Pastor Brown was sitting at his big desk, which proudly bore the sign Pastor and a small calendar. The complicated and complex plans had all been filed away long ago.

The pastor's clothing had changed radically over the last few months. Today he was dressed in blue jeans and a T-shirt, with tennis shoes. However, that did not matter. Nobody came to see him anyway.

The remains of the man just stared out into space. He was looking in the general direction of a graveyard on the far hillside, but he never saw it. He was deep in thought about nothing in particular. His mind would not focus. He tried to think about the new Sunday school campaign that he had kicked off last Sunday.

The campaign was a waste of time. It doesn't matter what I do, the church won't grow. Nothing can make this church grow.

Then he found something his mind would focus on -- Leaving. It was a most exciting thought. He wanted to leave this place, these people, leave everything. He quickly looked down at his calendar to find a good day to give notice. His eyes lit on the next week of services circled in red ink with the word Revival.

The revival had been the idea of the district superintendent as a way of getting things started. Pastor Brown had never met the evangelist, who had a booming ministry and was making quite a name for himself in the bigger churches, but he scheduled him anyway. There was no way to resign before that revival. It just would not go over well with his fellow ministers.

Pastor Brown thought, Maybe the week after. Yeah, that's it. That will be the fifteenth of November.

He carefully circled the fifteenth with the same red pen. Relief filled his mind as he sat back and looked at his desk. The decision brought relief to his tortured mind.

The pastor was leaning back in his chair when he heard the front door open and close.

A voice echoed from the auditorium, "Hello. Is anybody here? Hello."

Pastor Brown yelled a response, "Yeah, I'm in here! Come on back."

In a few moments the office door opened, and in stepped an elderly man, immaculately dressed in a three-piece-suit. The visitor's face was soft and pleasant, topped by a short patch of snow-white hair and a small well trimmed mustache. His size was quite intimidating. He stood over six feet tall with a broad chest and shoulders. The old man held a worn leatherbound Bible in his aging hands.

Pastor Brown recognized him instantly as a fellow minister, not by sight but by the feel of a common purpose. The man was just like Reverend Marshall had described him. He was confident, spiritual, and extremely comfortable with himself and his surroundings. There was little doubt that this was a man of God.

Quickly Pastor Brown bounced out of his chair to meet the visitor with excitement. "Greetings, Reverend Young. I've been expecting you. I've heard so much about you sir."

"Pastor Brown, isn't it?" the old man asked.

"Yes sir. Reverend Marshall must have told you about the situation here. Please, have a seat."

Pastor Brown pulled another chair to the desk.

"Well, I have been hearing some strange things. It sounds like it has been kind of tough, huh?"

The pastor leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. The deep depressed look came back to the pastor's face as he thought about the disappointments and discouragement of the last few months.

The seasoned man looked at him closely, reading the signs on his face as if they were words. Every wrinkle and every scowl was another page in the book.

"Want to talk about it?" The old man asked patiently. "Sometimes it helps to let it out."

"Well, I'm leaving," Pastor Brown blurted out.

The words just seemed to escape from his mouth. He had intended to keep his decision secret until after the revival, but it was too late now. He had blown it so he just looked at the old man.

"I see," the old man responded without expression. "Why don't you tell me about it?"

That was all Pastor Brown needed to start talking.

"Well, I haven't done a thing right since I got here. I had all of these plans and ideas, and every single one of them has backfired. I've worked as hard as I know how. I went to the library and researched all the various books. I've learned about management styles, growth strategies, even strategic management techniques. I am at the end of my rope. I don't know what else to do."

Tears appeared in his eyes as he continued.

"You know, when I first got here, I was going to turn this church upside down. I was going to visit every home in the poor districts that surround us. The children were begging to learn about God, and you know what? Everything was going well. I had even gotten the older members of our church to accept the younger visitors. Then the floor fell out from under me. I don't even know whom to blame."

The pastor continued describing the various incidents that had happened. A group of volunteers reaching out to the slum were attacked by a gang. The church bus had been vandalized. The church finances were so low that it was a strain to pay the pastor. The equipment in the church was old and failing. Last week, the furnace broke down. The estimated repair bill was five hundred dollars. Since the church didn't have the five hundred dollars, the services were going to have to be a little colder this winter.

The old man sat patiently and listened to the plight of the young pastor. He soaked it all in like a sponge. Periodically he nodded to show that he understood the point.

After about an hour the young pastor finished his story and sat silently. Together they looked out the window at the winter-torn countryside. The room was in total silence.

After a short period the old man turned to the young pastor and said, "Will you pray with me?"

Together they kneeled and prayed. The more they prayed, the more Pastor Brown felt the presence of the Lord. It was a feeling that he had missed for many months. He felt like a man who had been dying of thirst and was finally able to drink some water. He felt the Spirit of God as he heard himself start speaking in other tongues. The praise and worship of God was wonderful and fulfilling. They continued worshipping together for a long time.

Soon the old man sat up in his chair and looked out the window. Slowly Pastor Brown joined him. It was different now. The atmosphere was peaceful and calm. The deep turmoil that had been a part of the young pastor for all of these months was gone.

Then the old man spoke. "You know what I heard the most during your story?" He paused for a second. "I heard you saying the word 'I' a lot. It was 'I did this,' 'I did that,' or 'I thought of this plan.' You know, if I didn't know better I might think that you thought this church belonged to you."

"It does. This is my church!" the young pastor responded.

The old man silently looked at him for a moment. "Do you also save people?"

After another pause, he added, "You know, I would hate to think that I had to do all of God's work for Him."

The young pastor looked at him. "What are you trying to say?"

"I am saying that you are trying to do God's work by yourself. You have been fighting this battle in the natural. You have been trying to plan things your way. This church is God's. He can take care of it, if you will let Him. He has the money for your finances. He has angels to protect you. You need to give it back to Him."

Pastor Brown stared. He was caught completely off guard.

Since he had been taught to listen to his elders, he asked, "Do you mean that all the books I've been studying have been a waste of time?"

"I didn't say that. In fact, the Bible even says to study to show yourself approved. God has the master plan for each church. He has His design and mission. He will use your education and knowledge to accomplish His will. Why do you think God has placed you here?"

"Well, I've always thought that I was here to make this church grow."

"Yes, and it's easy to try operating in the natural, but remember, you are a Christian soldier, and as soldiers in His army, we don't fight against flesh and blood. Have you ever thought that maybe you are fighting something bigger than natural problems? "

The old man winked.

"All I know is that I can't seem to win. Everything just seems to collapse. The plans that should have worked just fizzle."

"Study your Bible and start fighting a spiritual war instead of fighting yourself. You will find it will be a lot more productive."

"Listen, it's getting about time for supper. Why don't you come over to our house for a bite? We can discuss it more tonight," Pastor Brown offered.

"No, I would love to, but I've got to handle some more errands. I want you to think about what we've talked about today. You've got what it takes to do a great work of God here, but you must let Him fight the battles."

Pastor Brown looked out the window.

"You know, some of the things that you're saying...."

The sky was still dreary, but the sun was starting to peek through the clouds. He turned around to face the old visitor, but no one else was in the room. Faintly, the pastor heard the front doors shut. He rushed out to catch the evangelist, but there was no sight of him.

Standing at the front door, he heard the phone ringing. As he walked back to the office, he thought about the conversation.

As the phone rang for the fourth time, he picked it up and said, "Hello."

"Yes, honey," his wife said, "I just got off the phone with Reverend Young, you know, the evangelist for next week. He said he has been delayed because of some family emergency in New York. He promised to be here for the first night service, okay?"

Pastor Brown was stunned. He cradled the phone against his ear.

"Yes, dear, thanks for letting me know."

He looked out the window in deep thought. This time his thoughts were focused. The stranger had said some important things that he had forgotten a long time ago.