an act of worship

Summer is challenging for pastors' wives. There is campmeeting, conferences, youth camp, weddings, graduations, and juggling family activities with church functions. For some, like me, this summer may mean a ministry move. Since the church year ends in the spring, most pastoral changes take place in the summer. So, we can add packing and resettling to that list as well.

No matter what is on our ministry horizon, you and I have to keep the focus clear. We are called to serve -- not just congregations, but Christ. Every part of ministry is an offering to Him. I want mine to be fragrant, so that my life is a daily act of worship.

a ministry footprint

Ministry is about footprints.

No two ministry couples are the same; the pattern they follow and the imprint they make are different--as different as the Spirit's gifts which they embody.

On the shores of life, the pastor and his wife walk together, hand in hand, inviting others along on the the journey with Christ. The castles they build along the way are subject to the waves, but the impact of their lives is grounded on the Rock.

Just as Jesus left His prints for us to follow, we are to leave a set of tracks behind us that point the way, not to a sandy beach, but to a heavenly destination.

May the path of our ministry lead to an ever deeper knowledge of Christ.

But the path of the just is like the shining sun,

That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. (Proverbs 4:18, NKJV)

revivals and renewals

We just need to hear it again, a different way, in a new voice.

I was telling a friend just the other day how I think my kids get so used to Mom's voice that they subconsciously tune me out. I demand respect and obedience, but sometimes I don't think they ever hear me. Their ears have become so attuned to the "mom" frequency that it kind of flies over them. Let Dad say the same thing and. whoa!, they hear him. It's the power of a new timbre and different presentation.

Ditto for church. The principles we've heard all our lives get a little distant when we never hear them presented differently. That's part of the wonder of having a guest speaker. God's message can be heard with a different tone, different flair, with new energy, and great power.

There are many reasons are important, but giving our ears a little "wake-up call" is a pretty good one.

for today

Pastoring is a journey, a kaleidoscope, a carousel, a ministry built on the ebb and flow of life. Each of us plugged into this awesome partnership with God are amazed at the delights and the stresses.

Times have always been changing; people have always been suffering; problems have always been challenging.

No matter the generation in which we minister, we are to remember that God has placed us here "for such a time as this." There is no period of history in which our particular ministry would be more effective. We are placed here today.