20 LESSONS IN 20 YEARS: LESSON 16

Lesson 16: I have learned to rest

Growing up, resting was not something that was highly valued; except on Sunday, the day of rest! But instead, hard work was valued, and by watching my dad give everything he had to everything he did, I learned some very good, important lessons about life. I have carried some of that work ethic with me into ministry. I take it very seriously and I give myself to it, completely, while I am doing it. Ministry, and especially pastoral ministry, is one of those occupations where you are not on a time clock, from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Since it is a people kind of job, you are always "on call", so to speak, and the work is never done. I have learned to work really hard at every aspect of the pastoring role.

What I have found to be the most challenging, as it relates to giving effort, time and everything into ministry, the hardest part is getting the needed rest. With a high value on working hard; and with everyone expecting different things from a pastor, it is way too easy to work too much, to get burned out; and end up not being effective at any role, including being a pastor, husband, father and friend. I have learned to value rest, so that I can do, effectively, everything God has called me to do (not necessarily the things I or others would like for me to do). With that said, here some aspects of resting that I have learned and continue to learn along the way:

• Since Sunday is not a day of rest for pastors, then I take a different day of the week, to cease from work (even ministry), and just be available to my family.
• Every day, I seek spiritual rest by spending time in prayer and Bible reading with God
• Every night, I work at getting needed physical rest, by getting to bed at a good time for me, and getting the rest I know I need to be effective.
• There are days when I just know that if I don't take a few minutes to sit, relax, or even 5 minutes to close my eyes and rest, I will not be able to focus on the rest of the day, or be productive moving forward.
• I make it a priority to take the vacation time that the church gives me. And during vacation, I do my very best to focus on my family and getting refreshed, putting all work aside.

I have learned to look at rest as an important, needed activity, so that I can do all God has called me to do. Resting doesn't mean that we don't care or are lazy. Resting, done rightly, demonstrates how highly we value others and the ministry God has given us. My desire is that I would use rest to stay focused on God, my family, my health, and the privilege of ministry that God has given me.

Now, go take a nap!

20 LESSONS IN 20 YEARS: LESSON 15

Lesson 15: I have learned to maximize spiritual growth opportunities for our church

This may be one of those high on the list that I have a great deal of learning left to do. In fact, as soon as I wrote it, I began to doubt it because I can think of several times that I have missed opportunities. And I have no doubt that people who have attended the churches where I have pastored would have a list, as well, of missed or misused opportunities. If I were to give the longer version of this lesson, it would be this: I have learned to use the times of our culture and traditions of church life to maximize spiritual growth and meaningful worship.

Let me give you some examples of this, so you know what I am referring to. When there was a presidential election in 2012, and Christians were very upset about 1 of the candidates, I preached a message on: "Who Would Jesus Vote For". It was not pushing for people to vote for a particular candidate, but instead to get God's perspective on politics (which is really a perspective on God's sovereignty and purpose) from the Bible. When someone in our church committed suicide, I preached about this very sensitive topic. There have been times, because of circumstances in our church or world, I have taken the opportunity to allow God's Word to speak directly to them. This includes other topics such as homosexuality, Hell, worship music, and church leadership structure.

The opportunities that are more well known would be the seasons and days people normally celebrate, such as: Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, Mother's and Father's Day, Memorial Day, New Year's Day, etc. I actually have taken a little different approach with many of these, not preaching an entire message on the topic that connects with the day; but instead taking time in the worship service to recognize the significance of it. This includes videos, testimonies and times of prayer. My desire, in whatever we do, is to give a fresh perspective and point people's hearts and minds toward God in the context of the special season or day.

My most current examples come from this weekend. Tonight is Good Friday and we are marking it with a special worship service. Many churches celebrate Good Friday, or Maundy Thursday, or Holy Week, or Lent, or all of the above. Many others allow their people to celebrate these at home and just focus on Easter Sunday. To me, it is all about sensing God's direction and making it meaningful, whichever days we choose to focus on. Tonight, we will use a video, lots of music, a 2 part "message", and communion to give special meaning to Good Friday. The goal is to point everyone'e heart and mind to worship God for sending Jesus, over 2,000 years ago, to die for us. It is a good preparation for what will we celebrate on Sunday.

In my 2 part "message", I will be trying to get us in the thinking of what the original disciples may have remembered about that last supper and day of crucifixion, when they reflected on it in the days to come. I will use "first person" language to talk about those days, and support it with Scripture. The last thing we will do is celebrate communion and we will do it in a reflective, personal way. While the worship team plays a song about Jesus dying for us, the bread will be passed out and people can personally pray and partake of it when they are ready. While a second song plays, the cup will be passed out and we will do the same thing. When those songs end, music will play over the sound system, and when individuals are ready to leave, they can leave quietly. If they want to talk, they can go downstairs; but it will allow every person to remain as long as they would like; and it makes it a very personal worship time as we close the service.

On Sunday, Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, we will be having a joint service at a nearby auditorium. Having 1 service instead of 3 in our tiny worship center will help with the environment of a celebratory Easter worship gathering. And to make it meaningful, we are doing something different this year. We will sing many songs, as usual, and we will use a video to get people's attention toward who and what we are worshiping on Sunday. The main different will be in the message time. Some years ago, I wrote a script that we used on Easter Sunday; and I re-wrote it for this year, to be used in my present ministry.

It is a courtroom setting and is entitled: The Verdict. It uses a judge, 2 attorneys, and 6 "eye witnesses", to look back 2,000 years and ago, in order to determine if Jesus really did rise from the dead. The audience is the jury, and at the end, they will be asked to mark their verdict cards and make their own decision. Their decision on the resurrection of Jesus can make a huge different as to whether or not they will follow Him and how they will live the rest of their lives. We expect to have guests present that have not yet made that decision; and we pray God might use this fresh approach to change their hearts and lives!

There is so much more for me to learn in this area; but these are some examples of how I am trying to take advantage, for spiritual growth purposes, of special events and seasons in the lives of our people.

20 LESSONS IN 20 YEARS: LESSON 14

Lesson 14: I have learned to pray

If you have read any of my previous posts about the lessons I have learned, then you already know that I don't think I have fully arrived on any of these. Prayer is one of those things that we all could improve on. I haven't met one person yet, in my almost half a century of life, who have said that they are fully satisfied with their "prayer life" and they have no improvements to make in that area!

I have certainly learned a variety of things about prayer over the years. I have prayed in many different ways through the years as well. There are many good resources that can help us with prayer. But, the one thing I have learned, that has helped me the most, has nothing to do with acrostic helps or books or conferences or prayer positions. It has to do with an attitude, a posture, a mindset that is about consistency.

In learning to pray, the one verse that comes to mind is:
I Thessalonians 5:17 - "Pray continually"
There has been many thoughts given as it relates to this phrase; but the one thing that has stuck in my mind and heart; and has been lived out in practice, is the main thing I have learned about praying.
It is personal. It is conversational. It is real.

What I have learned is to talk to God as I would to anyone else in relationship. The differences are that God is Spirit, I can talk to Him anytime, and it is the most important relationship to me. I can talk to Him in the car, in bed, in the shower, anytime, anywhere. I find myself talking to God ALL THE TIME! And that has helped me, incredibly, in keeping God in mind and including Him in every aspect of my life. I find myself confessing my sins more often, keeping focus on the right things more often, and even keeping God's Word in mind much more readily.

I sing to Him, I cry out to Him, and I sometimes find myself getting upset, as the authors of some of the Psalms often do. I am learning to be real with God; and as far as I am concerned, that is prayer!

20 LESSONS IN 20 YEARS: LESSON 13

20 years seems like a really long time; but as others as old as I can attest, it goes very, very quickly! It is hard to remember all the details of all of these years as a pastor, and yet there are many lessons that come to mind, as I think and pray about it all. I am a continual learner, and with every lesson I am reminded that all of these things can be unlearned if not practiced. When I say "I have learned", it is true; but it is equally true I am still learning these very things.

Lesson 13: I have learned to recognize and say what God wants me to say

I am sure that all who follow Jesus would say it is important to recognize what God wants us to do and say; and then to do it. I would think that most would also admit that although this seems pretty simple, it is almost never easy. Additionally, if we really do what God wants, it doesn't mean that everyone else will like it. In fact, just as with Jesus Himself, when you do and say what God directs, it may bring very a very critical and negative reaction; even from those closest to you, even from those who claim to believe in and follow God. Following Jesus completely is full of tough choices; especially as it relates to doing and saying everything God directs us to do and say.

When it comes to being a pastor, a communicator of God's Word, I find this especially tricky. Unless someone has been in this role, it may be hard to fully understand what extra challenges pastors face in this area of what to say - especially in public preaching/teaching. There are a couple of other very real challenges to add to the challenge of my role. I like to please people. I want people to like me. It is very hard for me to say something that I fear others may not like. Add to this the fact that my personality lends itself to blending in rather than sticking out and being noticed. I know this sounds strange for a pastor who speaks in front of crowds every week; but it is true. Therefore, although I like to be creative in my preaching, when possible, I want people to remember God's truth and not my theatrics, so to speak.

I have failed often, but one thing I have learned (and am learning) is to recognize what God wants me to say and then to say it. I have to do that without worrying about the consequences. When I am communicating God's Word, it is up to me to be His messenger and represent Him. Therefore, I pray, not only about what to preach, but how to preach it. And this also includes sensitive issues and times of counseling and tough conversations. There have been many times when I recognize that what I believe God wants me to say is not going to go over well; and I have to make a decision: is this about pleasing people or about pleasing God.

This is a continual lesson to learn. Whether in preaching or counseling or leading or casual conversation, I desire that God will be pleased. And in those circumstances where others will not, I will commit myself and others into God's hands; and suffer any consequences - for His glory! This is really what God has called all of us to do. If we do and say, in our world, what He has asked, we will suffer, in some way; and yet God will smile, and someday give us our reward: Well done, good and faithful servant!