Young Pastors

My one and only son, 27 now, is a pastor. A lot of responsibility, and a  lot of passion to go with it. I have always had a soft spot for young pastors. They go into ministry with such a desire to serve God. They know there will be challenges, but they have so much faith in God and a heart for others that they keep on going. Sometimes they are defeated. Of course Satan doesn’t like young pastors, unless it’s for breakfast. I’m sure you know a young pastor or someone starting out in ministry. Pray for strength and faith. Strength in the face of challenges and for their faith to grow stronger every day, so they will not be shaken.  And I wouldn’t mind prayer for my son, as he begins a new ministry in a few weeks.

It Happened Again

I ran into someone at work the other day, someone who used to attend church with me. He no longer goes to the church because of a disagreement with the way something was done. It’s not the first time I’ve had this conversation. I know a woman who had an accident and missed church a couple of weeks. No one noticed, so she was hurt emotionally as well as physically.  Another friend was depressed for months after a church split. God notices.

“Lord, it’s heartbreaking to hear things like this, but I pray that in your infinite grace, you bring healing out of heartache. My prayer is for those people and churches in this situation. For churches, pastors and not, to look out for each other. To remember that it’s not all about us. To take time from a busy day, and make a call to someone we haven’t connected with in a while. I pray that, on the other side, we would not expect so much from each other that we can’t allow grace to our brothers and sisters. Help us to be honest with each other when we are hurt, and pray together about it. That we would do everything possible to reconcile, and when that’s not possible, to remember that we are still family. Please forgive us as we forgive others. Your family is far bigger than one campus or one congregation. Give us peace among ourselves, while we pray for peace on earth.”

What Jen Wrote

One of my pastors sent the link to this blog post, and I’m passing it along. Definitely worth reading, and discussing with a friend.  And pray for your pastor, too…

What Pastors Wish You Knew

Still Here, Kind of…

In case you’re wondering, no, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. I have just been super busy following what I believe is God’s path for me right now, one step at a time.  I am still working full-time, and have started teaching at Ivy Tech, as well as continuing to do some ministry/volunteer work. I hope I’m going where God is leading, cuz if I’m not, surely the edge of the earth is right around the corner :+)

In the meantime, I keep praying for ministries, pastors, and churches everywhere. I had a conversation with a friend from college recently, and conversations with my pastor son, about the hurts and hangups of churches. Yes, they exist. (I wonder if there is a Celebrate Recovery for pastors…???)

Keep on praying. One of these days it will be time to put my blog to rest, since nothing lasts forever, but I will never stop praying for Christ’s church!

The Broken Leaf

Have you wondered why I chose the salad bowl photo for my blog masthead? Now you do :+) Actually I really just like the photo, and it is one that I took myself because of the contrasting foliage. I love the blending and contrasting of different foliage colors and textures in a landscape. I never noticed until the other day, though, that there is a broken leaf in the pic. See it? It’s toward the middle right side, halfway between the yellow and blue pansies. Ha ha! I never noticed before. It is a reminder that when we are broken, we need the support of others around us. This salad bowl is not a prepared salad, but a pot of salad greens and edible flowers growing together. We all grow together, but we do it so much better in the company of others. (I’m the pansy on the left :+) We’re all broken, though, aren’t we? At some moments in my life, I’ve been more broken than I want to remember. As I went through the few years before my divorce, how could I have ever made it without the support of those around me? Unfortunately, even with support, this broken lettuce leaf surely turned brown after this photo was taken. It had been detached from its lifeline. If you know someone who is not staying close to needed support, distancing himself from others…prop him up, will you? And pray for him. Pray that Christ will give him the strength needed to carry on.

Your Own Personal Psalm 27:4 Prayer

I think I have mentioned that Psalm 27:4 is my life verse. I have always prayed that for my life, especially the part that says, “that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” I know people who were Christ-followers at one time and have given up, and I’ve known of others who have grown cold. I know pastors who have sinned and lost their ministries and their witness. I have prayed that God would break my heart with the things that break his heart, and he has.

Why don’t you pray this verse right now for someone you know? Pray it for yourself. I have prayed often that God would not allow me to be tempted by anything that would cause me to lose faith. To not allow me to have so much money that I forget to be generous, or forget to depend on him. I have prayed for others who have lost faith, that God would do whatever it takes to bring him close to him again. Car accident? Yes, if that’s what will do the job. Becoming unemployed? Whatever it takes. We must never stop praying, because Satan never stops preying.

Wishing and hoping…

…and thinking and praying. I’m still wondering if you think it’s possible to pray without words. Without directing your thoughts to God, but directing your thoughts toward His will. Any feedback?

Mind Melding Prayer

This one is up for discussion. Really. Are there any Trekkies out there? It’s okay to admit it. I wonder if any of you are familiar with the Vulcan mind meld, where one Vulcan becomes of one mind with another. I wonder if prayer is like that? Forgive me if this seems a little disrespectful, but see where I’m going with this…

Is it possible, that if we are of one mind with Christ, we can pray without even saying any words? I have always thought I was just thinking. Wishing and hoping. I think a lot. But if I am of the same mind as Christ, is my heart’s desire a prayer? Or is it only prayer when we begin with “Dear God,” and end with “Amen”?

Romans 8:26-27 says, “In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don’t know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays with groans too deep for words. God, who looks into our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit prays for God’s people just as God wants him to pray.” I’d love some feedback on what that means to you…

Disclaimer: No, I don’t believe Vulcans exist :+) Just sayin’…

Anyone Can Write a Sermon

I know a lot of people who could write a sermon. Maybe even you. You need a text, or Biblical principle to teach on, and maybe a clever illustration or two. You need three points. Always three points, and if they are alliterative, even better. One text, two illustrations, three points. See? I’m doing it!

If it were only that simple. The truth is, not everyone can hear the word of God and know what God wants His people to hear. Your pastor has a calling from God to preach His word, and the heart of God to discern it. He has the wisdom and knowledge to use His word to speak truth into our lives. Although anyone can learn the techniques and format for writing a sermon, not just anyone can preach and teach.

Pray for your pastor when he’s preaching. Pray that he will listen to God and share God’s message. Pray that people will listen and learn, and also that they will be convicted to move. I pray that no distractions that will cause someone to miss what God has to say. I also pray for things like microphones to work and for a quick resolve or Plan B when they don’t. (Hi, Doug!)

It’s Sunday as I write this, and your pastor might already be working on Sunday’s sermon. More than likely he’s working on a month of Sundays at one time. Pray for him!!!

What Happened to Baby Bird…

A few children found Baby‘s lifeless body on the ground the next day, and covered him with a napkin. I suggested we have a proper burial, so Baby was buried under a juniper on HD property. Just another reminder to keep on praying for young Christians in your sphere of influence.

Did you know that when germinating grass seed begins to grow, if you forget to water it, it’s a goner. It won’t germinate again. Faith can be the same. Sometimes when a person comes to faith, if he doesn’t get the nurturing needed, the faith dies.

Keep on keeping on….