Have I Done Enough

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
II Timothy 2:15

It's early Sunday morning.  Sermon notes are prepared.  Prayers have been lifted to Father, asking Him to speak to every heart that will be present later today.  I've searched my heart, peeling open every layer asking Him to cleanse every part and fill me with His Holy Spirit.  But, as I sit here typing these words, one question runs through my mind:  Have I Done enough?

Oh yes, I have spent time reading and studying God's Word, but did I read and study enough?  Yes, I've prayed, sought God's face, confessed my sin and pleaded the blood of Christ seeking the power of His resurrection in my life, but could I have done more?  This is what fills the hearts and minds of pastor's each time they stand before their assigned flock but for the bivocational pastor I believe it is intensified by his tight daily schedule.

Work at the second job (yes, ministry is my first calling, my first responsibility, my first passion) must occur or the family may suffer.  Employers expect an honest days work for an honest days pay.  To give otherwise is a disgrace to our Savior.

Family must also be made a priority. Quantity of time given to family relationships must not be slighted in the name of quality time.  Wives and children as well as parents and siblings need to know they are important.

All of this is what brings me to this point every time I get to stand before my people to give them what our Father has given me.  It is a tremendous burden.  So, as you prepare to go to your church this morning, prayer for your pastor.  He is most likely asking himself the same questions and wondering, "Have I done enough?"

Why I Decided to Start Writing a Blog

"And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem very highly in love for their work's sake.  And be at peace among yourselves."  I Thessalonians 5:12-13

I grew up in a church whose pastor was bivocational.  He was a painter and worked very hard to provide for his family.  At the same time, he made time to prepare three sermons a week, to teach the teen Sunday School class and to minister to a congregation of 20 to 40 people.

I can't tell you how many times over the 42 years he pastored that church that he was criticized for not giving enough time to the church.  When he retired a few years ago, the church was still a congregation of 20 to 40 people.  Many of his critics blamed him for the church's lack of growth.

Over the last 13+ years I have become all too familiar with what he went through.  I have been a bivocational pastor since 2002 and I have gained a firsthand appreciation for the struggles, the perils, the fulfillment and the joys of bivocational ministry.  It is my hope and prayer that in writing this blog, I will be able to share that with you and in some small way help you know me better and give you a glimpse into this "One Pastor's Heart".  May God bless us both on this journey together.