Already at work

As I wake up in the morning with the sun streaming through my bedroom window I hear the birds chirping. They are already hard at a day's work finding worms and twigs for nests. They have already eaten breakfast. They do not judge me for having slept in which is good because maybe in my book I am rising early. 

It's the notion that they are already hard at work that catches my mind. I vaguely remember a movie, a John Wayne movie. It seems that at the end of the movie they weren't sure exactly how to close it out. The Hero had triumphed and the wagon train was continuing West. John Wayne told the director he knew just what to do. 

In the final scene of the movie created by John Wayne's authorship, John Wayne's character is sitting at a small round wooden table in the corner of some bar. And unseen character, a voice familiar to those who have been watching the entire story, asks the question, "So, what now?" John Wayne's character stands up and monologues. The gist of that monologue is this.

I don't know for sure where we're going now or what's going to happen but one thing I do know for sure. When we get there we will find God has already been there and is already hard at work. Fade scene. 

So, that's the beginning of my day. I can't say I know exactly where it's going to go but I know I'll find God there already working. If God eats breakfast then it would be safe to say he's already eaten. If I simply follow his leading and trust him and his preparations then I can know in my heart of hearts that everything has been taken care of. 

I thank Him as my head leaves my pillow. I have a lot to thank him for and I can never do a good enough job but he seems to like it because every time I get up and head into the unknown of my day I find he has already been hard at work and I am always pleased with his craftsmanship.

So, let's get up and see what God has been working on. Ooh, maybe He'll let us help.

Taking a day off in the ministry

So, I've been trying to take Thursdays off for about four months now. I try every week to schedule everything I can on the other days of the week and to organize my day off to allow me to get things done. It doesn't seem to work yet.

Taking a day off in the ministry...
A week ago-I actually had several people form my ministry call me and leave me messages that began with-I know it's your day off or maybe it's your day off- But. Ordinarily, you'd think a person might shake their head but I sort of get it. God doesn't take a day off anymore and different persons in the ministry get their day off whenever their employer says not whenever they want. They need to know what they need to know to make their day off from their secular employment as productive for God as it can be. I get it. I was actually grateful for the humble spirit with which they approached me on my day off. Some others have not done so.

Taking a day off in the ministry...
So, take a day off. Even, I say avoid the phone if necessary but going with Phil 2 we all should be concerned for ourselves and our walk with Christ as well as for others and theirs. So, when your day off is interrupted by say, a subpoena or some work that you've been putting off and it just can't wait now-Don't get upset. Like many other things in this life these things too can work for God's glory. What's more, He can use them to bless you if you love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Taking a day off in the ministry...
So, make sure you viciously attack hurry in your schedule, utilize whatever systems you need to to get the time adjusted so you can actually take the time off, and then just do it. In the process, never forget that God does not have to work on your schedule.

Oh, and Thank God, Because I'd sure hate to see what the world would look like if God took a day off.

Pastor Dan Stevenson
http://www.newheightsfellowshipchurch.org/

Monday mornings

Every pastor probably faces the same conundrum for Monday mornings. Because Sundays are our most extreme work day- At least I hope we get pretty worked up and pour out a lot of energy on Sunday-Monday mornings are a tired time.

Just for the record, I don't really believe that Christians should be a sleeping-in kinda' people. Sleeping in isn't a sin unless of course you are supposed to be doing something else while you are snoozing away. So, how do you avoid this? Develop a regular sleep pattern and stick with it. You can control your diet and develop a regular regimen of exercise. Being tired is pretty much a normal state for active people. No one is ever really at their absolute best endurance level. What I'm saying is that sleeping in does not necessarily solve your fatigue problem. While Getting enough sleep at regular structured intervals is important, eating right, proper hydration, and exercise actually remedy the fatigue problem.

Now, where was I. Yes, Monday mornings... I few hours for Sabbath which usually means rest and thinking about how good God is. Often, I include some Bible and certainly meditating on the word. By late morning I am ready to tackle some projects that have been nagging at me-there are always plenty of these-and I'm off to the races again.I do schedule sabbath times throughout the week. I never seem to get a full day sabbath but I do take a one-seventh model into account when planning my schedule. Then I treat these times like they are VERY important.

Praise God for work and rest and the wonderful way they go together like book ends.

What is up with bookends anyway? I gues there was a time when bookends were needed cause people wanted to stand up books on a table rather than putting them on a book shelf. Other than that, what's the point? For a while I had a set of book ends that I really liked and I put them on the ends of my books on my book shelf. Then one day it occurred to me that they were taking up valuable book shelf space. Now, they are gone. Admittedly, the one little boat had broken and the piece had gone missing ... I liked them but not as much as the books themselves. Bookends-go figure...

Pastor Dan
http://www.newheightsfellowshipchurch.org/