📬 This Post Originally Appeared on The Pastor’s Porch
You’re reading a repost from my weekly Substack newsletter, The Pastor’s Porch. Each week, I share devotions, reflections, and honest words from the front porch of a rural pastor. Subscribe for free to get them straight to your inbox.
Welcome to The Pastor’s Porch
Devotions and reflections from a rural pastor’s front porch
Hi, I’m Adam. For a guy who doesn’t do hats, I seem to wear quite a few of them: husband, dad to five, bi-vocational pastor in Southeast Ohio, a maker of tax maps for my county, and most importantly, a follower of Jesus. My life can be loud, exhausting, and beautiful— all at once. I imagine yours might be that way, too.
Whether you’re a fellow pastor, a weary believer, or someone just looking for some encouragement, I hope you find this “porch” a place to breathe.
Where It All Began
So it all happened for me back during the COVID lockdowns. See, I’ve always been an introvert, so the idea of staying home and away from other people kind of appealed to me at first. And then I realized how lonely I really was. Don’t get me wrong, in a house of 7 people, you’re never really by yourself. But I felt alone. I didn’t realize how much I needed those little interactions with people at the gas station or grocery store, the pickup line at school, or the handshake from a senior saint at church.
It was during this time that Jerald messaged me on social media. I didn’t really know Jerald; we simply became friends because we were both pastors in the same denomination. And he messaged me out of the blue and asked if he could stop by someday. Let me reiterate: I am an introvert. Here is a guy I’ve never met who wants to come to my house during a pandemic. He is from another state, which we Ohioans lovingly refer to as “that state up north.” And he spelled his name with a J. So he’s already struck out.
I mentioned it to my wife, Christina, and she had me make sure the guy’s not going to kill me. He promised not to, so sure. Let’s put the meeting on the calendar. Just in case, Christina and the kids would go to town and drive through for some ice cream.
Turns out, Jerald had been on a retreat not too far from where I live, and he had seen some of my posts on social media and felt that we could be kindred souls. He seemed like a nice guy with a big heart. It’s not his fault that his parents couldn’t spell. He felt that the Lord wanted him to visit me. I was a little taken aback by that. I’ve seen far too many people abuse that phrase “this might seem weird, but God told me…”
But as our visit continued on my front porch, I felt convinced that God did send Jerald to my house that day; it was a divine appointment. It was silly to be scared of a visit from someone who wanted to make friends. I felt foolish for being hesitant. God used that front porch visit to show me what I was desperately in need of: connection. Connection both to Jesus and to other Jesus followers. Here I was, a minister who had allowed the chaos of a chaotic year to crowd out what was most important.
What You Can Expect
Each week (usually Monday), I’ll share:
🪑 A devotional or reflection rooted in Scripture
🌾 Encouragement from the small/rural church perspective
🤲 Occasional glimpses behind the scenes of ministry and family life
Sometimes the words will be raw. Sometimes they’ll be funny. But I promise they’ll be real — and written with you in mind.
This Week’s First Issue 🎉
We’re celebrating the launch with a great offer! You can get a FREE download of my new 7-day devotional:
🕊️ Still Waters: A Devotional for Weary Souls
You can read more about it here or get it directly when you subscribe to the newsletter.
It’s available as an eBook on Amazon for $5.99 and on my site for $4.99 — but you can get it FREE just by subscribing.
I’d Love to Hear From You
Have a topic you’d love to see covered? Questions or comments? Just reply — I read every one.
Thanks for joining me on the porch.
Grace and peace,
Adam
Adam Will 