8 Things I Want To Share

1. Thank you for the birthday wishes, gifts and surprise on Wednesday night! I was unexpectedly blessed to spend a couple of days with my family in Chicago. The weather was great and the pizza was delicious! I was asked if 41 is just as fabulous as 40...well...I have to say YES it is! :-)
2. A couple of days ago, we received word that our Transportation Ministry shared 31 loaves of bread in less than an hour with families at an area apartment complex. I love hearing reports of our people who are constantly sharing Jesus in practical ways! Contact Bruce and Marsha Sanders at transportationmin@bfwc.net.
3. Last night our team of volunteers shared Jesus with 70 people at our Food Pantry Outreach! I'm so proud of this team! Every month they model the love of God through serving others. Want to get involved in this ministry? Contact Fred and Hart Kelso at foodpantry@bfwc.net.
4. We are currently in two series:
• COVENANT CONNECTION on Sunday's.
• Week #1 The Power of the Blood of Jesus
• Week #2 The Foundation of Covenant
• THE BEATITUDES on Wednesday's.
• Week #1 The Development of Character and Virtue
• Week #2 The Poor in Spirit Are Powerful
5. On Sunday we were thrilled to have our new CARE Pastors, Leeroy and Maxine Hill, in the 11 AM service. We spoke about the timeline of them completely moving to Indianapolis was contingent on the sale of their home. We prophesied it to happen this week. Well...THAT WAS SUNDAY...and on TUESDAY it SOLD! We are excited about this addition to our team and look forward to their move.
6. Most of our kids went back to school this week. It's a new season and families are getting back into the swing of things. We were blessed to receive backpacks for grade school kids and thrilled to pass them out to families who could get good use out of them. Special thanks to several families in our church who allowed God to use them to buy school supplies.
7. Tomorrow our Sports Ministry will be hosting a Community Rummage Sale from 8:00 - 1:00 pm in the church parking lot. Come early for the best deals! Also,we'll have concessions on hand - so bring your wallet and checkbook. FYI: parking will flow through the north entrance (closest to McClures Gas Station).
8. The Joy of Pastoring...it's a joy to lead this growing congregation. Beverly and I are appreciative of your prayers and continual encouragement.
• I spoke with a Pastor recently who said, "I've only been pastoring a short time but in that time I have felt like giving up several times. Does it get any easier?" I shared with him that it's absolutely normal to think about throwing in the towel at times...usually on Monday morning...LOL. To answer the question...the answer is NO...It doesn't get any easier...especially as the church grows.
• I LOVE MINISTRY even more today than I did when I began preaching 25 years ago...but each step has become way more challenging and difficult than ever.
• The spiritual warfare has become a lot more intense...if I shared the things that have happened, some people wouldn't believe me.
• There has been lots of sleepless nights as I've been woken up out of sleep to pray about the next step the church is going to take...or, often times, to pray for specific people in the church.
• The criticism has increased as people have said things about me that they would not say to their worst enemy...I've been misquoted, misrepresented and misunderstood.
• The relationships have gotten better...and worse. People have left the church because "they could not be close to me anymore" or "I preach too hard and expect people to live too holy." And it always hurts when people leave...always.
• How I manage my time has become WAY more challenging...it was easier in the earlier days...but it's a challenge to balance home and a growing church.
• It doesn't get easier. I've found that people want me to PASTOR them...UNTIL I HAVE TO PASTOR THEM.
• They want me to perform their weddings, dedicate their children, preach their funerals, pray for them during their sickness, counsel them during life's toughest moments...BUT...get upset when I question their absence, call out bad attitudes, correct sinful behavior and hold them accountable. It's then that they don't like the correction they receive or the instruction their given.
• It doesn't get easier...but then again I don't think it is supposed to. The only way it will ever get easier is if you finally lose your passion and desire to honor God above everyone and everything else and you cower in to the personal preferences of people.
• It never has gotten easier...but...it has gotten better...
• It is worth it when I see people far from God open their lives to the call of Jesus and surrender to Him.
• It is worth it when I see a marriage restored.
• It is worth it when I begin to see people develop and grow spiritually.
• It is worth it when I see the kids coming to church...and LOVING IT!
• It is worth it when I see teenagers who sell out to Jesus and make Him the priority in their life.
• It is worth it when I see singles begin to highly value the covenant of marriage and refuse to settle for anything less than God's best.
• It is worth it when I see God's kingdom advance and the gates of Hell are pushed back just a little further!
• It's worth it! It doesn't get easier...but it gets better...and we should never give up because...one day we will stand in front of Jesus...He had an assignment much tougher than ours and He didn't give up! He's worth it!