Here's the simple truth. If you want to catch fish, you have to go where the fish are. Jesus understood that principle. As an avid Fisherman of men and women, Jesus went where the people were. In the opening verse of John 4, the apostle recorded, "[Jesus] left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria" (verses 3-4).
Had to pass through Samaria? Why? There were certainly other routes Jesus could have taken from Judea to the northern region of Galilee. But Jesus "had to pass through Samaria" because He had a divine appointment with a potential new "catch" for His kingdom. Instead of hanging out in a monastery with His disciples, Jesus was regularly hitting the pavement recruiting new converts. During the three brief years He spent here on earth, His goal was not isolation, but influence. And He urged us to adopt the same mind-set as well: "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? ... You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matthew 5:13-14).
3/31/08
3/28/08
From pastor.com (but true for all of us!)
Stress is just a part of ministry. If you don’t have any stress in your ministry, you’re probably not being very effective. You need a certain amount of stress in your life to accomplish anything. Stress is what gives you the energy, the effort, and the ability to actually accomplish what God has called you to do.
Take a violin for example. You have to put stress on the violin strings to make music. If you stress it just the right amount, it creates beautiful music. On the other hand, if you tighten it too tight, the strings snap.
Stress can be a problem for our ministry as well. When you get so stressed you feel like you’re ready to pop, that’s bad for your ministry. The Bible gives us four things we need to do when we’re stressed to a breaking point.
1. Release your frustrations.
Stress creates all kinds of negative emotions – like anxiety, worry, fear, guilt, shame, and depression. And it can create frustration as well. What do we typically do with that frustration? Instead of taking it to God, we push it down deeper inside of us. Then we just pretend everything is OK. We’re the pastor. We can’t let anyone see that we’re vulnerable.
But is that really what God wants? Does he want you to be a phony? Of course not. God wants you to be real. God understands your emotions. He created you and gave you the ability to feel what you do. So he wants you to express those emotions. The Bible says in Psalms 62:8, “Pour out your heart to God, for he is our refuge.” He wants us to just lay it all out to him. Whatever it is that you’re feeling, just tell him. Don’t repress your feelings of frustration, let them out.
2. Resist becoming bitter.
Bitterness is often a by-product of finding yourself stressed to the breaking point. You start thinking, “This stress is unfair. It shouldn’t be happening to me.” You can’t prevent hurt from coming into your life. Although you can’t control your circumstances, you can control your response to circumstances. At some point in your life, you have to decide whether you’re going to be bitter or happy. The sooner you make that choice the better. You can’t have both.
After many years of ministry, I’ve learned something about contentment. There’s no connection between circumstances and happiness. Most people want you to believe that there is. They want you to believe that if you were serving at a bigger church, had more money, or a nicer home, you’d be happy. But it’s a lie. We all know people who have it all and are unhappy. Obviously, it’s not a matter of circumstances. Happiness is a choice.
Hebrews 12:15 says, “Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you. It causes deep trouble, hurting many in their spiritual lives.” Bitterness never changes anything. But gratitude does. It’s the antidote to bitterness. Studies have shown that gratitude is the healthiest emotion that you can possibly have. When you feel like bitterness is taking over, you need to find something that you can be thankful for. You can’t be grateful and bitter at the same time.
3. Receive help from others.
It’s tempting to isolate yourself when you’re stressed out. That’s the last thing you should do! When you are at your breaking point, you need people in your life. You need people who will give you support, strength, and perspective.
Pastor, that’s why you need a support system. You may find that kind of support within your church family. You may need to find some other pastors in your community who can support you through stressful times. Regardless, you need a support system.
And you need to set up a support system before a crisis hits. If you wait until a crisis hits to try to find people to walk through it with you, it’ll probably be too late. One day you’ll hit the wall. Count on it. In your life and in your ministry, you’ll hit the wall many times. And when that happens, you need to have people you can count on.
4. Refocus on Christ.
When you get stressed, your life gets out of focus. You start looking at your problem and stop looking at Christ. All you can see is your pain. That’s when you need to get your focus off of yourself and on to Christ. That sounds good, but how do you do it? You do these three things:
Read God’s Word. God’s Word is a great stress reliever. Go through your Bible and underline verses that mean a lot to you. I have a study Bible that I use during my quiet times, but I also have a stress Bible as well. Every time I get stressed, I open up that Bible and read through the verses I have underlined.
Remember God’s goodness. Usually when we’re stressed, we’re focused on what’s wrong. And not only do we focus on the bad things in our life, but we exaggerate them. That’s exactly when we need to focus on the goodness of God. God is good. You need to remember that when you’re stressed out.
Rely on God’s power. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:9, “In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.” If God can raise a dead person, he can raise a dead marriage; he can raise a dead career; he can raise anything. He can turn things around that you think are hopeless. In times of stress, remember you’re in good hands with God.
Pastor, are you at a breaking point today? I don’t know what kind of pain you’re dealing with, but God does. He cares about you, and he cares about your ministry. Hang in there, release your frustration, resist becoming bitter, receive help from others, and refocus on Christ. Your most effective ministry may well be ahead of you.
Article by: Rick Warren
Take a violin for example. You have to put stress on the violin strings to make music. If you stress it just the right amount, it creates beautiful music. On the other hand, if you tighten it too tight, the strings snap.
Stress can be a problem for our ministry as well. When you get so stressed you feel like you’re ready to pop, that’s bad for your ministry. The Bible gives us four things we need to do when we’re stressed to a breaking point.
1. Release your frustrations.
Stress creates all kinds of negative emotions – like anxiety, worry, fear, guilt, shame, and depression. And it can create frustration as well. What do we typically do with that frustration? Instead of taking it to God, we push it down deeper inside of us. Then we just pretend everything is OK. We’re the pastor. We can’t let anyone see that we’re vulnerable.
But is that really what God wants? Does he want you to be a phony? Of course not. God wants you to be real. God understands your emotions. He created you and gave you the ability to feel what you do. So he wants you to express those emotions. The Bible says in Psalms 62:8, “Pour out your heart to God, for he is our refuge.” He wants us to just lay it all out to him. Whatever it is that you’re feeling, just tell him. Don’t repress your feelings of frustration, let them out.
2. Resist becoming bitter.
Bitterness is often a by-product of finding yourself stressed to the breaking point. You start thinking, “This stress is unfair. It shouldn’t be happening to me.” You can’t prevent hurt from coming into your life. Although you can’t control your circumstances, you can control your response to circumstances. At some point in your life, you have to decide whether you’re going to be bitter or happy. The sooner you make that choice the better. You can’t have both.
After many years of ministry, I’ve learned something about contentment. There’s no connection between circumstances and happiness. Most people want you to believe that there is. They want you to believe that if you were serving at a bigger church, had more money, or a nicer home, you’d be happy. But it’s a lie. We all know people who have it all and are unhappy. Obviously, it’s not a matter of circumstances. Happiness is a choice.
Hebrews 12:15 says, “Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you. It causes deep trouble, hurting many in their spiritual lives.” Bitterness never changes anything. But gratitude does. It’s the antidote to bitterness. Studies have shown that gratitude is the healthiest emotion that you can possibly have. When you feel like bitterness is taking over, you need to find something that you can be thankful for. You can’t be grateful and bitter at the same time.
3. Receive help from others.
It’s tempting to isolate yourself when you’re stressed out. That’s the last thing you should do! When you are at your breaking point, you need people in your life. You need people who will give you support, strength, and perspective.
Pastor, that’s why you need a support system. You may find that kind of support within your church family. You may need to find some other pastors in your community who can support you through stressful times. Regardless, you need a support system.
And you need to set up a support system before a crisis hits. If you wait until a crisis hits to try to find people to walk through it with you, it’ll probably be too late. One day you’ll hit the wall. Count on it. In your life and in your ministry, you’ll hit the wall many times. And when that happens, you need to have people you can count on.
4. Refocus on Christ.
When you get stressed, your life gets out of focus. You start looking at your problem and stop looking at Christ. All you can see is your pain. That’s when you need to get your focus off of yourself and on to Christ. That sounds good, but how do you do it? You do these three things:
Read God’s Word. God’s Word is a great stress reliever. Go through your Bible and underline verses that mean a lot to you. I have a study Bible that I use during my quiet times, but I also have a stress Bible as well. Every time I get stressed, I open up that Bible and read through the verses I have underlined.
Remember God’s goodness. Usually when we’re stressed, we’re focused on what’s wrong. And not only do we focus on the bad things in our life, but we exaggerate them. That’s exactly when we need to focus on the goodness of God. God is good. You need to remember that when you’re stressed out.
Rely on God’s power. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:9, “In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.” If God can raise a dead person, he can raise a dead marriage; he can raise a dead career; he can raise anything. He can turn things around that you think are hopeless. In times of stress, remember you’re in good hands with God.
Pastor, are you at a breaking point today? I don’t know what kind of pain you’re dealing with, but God does. He cares about you, and he cares about your ministry. Hang in there, release your frustration, resist becoming bitter, receive help from others, and refocus on Christ. Your most effective ministry may well be ahead of you.
Article by: Rick Warren
3/26/08
3/23/08
... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. -- Romans 3:23-24
No matter how hard we try, how good we are, and how much we work, we can never measure up to the only standard that matters --the glory of Almighty God. Thankfully, God doesn't require us to pretend to be what we are not -- perfect, spotless, and holy. Instead, God makes us to be these (cf. Colossians 1:21-23) by grace, through the gift of his Son who purchased our pardon and gave us his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Praise God. Praise our Savior, Christ Jesus. Now let's live with Jesus as our Lord; not to earn or secure our salvation, but to thank him for what he has so freely given us!
No matter how hard we try, how good we are, and how much we work, we can never measure up to the only standard that matters --the glory of Almighty God. Thankfully, God doesn't require us to pretend to be what we are not -- perfect, spotless, and holy. Instead, God makes us to be these (cf. Colossians 1:21-23) by grace, through the gift of his Son who purchased our pardon and gave us his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Praise God. Praise our Savior, Christ Jesus. Now let's live with Jesus as our Lord; not to earn or secure our salvation, but to thank him for what he has so freely given us!
3/22/08
3/21/08
3/20/08
3/19/08
3/15/08
"Women in ministry have enough antagonists out there, who for whatever reason don't think that you have a right to be called by God to serve in roles in ministry. But there are an awful lot of people who believe that you do. So expend your energy developing relationships that help your ministry grow, that help you do what it is God called you to do. There's so much work to keep you busy that we don't have energy, we don't need to waste energy, trying to deal with folks who want to see you fail."
3/14/08
3/13/08
You Can Use Me
Wednesday night, my Pastor gave us a message on being used by God to do His work. When you listen to the words sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir make it your prayer.
3/11/08
There is only one foundation on which the Church and the Christian life can be built. That foundation is Jesus Christ (1Peter 2:4-7; Ephesians 2:20). He is the one whom God sent to save us (John 3:16). He is the "way, the truth, and the life," the only way to God (John 14:6). The Lord Jesus Christ is the name above all names, the name at which every knee will bow (Philippians 2:5-11). His is the only name by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Let's take time today to specifically honor Jesus as Lord with our hearts, our words, and our actions.
3/9/08
For the power Thou hast given me to lay hold of things unseen: For the strong sense I have that this is not my home: For my restless heart which nothing finite can satisfy: I give Thee thanks, O God. For the invasion of my soul by Thy Holy Spirit: For all human love and goodness that speak to me of Thee: For the fullness of Thy glory outpoured in Jesus Christ: I give Thee thanks, O God. -- John Baillie
3/8/08
3/7/08
But there is only ONE of you
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"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14
3/4/08
There is a certain strength that comes from love.
This morning I spent a few extra minutes in bed cuddled up next to Ashley with Claire sleeping on my chest. I just let my mind wander about the greatness of love. When I met Ashley I thought that no greater love could exist. Somehow, that love continued to grow and on the day we got married, reached an all time high. Again, I thought it could grow no greater. But, it did…and it does.
Then, six weeks ago little Claire entered the world and the love in my heart grew exponentially…not only for little Claire but for my bride. Seeing her as a mother causes me to love her in ways I never thought possible with depths I’d never previously experienced.
But the truth is…there is a love much greater, much stronger. A love so great…it makes my love seem weak, and immature. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around…but Paul says the love of God for us is much deeper and wider than we can fathom. Take the greatest love you have ever experienced and multiply that love times a million and get just a glimpse of the love our Father has for us.
It’s like no matter what we experience in this world…no matter how much pain or rejection or disappointment. We can, although sometimes vaguely, imagine a place where we are perfectly loved. Just knowing that love exists…makes us strong. Our weakness comes not from our design…but from forgetting the one who designed us.
The love we experience for other people…is but an echo of the love God designed us to embrace. After all, it only points us to one who created love in the first place…and then wrapped himself in flesh to show us what it looks like.
luke
This morning I spent a few extra minutes in bed cuddled up next to Ashley with Claire sleeping on my chest. I just let my mind wander about the greatness of love. When I met Ashley I thought that no greater love could exist. Somehow, that love continued to grow and on the day we got married, reached an all time high. Again, I thought it could grow no greater. But, it did…and it does.
Then, six weeks ago little Claire entered the world and the love in my heart grew exponentially…not only for little Claire but for my bride. Seeing her as a mother causes me to love her in ways I never thought possible with depths I’d never previously experienced.
But the truth is…there is a love much greater, much stronger. A love so great…it makes my love seem weak, and immature. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around…but Paul says the love of God for us is much deeper and wider than we can fathom. Take the greatest love you have ever experienced and multiply that love times a million and get just a glimpse of the love our Father has for us.
It’s like no matter what we experience in this world…no matter how much pain or rejection or disappointment. We can, although sometimes vaguely, imagine a place where we are perfectly loved. Just knowing that love exists…makes us strong. Our weakness comes not from our design…but from forgetting the one who designed us.
The love we experience for other people…is but an echo of the love God designed us to embrace. After all, it only points us to one who created love in the first place…and then wrapped himself in flesh to show us what it looks like.
luke
3/3/08
I'm new to the ministry, but I have already learned that every believer needs at least four types of friends around them who are skilled in using God's Word:
1. We Need to be Edified by The Developer: Your best friend will always be the person who brings out the very best in you. According to Billy Graham, he wouldn't have made it as an evangelist if he had to minister alone. In 1948, Billy Graham met his staff and best friends: Cliff Barrows, George Beverly Shea, and Grady Wilson. These three men protected him, strengthened him, counseled with their wisdom, and corrected him when he needed it. He is convinced that without these friends he would have burned out within a few years after his first groundbreaking crusade in 1949. Developer friends will bring the gift of encouragement to your life and bring out the very best in you.
2. We Need to be Edified by The Designer: We tend to think of mentors as a personal, hands-on coach. The Latin and Greek define them more as "advisors" or "wise men." Jesus was a master mentor. He ministered to thousands, trained hundreds, equipped twelve, and had an intimate friendship with three men. The designer mentors us in our marriage, ministry, child-rearing, civic involvement, business acumen, or any area where we need a model. Designer mentors may live near or far, be acquaintances or strangers, or may even be dead. They "design" our lives through Scripture, books, tapes, articles, or seminars.
3. We Need to be Edified by The Disturber: We need friends who will shake up our status quo. Disturbers ask us difficult questions, forcing us to take a closer look at motivations and ambitions. Disturbers know when we have retreated into our comfort zones, and they call us out to greater effectiveness. God uses disturbers in our lives to become the object of greater force that breaks inertia and propels us to greater achievement. A biblical picture of a disturber is in Deuteronomy 32:11. In this passage the mother eagle tears up the soft nest to reveal sharp thorns that bring discomfort to the eaglets. Because of discomfort, the eaglets leave the nest and learn to fly. The mother develops her young by repeatedly pushing them out of the nest and catching them until they become skilled flyers. Eagles were never meant to stay in the nest, and neither were we. The disturber pushes us to learn to fly.
4. We Need to be Edified by The Discerner: In a lifetime of relationships, perhaps only a handful of people are willing to play this vital role because it requires mutual vulnerability. More popularly known as accountability partners, discerners bring the gift of spiritual insight into our lives. They know how to speak the truth in love. They know how to exhort and rebuke, seeking to keep their friend on the right track. They are also vulnerable-the true friends who will walk into the room of your life while everyone else is walking out. Proverbs 27:6 reads, "The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive." Always be slow in choosing your discerners and even slower in leaving them.
1. We Need to be Edified by The Developer: Your best friend will always be the person who brings out the very best in you. According to Billy Graham, he wouldn't have made it as an evangelist if he had to minister alone. In 1948, Billy Graham met his staff and best friends: Cliff Barrows, George Beverly Shea, and Grady Wilson. These three men protected him, strengthened him, counseled with their wisdom, and corrected him when he needed it. He is convinced that without these friends he would have burned out within a few years after his first groundbreaking crusade in 1949. Developer friends will bring the gift of encouragement to your life and bring out the very best in you.
2. We Need to be Edified by The Designer: We tend to think of mentors as a personal, hands-on coach. The Latin and Greek define them more as "advisors" or "wise men." Jesus was a master mentor. He ministered to thousands, trained hundreds, equipped twelve, and had an intimate friendship with three men. The designer mentors us in our marriage, ministry, child-rearing, civic involvement, business acumen, or any area where we need a model. Designer mentors may live near or far, be acquaintances or strangers, or may even be dead. They "design" our lives through Scripture, books, tapes, articles, or seminars.
3. We Need to be Edified by The Disturber: We need friends who will shake up our status quo. Disturbers ask us difficult questions, forcing us to take a closer look at motivations and ambitions. Disturbers know when we have retreated into our comfort zones, and they call us out to greater effectiveness. God uses disturbers in our lives to become the object of greater force that breaks inertia and propels us to greater achievement. A biblical picture of a disturber is in Deuteronomy 32:11. In this passage the mother eagle tears up the soft nest to reveal sharp thorns that bring discomfort to the eaglets. Because of discomfort, the eaglets leave the nest and learn to fly. The mother develops her young by repeatedly pushing them out of the nest and catching them until they become skilled flyers. Eagles were never meant to stay in the nest, and neither were we. The disturber pushes us to learn to fly.
4. We Need to be Edified by The Discerner: In a lifetime of relationships, perhaps only a handful of people are willing to play this vital role because it requires mutual vulnerability. More popularly known as accountability partners, discerners bring the gift of spiritual insight into our lives. They know how to speak the truth in love. They know how to exhort and rebuke, seeking to keep their friend on the right track. They are also vulnerable-the true friends who will walk into the room of your life while everyone else is walking out. Proverbs 27:6 reads, "The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive." Always be slow in choosing your discerners and even slower in leaving them.
3/1/08
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