“Pastor, do you know that you have been my pastor all my life?”
Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending two high school graduations of two young ladies who I held in the hospital at birth and have now watched receive their diplomas. That’s one of the many joys of longevity in ministry in one location!
Continue reading “Counting the Joys!”
Today marks the end of February but the continuation of building and blessing your marriage.
V – Value the grace gift of marriage
A – Advance your marriage through prayer
L – Love your spouse unconditionally
E – Energize your marriage
N – Nothing should come between you and your spouse
T – Take time to cherish your spouse
I – I must not get in the way
When troubling issues between a husband and wife descend upon a marriage, the default setting is to focus all the attention or blame upon the other person. When our “expectation comes from the Lord” (Psalm 62:5) for biblical change, then we must step out of the way. One of the ways to trust God for your marriage is to refuse to make things work, change others, and/or be in control. While you are praying for God to change your spouse and/or your situation, He has set out to change you, too. You can trust God for your marriage and your spouse.
N – Never go to bed angry and unrepentant
The Word is very clear about unresolved conflicts between spouses. Do not let the sun go down on your anger . . . . Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:26, 31-32). Please let these words of God soak into your soul and obey. Leave the results with God. Confess the idolatry of wanting your own way as you run to the cross of Christ. Here’s a highly recommended resource: Marriage Conflict, Talking As Teammates, 31-Day Devotionals for Life, Steve Hoppe.
E – Enjoy the journey
God said marriage was good before sin entered into this world (Genesis 2:18-25). For all aspects of marriage success and fulfillment, look to the Creator of marriage and trust Him day-by-day to grow you and your marriage for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31) and for the gospel (Ephesians 5:18-33). Do not set your expectations on your spouse and try to change them. Take your burdens and the issues of your heart to the Lord in intercessory prayer (1 Peter 5:6-7). Take your focus off of what you want and what you expect from your spouse and say, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my hope is from Him” (Psalm 62:5).
If you have missed any of this series, just check out the previous posts. Set your affection on God first, soak your soul in Colossians 3 and may this gift of marriage be a tool of growth in Christ for the glory of God through all the joys, hardships, sorrows, disappointments, and pleasures!
“So teach us to number our days” prays Moses as recorded in Psalm 90:13. Not years but days. So much is missed in our life if we do not live in the moment, the day, and enjoy the scenic route!!
So you’re travelling on Interstate 26 between Asheville, NC, and Johnson City, TN. Exchange the hustle and bustle of four-lane life for a slower change of pace. Here you go!
Nestled on the corner of N. Main and Florida Street, you will enter a piece of bakery paradise!
For breakfast, how about the Quiche which comes in three flavors or the Chorizo Breakfast Burrito or . . . have mercy, the Pecan Streusel Roll!!!
Coffee? Yes . . . Jamaican Me Crazy!!
For lunch, I highly recommend their Turkey Pretzel Roll or Grilled Cheese and if available, the Tomato Soup!
Don’t leave without taking a Ginger Molasses Cookie or a Mountain Éclair to enjoy later.
There is limited outdoor seating on the front sidewalk and along Florida Street.
Many times over the years I have left the interstate for a coffee and cookie at Well Bred!!
You will want to stroll the couple of blocks on either side of Well-bred on Main Street of this cozy community.
Be ready for eclectic décor and excellent food! Their website says it well!
Begin with a trendy location just 10 minutes from Asheville, NC. Stir in a whimsical blend of artifacts and artful spaces. Season with provocative offerings of American, Greek and European cuisine. Add a dash of funk and a smidgen of comfy cool. Top it off with owners who bring tremendous heart and skill to the table, treating you more like family. Garnish with smiles all around.
Denise and I, and friends, have tried many of their menu offerings over the years and have never been disappointed. For lunch, I suggest the Jamaican Shrimp Wrap or Tacos Pescado. For supper, how about the Meatloaf or Salmon or Chicken Piccatta!!
I’m ready to stop typing and head on down the road to the Knob!!!
You have to be going there on purpose to find it, but once you drive down the lane, you are surrounded by the stillness of it all! Yes, you are tucked away from busy life, yet you are minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway and the uniqueness of Asheville, NC.
Our stay included the Trillium Room, which had a great view, plus playing ping pong and pool. Rest and enjoying each other’s company was enhanced by the sitting room and a walk around the property. This would be a great place for a birthday or anniversary celebration!
So, number your days. Live in the moment. Plan or be spontaneous!
Scenic Route Marriage Tip: Husbands, you may be wired to get from point A to point B in the quickest, shortest time possible. Unwire and surprise your wife with an intentional get-out-of-the-car-nofastfood meal or get a cookie and coffee and enjoy time seated on the sidewalk with your sweetheart! Live today!
That’s my impression from my stroll down the main drag of Gatlinburg, TN, recently.
All this and more in one of the vacation capitols of America!
This is supposed to be “the happy place!” Right?
Really????
But, this is the case almost everywhere you go today. Why?
1. Man tries to fill his empty, eternal soul with temporal, earthly things. There is nothing in the world that will ever completely satisfy mankind. There may be momentary satisfaction, but it leaves a desire for more or something else.
In the midst of all this unhappiness, I saw new attractions, new restaurants, a gazillion moonshine stores (Isn’t that what brings great joy, so we’re told????), new stores, new products on the shelves, etc. This should make people happy, full of joy, right?
2. Man without a personal relationship with Christ does not have the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:19-24)
As my wife and I strolled up and back down Parkway, our hearts were saddened and grieved by the thousands who are choosing to live this way without the Prince of Peace, The Joy of Jesus, the Savior of our souls.
May I encourage you to read the three links given in the last sentence above?
When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds in the field, his first words were “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). That “great joy” was the truth that the God who had seemed far off had come to them in human flesh. He was to be called “Immanuel,” which means “God with us” (Isaiah 9:6–7; Matthew 1:23). Those who saw Him saw the face of God (John 14:9). He had come to rescue, to save, to heal, and to make mankind right with God (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:17–21). That was cause for great joy! (gotquestions.org/joy-to-the-world)
The only cure for a mad, mad world is the Gospel! The Good News!!
(Photo from trekearth.com)
Travelling can become a very boring routine no matter your destination!
Do you take the interstate on all of your trips?
Do you only eat at fast-food chain restaurants?
Do you just stop for a quick restroom break and it’s back to beatin’ the pavement?
Suggestion: Slow down, get off the path everyone else is taking and enjoy the journey! Take the scenic route! Getting “there” is not the main goal. It’s living in the moment that God has given and making investments in the lives around you. That includes the people in your car and the many outside your vehicle!
So, let me give you some trip tips to make the journey more enjoyable.
I will begin in this post with the section of I-75 between Corbin and Lexington, Kentucky. Here’s a few neat spots to stop for a meal or overnight lodging.
MEALS
LODGING
There’s much more to see in America than Buc-ee’s!!!! So, check back with me in the days to come as I share other neat places on the scenic route . . . off the interstate!!
Scenic Route Marriage Tip: Side trips like these provide time to talk, listen, hold hands, share, kiss, slow down and enjoy the gift of marriage! Helps you get out of and stay out of the rut of mindless routine that traps many marriages.
44 years.
38 years.
48 years.
These numbers represent folks who Denise and I had the joy of sharing in sweet fellowship this past Saturday and Sunday in two different locations.
For 38 and 44 years, Seth and Linda, now retired, have labored for the Lord in the fields of Christian education.
For 48 years, Bacilio and Eunice has labored faithfully in the mission fields of Hispanic nations. Although the years have taken its toll on him, he said to me, “Dale, I am busier now that I have ever been.”
As I have pondered their lives after our recent visits, my heart was once again encouraged to finish well; to have staying power over the long haul.
How does someone in full-time vocational ministry “stay by the stuff” until the end?
What’s the “glue” that helps us “stick-to-it”? Having been involved in ministry now for over 41 years as well as growing up in a pastor’s home, I share these with a bit of experience, yet knowing that my race has not been finished.
One final thought comes to mind as I consider these four faithful laborers.
At this late date in their lives, they still have such a winsome personality, a sweet disposition and a joy-filled heart in spite of the aging process and current physical hinderances.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
The oft-spoken adage and biblical advice for preachers is, “Practice what you preach!”
Well, since having completed an eleven blogpost series on overcoming discouragement in ministry, my wife and I put Post #7 to practice.
Last week we “got out of Dodge” and headed for a week of rest at Edisto Island, SC.
To make the week purposeful and full of memories, we took the word “READS” and used it as an acrostic for each day’s goal. After all, you usually spend time reading when you get away like this.
Here’s a sampling of our time with the hopes of encouraging you to “practice what you preach.”
R – REST
E – EXERCISE
A – ADVENTURE
D – DINNER
S – SPECIAL
Practicing can be fun when you have your best friend, wife, and sweetheart of 41 years alongside!
Now! That was a great way to stay away from or overcome discouragement!!
Do you need to practice what you preach?
Easter is always a special day! Certainly, the fact that we celebrate the preeminent truth of Christianity, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, is enough to make much of the day!!!
There are many other elements leading up to and a part of this day of rejoicing:
Why not? After all, This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).
Craig Keener gives us some good insight on this “day.” Psalm 118:22-23 was fulfilled in Jesus’ ministry as He claimed (Mark 12:10-11), so also was Psalm 118:24: the great and momentous day the Lord had made, the day the Psalmist calls his hearers to celebrate, is the prophetic day when God exalted Jesus, rejected by the chief priests, as the cornerstone of His new temple (cf. Eph. 2:20). The verse points to a truth far more significant than merely the common biblical truth that God is with us daily; it points to the greatest act of God on our behalf, when Jesus our Lord died and rose again for us.
Next Sunday, we will corporately gather again and . . . our hearts, minds, bodies, and ministries should be as engaged and intentional as we were yesterday! We will not have all the “pageantry” of Easter, but we’ll still be celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ because He was raised on the first day of the week! We will proclaim the name of our living Savior in song, conversation, testimony, preaching, and prayer that in all things He will have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18).
So, let’s do it again next Sunday . . . and the next . . . and the next until He calls us Home!!
Friends!
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:11-15)
What a statement from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ, No longer do I call you servants, . . . but I have called you friends. Oh the blessedness of being a friend of Christ! And, you are already ahead of me, . . . and we know that Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), and He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
Obviously, the greatest friend anyone can have is the Lord Jesus Christ Who gives us access to the Father who knows us intimately and completely (Psalm 139:1-16), is our compassionate High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16), and our life (Colossians 3:2-4). Therefore, it goes without saying that one of the greatest ways to overcome discouragement is to soak your soul in the reality of the friendship and relationship you have with the Lord Jesus Christ. Go ahead. Stop reading right here, and sing with all your heart, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”!!!
The second level is daily enjoying and developing your friendship with your wife. Beyond the Lord Jesus Christ, your wife should be your best friend. She should be the one with whom you share your heart, your sorrows, your joys, your burdens, your heartaches, your dreams, your passions, your time, your recreation, your meals, your life. She is the other half of you!! You are one! Take her alone for the ride! She’s not Mrs. Pastor . . . she’s your wife, your companion, your sweetheart, your friend! When you are discouraged, let her pray with you and encourage you!!
The third level is having friends within your congregation, but especially outside of your congregation. Pastors are notorious for not having friends! We may have some surface friends, but we need some David/Jonathan friendships! You say you are too busy. Then you are too busy and that needs to change! Close friends (2-5 at least) are those you can call and be transparent. They are not the ones who want to know “How many’s your church runnin’?” or “How’s your church doing?” They are genuine friends who care for you, ask heart questions, and can hold you accountable. They can laugh with you, recreate with you, pray with you, share scripture with you, preach to you in a loving way when you are down, and identity with the rigors of ministry life! Who are these men in your life?
This week, enjoy the friendship of Christ, your wife and some other men! They can help you stay out of the ditch!
Ready for Monday?
Here’s a few ideas for a fun, romantic date.
Game Night Date: Choose three eating establishments (coffee shop, restaurant, bakery). Take three games (Shut the Box, Take Two, Quixx) and play a game at each location. Start off with a game at Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. Make reservations for dinner at Chop House. Drive to Bristol and enjoy Blackbird Bakery. Game on!
Bookstore Date: After a meal out, head on over to a local bookstore and locate a cozy corner. Find a book for each of the following categories, five books in all. 1) A travel book that describes your dream vacation spot. After locating the book, bring it back to your table and read about it to your spouse. Put the books away and search for . . . 2) A children’s book that you enjoyed in your childhood. Return to your table and read it to each other. Put the books away and search for . . . 3) A book of love poems. Same as #2, but be sure to hold hands and look into each other’s eyes. 4) A hobby book. Same as #2. 5) A cookbook with a recipe that you would surely enjoy! Do the same as #2. Book it!
Put the Kids to Bed Date: After the kids are tucked into bed with instructions to stay in bed, order up a pizza. Pull out the china or good dinnerware and have a candle-light pizza party in your bedroom. Play some romantic music. Verbally share 14 reasons why you love each other. Talk about ways to grow your marriage and mature your love for each other. Take it from there!
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
From A Pastor's Heart 