Peter said to Jesus, rabbi, it's good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He didn't know what else to say. They were so frightened. Then a cloud appeared, and a voice came from the cloud. This is my son whom I love. Listen to him. Mark. Nine, five, seven. The year was 1890. The pastor of the Woodward Avenue Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, had been away on vacation in Europe, and while he was gone, the Sunday sermons were preached by Doctor John A. Broaddus. Broadus was an extremely gifted preacher, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the author of on the preparation and Delivery of sermons, one of the most popular textbooks ever published on the subject of preaching. Huge crowds came to hear Broaddus preach each Sunday. News reports told of standing room only crowds in the church building that was filled to overflowing. Broadus preached his last sermon at Woodward Avenue on Sunday, September 3, 1890, and the following headline appeared in the September 4 edition of the local paper. Hundreds again unable to find seats to hear Doctor Broaddus, the tagline below read, Pastor Henderson will resume his work next Sunday. How would you like to have been in Pastor Henderson's shoes on September 10, Peter, James, and John, who had accompanied Jesus up the mountain, where they witnessed not only Jesus transfiguration, but also the presence of Moses the great Lawgiver and Elijah the great prophet. Being in the presence of such greatness was a little overwhelming, but God spoke out of the cloud and essentially said, fellas, I'm glad you enjoyed this mountaintop experience, and I can understand how you're a bit wowed by the presence of these great men. You're probably worried that you'll never live up to the reputation of these guys. But here's the thing. It's not about you, and it's not about them. Jesus, focus on him. That's what Pastor Henderson needed to do. His task was not to match the preaching skills of Doctor Broadus. His task was to simply preach Jesus. Do you ever feel like you can't measure up to others around you? Do you ever feel as though everyone is watching you, comparing you to someone else, ready to point out every little mistake you make? Listen, just point people to Jesus with your words and your life. Remember, it's not about you. It's all about him.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to dailythoughtspodcastmail.com dot have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.