In this episode of Rural Pastors Talk, Joe Wagner, Josh MacClaren, and CJ Dematatis open with a humorous “Pastoralax” skit before diving into what makes pastors grumpy and why a “holy heart check” matters in rural ministry. 

They share personal stories including travel fatigue and traffic, tightly planned schedules getting disrupted, last-minute Sunday volunteer changes, losing a preaching slot, and discouragement over a church building situation and how the Lord used Exodus (especially Israel’s grumbling) and Scripture to expose pride, discontentment, and doubts about God’s sovereignty. 

The guys discuss how grumpiness can poison a rural church by resisting change, harming welcome, and creating rifts, and they encourage drawing close to grumpy members with patience, good questions, prayer, and self-examination. They recommend Jerry Bridges’ The Discipline of Grace and close with a Spurgeon quote on catechizing your own heart.