10 Commandments for a Minister's Wife Forum topic


Here is my response to it:


Actually I was thinking of this and you know what

Everyone is called to be a minister!

So Here are mine

1. The pastor's wife is not to be an example anymore than anyone else in the congregation.
2. She shall love her husband and family; but not be involved everywhere nor has to be.
3. The church needs to respect the pastor to take time for his family.
4. The pastor's wife can be involved where and when she chooses as if any other parishioner.
5. Thou shall treat the pastor's wife with respect - her ministry is with her family and husband - you are not getting a 2 for the price of one deal!
6. The church shall help send the pastor and his wife on a retreat (with Free child-care) at least once a year. (afterall the 2nd highest divorce rate is amongest pastors - According to the book Pastors At Risk)
7. She shall love God.
8. She shall love others.
9. She shall be herself!
10. She will be rewarded greatly in heaven for putting up with jerk husband such as myself!

Have you ever gone overbudget?

I mean really gone overbudget?

If you can't tell; its budget request time; and time to be realistic! Well we got what we spent so far. According to the paper I spent $10 000 over budget. Yes, you read that right. Some of you are thinking I wish that was just my youth budget; or I had any budget at all. Well, I freaked out. But talked to the treasurer and it was a clerical error. Thanks be to the Lord. Though I wouldn't mind to have overspent that much. :o)

All I Ever Needed to know about Youth Ministry I learned from Potty Training.

Youth Ministry is much like Potty Training. There are many methods to it; but not one model guarantees success. Everyone tells you how to do it, even if they never done it themselves before. When you first don't succeed, try again. It takes time and patience. Using Pull-ups
or having a backup plan is a good idea.

Accidents will happen. Even if one thinks you got it under control; you always have to start over at square one with the next child. Cleaning up messes keeps one humble and is a learning experience. Wearing your Superhero Underwear sometimes makes you look and feel special. Encouragement and questions are a good thing. Looking at other successes of training is helpful; but ultimately it is in God's timing. Be Faithful; persistence pays off. The longer you are at it; the better you will get. Remember it is one of life's journeys; and this too shall pass, treasure the moments.

Just when you think you have it mastered, someone else will come out with a new method of training to tell you how to do it. (Remember the old cloth versus disposal; pull-ups and rewards methods?)

Trust, love and put confidence in your student that they can do it. Once they have achieved this goal - look out world - God can do great things with them.




Gman Copyright 2004

Heard from a friend, a pastor started his Sunday Sermon this past week by saying

"As Henry the VIII told his six wives, 'I won't keep you long' "

I need to use that sometime.

I have an apology to make. In my own rush in judgement and cleverly title articles I had communicated the wrong message. What I thought I said and what others had read seem to communicate 2 different things.

I was trying to through more of a dose of reality that we don't need to be the next superstar or the next mega anything in youth ministry, but be who God wants us to be and love Him, and follow Him alone.

My hope was that youthworker who only has 2 kids in his youth group would be encouraged, even though his ministry wasn't Saddleback - but that he was doing ministry. I truly enjoy the parable of the talents and that of the sower, why? Because sometimes we sow or use what we have and God gives the increase.

The last thing I wanted to do was bring discredit or down play another youthworker's ministry. "What I intended (And didn't accomplish) was to un-intimidate those youth workers who were discouraged because of all the "Successful" ministries who were implying different results from the rest of us." (Youthworker Journal July/ August 2003) pg. 64 Dangerous Wonder by Mike Yaconelli)

I wanted people to fall in love more and more with Jesus. Isn't that what ministry is about? Loving God and loving those students. I know several over the past couple of days have taken stock and got caught up in issues that in the scope of eternity don't really matter ...to which I ask - How would God view this person.

My heart has been brokern over the last few days, why? Because I know that there are many hurting youthworkers out there, many hurting youth, and yet we strive to move forward only to move backwards at times.

So in my words, yet not mine but that of the Bible "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God ...." I John 4:7 a (NIV).

God's call and love and mercy and grace pouring down like rain is bigger than a forum, so maybe we can serve a God that is bigger than the internet and know that He is in control.

Gman

Love is not only something you feel. It's something you do. - David Wilkerson.

Ever Hate God? I mean really?

Discussion on another forum seems to equate hate with sinning. So let's define what hate is and hate is not.

Hate according to Webster's Dictionary pg. 617 is

1. to have strong dislike
2. to dislike or avoid

Hateful feeling or showing hate. Causing or deserving hate, something detestable.

So there have been times in my life where I disliked God and didn't want to follow him, and even hated the way life was going, doubting God, kind of like Jonah; unlike Job, and wanting to runaway ..hide and even curse God.

The whole issue seemed to be the problem of pain, suffering and the whole idea.

Now the interesting point to me is that there are incidents in the Bible, where God hates, he finds things detestable. He hates sin, he hates such and such. He is jealous. Of course in a godly way.

So when was the last time you had a hard time with God? What is God doing in your life right now?

So often I find the Christian walk and more specifically my faith journey a time of seeking, knocking and wanting more. I'll elaborate on my hate of God in a latter post.

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I'm a story teller by trade. One of the greatest things about stories, is that we each have our own to tell! I love telling mine; and telling stories that make one's faith journey come alive! For me the Bible is one True Story that we need to tell. Not that everything in that story is literal; but that with some great meaning impacts lives.

Parables are just that. Stories with earthly content, but with spiritual meaning. In the south here, one of the favourite phrases of some of the older at heart is the phrase "Bless your heart." I've been using this alot. Its basic meaning is interpreted as "You're such an Idiot." A good example if one senior saint discussing Jimmy breaking his leg; bless his heart. Or Sally getting into that car accident that was her fault; bless her heart!

For me, it is stories about times with my little brother, Dwayne - bless his heart! Times when we did the most amazing yet stupid things. Like the time I had him; well urinate on an electric fence; or the time we almost floated out on Lake Erie on a thing of ice; or the time we thought we were the 6 Million Dollar men. And the great invention of fruit of the loom underwear with Superheroes on them. One day we were Batman, Superman; and well nothing could stop us because we had our Super Hero Lucky Underwear on!

Maybe you too have a person in your life; that you can bless their hearts. Sometimes it is great telling stories; the funny thing is I have some how used mine to point to a God that points to me and says "Bless your heart" (Your an idiot) but loves me anyways!