Twelve Things I've Learned. . .

Twelve lessons I've learned in ministry from good examples who are traveling ahead of me.

1. "Stay close and clean."  ~Pastor Johnny Hunt

    “We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.” 2 Corinthians 6:3


2.  "Swallow the big frog first." ~Dr. Jay Strack

This principle says that as you get the biggest, most difficult thing in your life accomplished (swallowed); the rest of your day, week, etc. will go down a lot easier.  Remembering this principle helps you plan what is important, not just what is pressing. This principle helps you accomplish what matters most not that which is making the most noise.

3.  "You'll never miss anything you give away." ~John Garner

“So let each one of us give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

4.  "The devil doesn't mind waiting a few more years on you." ~Evangelist Junior Hill

"Be sober be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

This passage teaches that our enemy is constantly on the prowl, looking to destroy our testimony and our lives.  This principle teaches that our enemy doesn’t mind letting our notoriety get bigger, so that when we fall, he can do more damage to God’s kingdom.


5.  “I’ve been around the block a few times and I’m convinced that our two greatest needs are: to be real and anointed.” ~Dr. Adrian Rogers 
 
Be real.  You can't live like the devil all week, and then think you can come to church on Sunday and everything is OK.  Are you the same in public as you are in private?

Be anointed.  We need simply to be filled and anointed with the Holy Spirit and quit operating our lives on our own power.
 
6.  “An unguarded strength is a double weakness.” ~Oswald Chambers
  
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
 
There is no coasting in the Christian life. We must always be on guard.  Our attitude must be one that says, “It can happen to me.”

7.  “It takes six years to become the pastor."~ Homer Lindsay
 
“So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.” Psalm 78:72
 
This principle teaches that you must earn trust, and it takes a while to do that.  It also reminds me that ministry is a marathon.


8.  “If you read 15 minutes a day, at the end of the year, you will have read 20 books.” ~ Dr. Jay Strack

9.  "Leadership is Integrity.” ~ Dr. Johnny Hunt

“The righteous man walks in his integrity, His children are blessed after him.” Proverbs 20:7

This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture.  It reminds me that God must do something in me before He can use me to influence others. It also teaches me that how I live my life will affect my family.  My heart’s desire is to be a good leader; to lead my wife, my children, and lead others to God

10.  “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” ~ Mark Meadows

“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly.” 1 Peter 5:2


11. “Make sure Jesus is on the road before you go down it.” – Ron Dunn

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus; giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”  Colossians 3:15-17.

12. “In the Christian life, it is not how you start that matters, it is how you finish.” ~Steve Farrar

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

This principle encourages me because it offers hope.  Some of us have had a slow start, some have had a rocky start, but everyone can have a strong finish.  When our life is over, people will remember more of how we finished life than how we started it.

Finish strong friends.

No Pressure

A few reasons to take sermon preparation seriously. . .

No pressure...

Please don't think that we think the kids "have arrived",

they do "normal" stuff during the sermon too . . .

(Cole's team's record of wins and losses last season. 

Always handy to have there beside your sermon notes, for reference of course.)

Sometimes There Are Distractions. . .

I've been studying a bit at the kitchen table these days. Even in the midst of three wriggling kids "doing school" and a wriggling one year old "doing life" I'm able to get more done there than I'd ever have imagined.

Gretchen says I get so much accomplished because I have to concentrate so hard not to get distracted by the circus going on around me. She may have a point.

I've discovered, though, that there are some priceless benefits of distraction. . .

Hamburger 101

When in the course of family events it becomes necessary to make an emergency fast food run, the choice for our gang is usually McDonald's.  Gretchen and I, though fond of the sweet tea at this establishment, are usually disappointed, let down, and irritated by the quality of the burgers we receive in meager exchange for the dollars we fork over.

As we arrived in Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago, we drove by a Fuddruckers restaurant.  In our "married without children" days in Durham, NC we frequented this restaurant chain occasionally and remembered the hamburgers.  Hamburgers made with juicy beef.  Hamburgers made with lots of juicy beef on pillowy soft kaiser buns.  Don't even get me started about the melted cheese...

Pointing out the window at this wonderful hamburger joint, I told the kids that we'd be back...back to show them what a real hamburger looked and tasted like.  I told them that they'd never want another McDonald's burger again (wishful thinking I know).

Meg agreed.

Cole agreed.

Kate really agreed.

Molly, unable to get anyone to share a bit of their hamburger with her,

was forced to settle for some very big french fries.

Sorry McDonald's.  It was unanimous.  I'm building an imaginary Fuddrucker's next to my imaginary Chick-fil-A up at the Highlands!

Suggestions For Reading

Here are some tips on reading that I gleaned from Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Seminary in Louisville Kentucky.

1. Maintain Regular Reading Projects. (Develop different categories of reading)

2. Work through major sections of scripture.

3. Read all of the titles of some authors.

4. Get some large sets and read them through.

5. Allow yourself some fun reading, and learn how to enjoy reading by reading enjoyable books.

6. Write in your books. Mark them up and make them yours.

TV and Your Family

Josh Harris, pastor of Covenant Life Church in Maryland, has a great summary of a blog about TV watching and its affect upon the family. Click here to check it out.

The Pastor's Kids

Gretchen and I decided to take a poll among the children.

The big question was:

What's cool about being the "Pastor's Kids"?

1. We get to play for a long time after church while Dad talks to people.

2. We have a seemingly endless supply of chewing gum and band-aids.

3. We get invited to eat out alot.

4. Sometimes we get to travel with Dad to meetings and conferences.

5. We get lots of birthday cards.

6. We like cheesecake too!

7. "Is Ben C.'s daddy a pastor?"

"No."

"Good. I want to be in that family because they have more brothers there."

The Cure For Everything

I happen to believe that there is a cure for everything that "ails" you. What is that cure you ask? Is it tylenol? No. Is it cough syrup? No. Is it vick's save ? No, even though Gretchen's grandma would disagree. Is it windex? No, even though the father in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" would disagree. Aren't you dying of curiosity? Well, wait no longer. The cure for everything that ails you is ice cream!!!
After having a very stressful day, where nothing seemed to go right, I was preparing to conclude Wednesday evening Bible Study (well, we were almost done), when Gretchen came in to tell me that once again I had exceeded the specified time limit. Along with this announcement came an invitation from the children's director to join the children downstairs to for homemade ice cream, in honor of national ice cream week.
After visiting with several friends, I made my way to the fellowship hall to partake of this special opportunity.
It has been my experience that the whole world looks different after a great big bowl of ice cream!

Dads And Daughters Part 2

How does a dad know he's been too busy with his schedule? A conversation with his four year old daughter will reveal the truth.
Several days ago, I was getting ready for work when Katie, my four year old came into the bathroom sporting a new outfit. I told her how beautiful she looked, and asked her if she would go out on a date with me. With a big smile and giggles, Katie responded by saying that she would go on a date with me, and asked if she could ride in the truck (one of her favorite modes of transportation).
As she was making her way down to the basement, with a new stride in her step I hear her say back to me, "It's been a long time since we have been on a date daddy. We used to go on dates all of the time. I remember when we used to go on dates daddy. I really liked those dates."
Ouch!! Never ask a question to a four year old, unless of course you want to hear brutal honesty!
I think it is time to grab the daytimer and schedule a date with my daughter.

The View From My Perch

Hi, it's me "the pastor's wife", hijacking the blog for just a moment. It's 1:15 am Sunday morning. Darrin wouldn't want me to report that the sermon is finished, or rather has just been finished. He'd want you to think that it was finished at about 4:30 this past Thursday afternoon. That simply wasn't the case this week, however. Some weeks are just like that.

It seems to have been a struggle to get this particular sermon down on paper, both figuratively and quite literally.

All weekend, sermon prep has been going on around the fringes of "real life". Real life being ball games, meals, playing outside, all those things that tend to jump into the middle of one's attempts at completing a project. The end was finally in sight this evening at about eleven o'clock yet, just as things were coming together on the page Darrin's pen blew up...exploded...all over him. Ink actually splattered all the way up to his elbow.

My pastor often says that God causes him to "live" the sermon the week before it is to be delivered. This week I guess he had to "wear" it too!!

The Sabbath

Tomorrow is the Sabbath. Some refer to it as the Lord's Day. Taken from the early church who would gather on the first day of the week for fellowship, worship, and instruction. It is a day that is to be set aside for rest, reflection, and worship. From a pastor's perspective, it is a day of worship and work.

Sunday for me begins on Saturday. At some point in the afternoon pre-message syndrome sets in. If you were to ask my wife about it, she would say that a hazy look comes over my face, and I begin to "zone out". The message begins to way heavily on my mind and heart. As evening approaches, we try to get all of the children cleaned up and in bed on time, with their clothes and accessories for Sunday picked out, hanging on their bedroom doors and ready to go. Then, I do the same with my suit, shirt, and tie for the next day, getting the final okay on the combination from Gretchen (so I don't have to change in the morning). I rarely sleep well on Saturday night, because I am thinking about what will happen the next day. I usually rise early on Sunday and try to have some "quiet time" before everyone else begins to stir. During this time, I pray for the service and for those who will be there, and I also pray through my sermon. Finally, I read some devotional thoughts and passages of scripture to prepare my heart and mind for worship.

Once everyone begins to wake up and come downstairs, the pace picks up. Breakfast must be served, and teeth brushed. Dresses must be put on, and the girls must be cued up to get their hair done. Cole has the easy job on Sunday mornings, and is pretty self-sufficient. Once Gretchen opens the beauty shop, I turn over the kids and begin to get myself ready. My two oldest daughters always come into the room as I am tying my tie to give their approval or disapproval of my ensemble.

All ready, we get into the car and head down the hill to church. The oldest children are looking at the clock in the van and discussing how late we are. You would think that living so close to the church we would make it one time. However, I am a firm believer that Satan comes and visits our house on Sunday morning, and thus we are rarely on time.

As we arrive at church, I begin to look forward to Sunday School and Worship Service. We love our Sunday School class, and we think we have the best worship leaders and praise team in Wheeling. So Sunday School and worship are always a delight.

I learned from some of my mentors many years ago that it is vital for a pastor to make the most of Sunday's. Therefore, after worship, our family (and those loving volunteer child-wranglers) stay to speak to everyone who wants to talk or visit, many Sundays for 45 minutes or so. Visiting with our church family has become one of the highlights of our day.

When we leave church, we usually grab something to eat, and spend the afternoon as a family. Gretchen says that after I eat, I am pretty much worthless for the rest of the day. Her exact description is that I have the "personality of a rock" on Sunday afternoons.

While Sunday is not really a Sabbath for me, I would not trade it for anything. I get to go to church with my family whom I love, I'm privileged to worship with the church that I love, I'm allowed to do what God created me to do, and I'm humbled to shepherd the people that I love. I understand why the writer of Hebrews wrote, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Dads And Their Daughters

The dreaded moment that every dad hopes he will never experience happened this past weekend. The day that your daughter is embarrassed to be seen with you. Life has been very busy for me lately (well busier than normal), which has caused me to get behind on yard work. So, on Saturday morning after putting the finishing touches on my sermon, I changed clothes and headed outside to work in the yard. After mowing the grass twice, I was sitting on the porch with my family eating lunch and discussing our plans for the rest of the day. Gretchen had been working on some projects of her own, so I volunteered to take Katie to the birthday party she had been invited to. After volunteering to take Katie to her party, I hear Katie say, "You're not going to wear that are you?" I was blind-sided. I was used to being asked that question by my wife, but not by my four year old! I thought that I had at least four or five more years before I would experience such a question from one of my daughters, but I was wrong. After regaining my composure, I asked, "Why Katie? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?" It has been three days since that discussion and I am still waiting on her answer! It is a hard pill to swallow when you realize that your daughter doesn't think you are as cool as you think you are.

Watch Your Life And Doctrine

In the spring of 2006, I had the privilege of attending the "Together For The Gospel" conference. One of the messages given at the conference was by a pastor I had never heard of before, C.J. Mahaney. He spoke from 1 Timothy 4:16 on the subject of "Watching Your Life And Doctrine". This message was very powerful, and made a great impact on my life. Since the conference back in 2006, I have listened to this message many times. In fact, the message by C.J., and the scripture taken from 1 Timothy 4:16 have served as the inspiration for the title of my blog.

I can think of nothing more important than watching our life and doctrine. I believe the key to finishing our race on this earth well is found in these two pillars. If our lives are not right, we will be disqualified. If our doctrine is not right, we will be derailed. So, it is imperative that we give careful consideration to both how we live, and what we believe.
Now you know the theme and history behind my blog. As I write, I will be sharing and reflecting on those two twin pillars of life and doctrine, and how we can persist in them. So, as Paul says we will be able to "save both yourself and your hearers".