Stop Chirping and Fly toward Freedom in Christ!

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (We can have freedom in Christ!)

While pondering what to write about for today’s blog post, I couldn’t think too well because of what seemed to be a constant chirping from the garage.

Knowing that I had just mowed the lawn and had left the door open for a while, I had little doubt that a bird had flown into the garage and had now become an occupant of a place God never intended for little birdie to occupy.

Getting up quietly, I opened the door to go into the garage while the main door was still closed… quietness. No chirping was to be heard anywhere, so I came back to the desk and within a matter of minutes, you guessed it… chirp, chirp, CHIRP! CHIRP!

I opened the main garage door, and even though it sat there within a foot of freedom, all it could do was continue to chirp! I picked up a piece of cardboard to see if I could “shoosh” it out, but it just flew into the garage more.

The Summer Ministry Slump – Three Ways to Fight It

Three Ways to Fight the Summer Ministry Slump

Wouldn't it be great to beat the Summer Slump?

I have a statement I use once in a while when referring to Church attendance in the Summertime, and it goes like this: “Summer – Summer here and many are not.” Perhaps a bit of sarcasm involved with the statement, yet most of us who are in ministry find it to be a fact of life… attendance in Church during the Summer tends to go down. Perhaps you're in the minority in which attendance goes up, but rest assured, it is a minority. This brief article is for the rest of us. Here are Three Ways to Beat the Summer Slump.

What can we do, especially as leaders to convey the message to those we are entrusted to care for that we aren't giving up? Below are three ideas I wanted to share, and without a doubt, there are many more! I would love to hear your thoughts on how you make things work for your Church during the Summer.

Yes, there are far more than three ways to fight the Summer Slump but these are just a few that will help.

Mother’s Day Welcome – Wide Spectrum of Motherhood

“The Wide Spectrum of Mothering” (Provided by Amy Young from www.Messymiddle.com)
(Great for sharing from pulpit each Mother's Day)

To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you

To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you

To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you

To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you

To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.

To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you

To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you

To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you

To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you

To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience

To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst

To those who have aborted children – we remember them and you on this day

To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be

To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths

To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you

To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you

To those who placed children up for adoption — we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart

And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you

This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.

Pastors Wife Appreciation Month is March… right?

It seems that there was an attempt to start such a month of appreciation back in 2015 and while it seems to have faded away a bit, I think it's still a great idea!

Perhaps I'm a bit biased because my wife is a Pastor's wife!
My mother was a Pastor's wife!

With the small slice of internet influence I have, I wanted to take a moment to write an article to encourage people in churches all across the world to celebrate and appreciate their Pastors Wife!

There are so many pressures in ministry life, and one might say that a Pastor's Wife has seen her fair share of them. While we could go on and on about some of those pressures she deals with (including encouraging the Pastor), I'd like to give 4 simple ideas of how to be a blessing to her.

Ministering to the Minister

Some time ago, we came across a graphic that was so powerful we shared it on our Facebook page and in turn, generated a large number of shares. Evidently there something about Ministering to the Minister that struck a nerve.

Without a doubt, this graphic was one that many leaders as well as laity identified with and wanted to get the message out about the need to “minister to the ministers.”

1 Peter 5:2 (NKJV)2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

While we are not the originators of the graphic, we were able to find the source of the picture as far as we know, and it is here.

The story is presented in a way to reflect well on animals, and while there is nothing wrong with that, those in ministry know it speaks of a far deeper meaning.

While the dog being comforted is not the “shepherd” of the flock, in reality, the dog does represent the shepherd who is working hard to protect and minister to the flock. I've even heard that the dogs watching over a flock could also be representative of deacons or elders who are doing their best in partnership with the shepherd to protect the flock.

As we know, illustrations such as this can only go so far. Within this one picture, far more than a thousand words are spoken to those who are in ministry leadership today.

Also, we realize not ALL of those entrusted with the care of the flock is in it for the right reasons and at times can be out of order themselves. For the most part, though, I have found in my experience in ministry that the vast majority of Pastors and Church Leaders have a great desire to help and protect the flock God has placed in their care.

Here are a few thoughts, and please know that I write as a Pastor with over 40 years of ministry experience, serving as a Youth Pastor, Associate Pastor and for many years now, as a Senior Pastor.