Why I don't drink alcohol

 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,

And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.

Proverbs 20:1 (NASB)

Some have asked over the years, "why don't you drink alcohol?"  Well first of all I don't like the smell of it.  I am sure the taste won't be to my liking either.  But that is not a spiritual reason.  I know that Paul instructs Timothy to take a little wine for the stomach's sake.  I also know there is no clear instruction to abstain all together from drink.  I am aware for those on the other side of the issue that the Scripture also says, "don't be drunk"  But truly you can drink without being overwhelmed with being intoxicated.

However, I believe as a Pastor and as a follower of Christ that I want to be wise.  I feel that for me I desire to always be ready to give an answer for my faith and I don't want anything to stand in the way of being faithful to my call.

Fellow ministers, that is where I think wisdom to stay away from the drink all together is wise.  I don't need it, I don't want its influence and so I stay away from it altogether.  Sin, temptation and falling short is so easy for us to fall into.  I want to be above reproach and steer clear of anything that could bring a reproach to our Lord and Savior.  

Thank you for reading and I hope it will be food for thought for us as Minister of the Gospel. 

Know Why You Serve

Sometimes in ministry we can forget why we serve.  We may even forget who we are or where we came from.  We have the tendency to think that the church is our church, this ministry is our ministry.  Or even this church won't survive without me.  But remember what we learn in Ephesians 4.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 

Ephesians 4:11 (NASB) 

God is the one who called you and He is the one who enables you to serve.  He gets to choose where and how your ministry will be.  Humility is a needed quality in ministry.

We serve at His pleasure, with His grace enabling us to know or do anything worthwhile.  You have been given to His church to complete His task.  Brothers we must remember why we serve?

A Burden of the Heart

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God heaven.

Nehemiah 1:4 (NASB)

It seems there are some things missing from ministry and ministry leaders today.  What is missing is a burdened heart.  We need a passion and a purpose that is burning from within us.  Some of us do not have that.  Granted, pastoral ministry is challenging.  People are challenging.  Working with an organization built around volunteers is challenging.  But pastors, we are missing something within us; a burdened heart!
A wise friend in ministry many years ago chastised some of us newer pastor types because we referred to the pastorate as a vocation.  My brother Ted said, "Ministry is not a vocation or job it is a calling!"  He was and  is absolutely correct.

I learned from my brother.  Less than a year ago, I began conversing with a group from Hastings Michigan.  We were content in the location where we were serving and really did not want to leave the security of Pennsylvania, where we had spent most of our twenty plus years of pastoral ministry.  We had family there, friends in ministry were there, we were well connected in the community and among our sister churches, but God was calling.  I remember making this statement and praying fervently, "God I don't want to just go to a different place of ministry.  If you want me to go to Michigan, I want you to give me a burden and passion for this place."  God answered that prayer.

There are days when I look at our community here and the other places of ministry God has called us to in this area and I sense a deep burden.  Like Nehemiah there are days I mourn over the needs and spiritual condition of this region.  God has burdened my heart.

May I challenge you if you are struggling in your place of service, if you would like to be anywhere but where God has called you, pray for God to burden your heart for the place He has called you too.  It may change many things but I am sure it will change you!

One Step at a Time

As a leader/pastor we seek God's direction.  God will communicate with us where He is leading us. Our problem sometimes is that rather than accepting His direction one step at a time we would really like the whole journey mapped out.  But that is not the way God works most of the time.

The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12.1)

Maybe I'm alone in this but I find my jumping ahead of God.  I see where He may be leading and I begin to wonder what's the big picture, "where might this lead?"  God doesn't give us the big picture because He wants us to just take a step.  We need to find satisfaction in the step before we can find  satisfaction in the journey.  I read this morning a thought that was profound.  When we are always looking ahead we miss the joy, blessing and excitement of the step where God has us right now.

So let me encourage you pastor just enjoy the moment where God has you right now and don't get ahead of Him.  don't miss His blessings today because you are looking to see what His blessing may be tomorrow!

A Leader's Heart

Does this ever happen to you?  I was in the midst of preaching, actually it was the invitiation and God convicted my heart.  Maybe the invitation was for me and not for anyone else.

I was preaching from Nehemiah 1.1-4.  In this passage Nehemiah is confronted with the terrible condition of his people and their nations reproach.  I was preaching about our need for a burdened heart in order to reach people with the gospel or to fulfill our specific ministry calling. ( I will place a basic outline at the end of this post, if you're interested).  That's when God spoke to me.  He asked, "are you burdened for your people?"  "Have you wept and mourned over their needs?"

If you are like me there are times that I find myself going through the motions.  Some of you are right there with me.  We preach, teach, visit, plan etc. . . and then next week we start all over again.  Do we want to be used by God?  Certainly!  Do we know we are called?  Absolutely!  Have we lost our passion and does our heart break for where our people are at in their walk or where the church is in its life cycle?  I know, OUCH!

Nehemiah wept, mourned, prayed and fasted over the needs that he heard about.  Most of us have not, in fact it hasn't crossed our minds.  But effective leaders will have a burdened heart that breaks for the sheep that he is to shepherd.  This was not an easy message for me to hear, maybe you are there with me.  But God will use it to draw us to where we need to be so that we can lead our people to be where God wants them to be.

Outline:  Nehemiah 1.1-4

1. Concern for what God is concerned about
    vs. 2
2. Understand reality
    vs. 3
3. Become broken over the burden
    vs. 4