Indiana State Meeting

We had a good state meeting in Bloomfield. The fellowship was sweet and we were challenged and encouraged. I had the privilege of preaching on Friday and used Acts 15:26 as a base text. I appreciate those who "hazard" their lives for the cause of Christ. I am in debt to those who have given much and sacrificed much on behalf of Christ and His people. Many who serve faithfully are not recognized for their effort and selfless service. God knows these faithful missionaries and pastors who continue to methodically and effecitively serve out of love for Christ and commitment to the kingdom work. May God richly bless their lives and ministries.

The Job of Pastor

Pastoring is not anything like what I thought it would be. I have found it to be both enriching and frightening; both extraordinary and exasperating. It is wondrously awe inspiring as well as heavy and budensome. These are the paradoxes that define being a pastor. It is by no means dull and the privilege of serving my Savior and His people is beyond measure. It has been quiet a ride with plenty of highs and lows. We deal with people who fail to embrace Christ or the truths of His Word. Then suddenly you take part and play a role in the wonder of leading a person to Christ, or teaching someone for whom the lightswitch clicks on and who in response earnestly embraces God's truth. Suddenly they find help, healing and restoration for their life and soul. There are times it all happens in a day, back to back, from one session to another. There are times the pastor is called to the hospital. On one floor a family rejoices while on another the family is saying good-bye to a loved one. The gammut of the emotions can take a toll on your soul, and sometimes the extreems make it hard for us to relate to our families. Yet I'm overwhelmed by the wonder which far surpasses the heaviness of the mantel of a pastor. How thankful I am to be a part of the kingdom work. What an awesome God we serve.

Adversity

In dealing with adversity, I find that God gives grace and peace sufficient in our time of need. He indeed is faithful. We are facing a time of crisis, and yet we have peace. I am trusting God and leaning on the scripture that states that God keeps us in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him. I pray that we will continue to look to Him for the faith and courage to continue to live for Him. I know that all is in God's hands and in His control. I am encouraged by the myriad of answered prayer and praise. One of our church families found out that her mother, whom the doctors were sure had cancer, doesn't. Another pastor who was a former member here stated that he was enjoying his new church, and that souls were saved. Another told me of the souls saved at a service they had last week. I can only ask that God will use me to reach the lost in this community. I also pray that He will continue to use our missionaries who are so faithfully serving Him on the foreign fields.

I'm hoping to use this forum in the future as a means of providing daily thoughts for our church website. Looks promising.