how do we fix anything? Over the years, as a pastor, I’ve heard this question asked numerous times in various ways. It usually boils down to a deep sense that we can’t really affect anything. The world’s problems are overwhelming, and they always will be. With the advent of social media and global news at our fingertips, and every other media outlet constantly forcing headlines down our throats, it’s easy to feel helpless. How do we do anything about it? Eventually, many people land in a place of inevitability. The world is going to hell in a handbasket, and there’s nothing we can do about it. That mentality leads us to blame others, develop a defeatist outlook, become jaded and negative, and ultimately lose sight of what is actually important. One of the more recent conversations I had about this was with a very sharp, very driven young man in our church. He genuinely wanted to help. 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