Balancing Ministry N' Work

This past year my focus has been on recovering from having my tumor removed and getting my strength back. While I am still not 100%, it is amazing how far I have come. The numbness I have had in my legs is continuing to improve and they do not hurt anymore. I do not experience the extreme fatigue as often as I used to, but it does happen about once a week. I would have to say I am not as far along as I would have hoped at this point in time, but I have no complaints. In addition to the physical issues, my life has turned full circle. My new job is going great, God has opened a door for me to continue in Ministry, and we are getting back to enjoying life. I am very thankful for this second chance I have been given by God! Now that I have reached this point in my recovery my focus is going to be changing. No longer am I going to be focused mostly on recovering what was lost. Now it is going to be focused in another direction. Going forward, I am focusing on enjoying life and making the m...

A year ago things in my life were uncertain. I had recently been called to Pastor New Life Chapel in Michigan but I also found out that I had an Acoustic Neuroma Brain tumor. I was confident that God was in control, but was unsure about how things would play out. God used the medical teams at the University Of Michigan Hospital to completely remove my tumor. Sadly I was having strength issues and was not able to continue as Pastor at New Life Chapel. It was a very difficult decision to step down, but I had no choice. I was not physically able to continue. A few months later God opened a door for me to accept a new job here in Spencer, Iowa. Not ready to be a Pastor we plugged into our church, 9th St. They were searching for a new Pasotr and had just called a man to fill that role. As a church we were waiting for his arrival. Due to some medical issues for his newly born twins he had to make the tough decision to stay where he was. Since then I have continued to help the church and prea...

Audio File Message title: Luke 18:1-8 – God is in control The Big Idea for message: When you feel discouraged remember God is in Control Sticky Statement: No Matter what God is in Control! ME (orientation): Good Morning! This has been one of those weeks! It has not been a bad week, per see. Things at work have been good, I was home earlier than normal a couple of days this week, and I was excited to be preaching this Sunday. But it was one of those weeks where no matter what happened, I was feeling discouraged. It was not something I could explain and even today, I could not tell you why. After all God has been at work in my life this last year. He brought us to Spencer and here to 9th Street Baptist. He has given me a great job, He has healed me, and has even opened up the door for me to continue what He has called me to do. I have a lot to be thankful for and discouragement is not something I really expected to be facing at this time. Feeling like I have all week is not something...

Last month I was feeling very thankful for all that God has done, this month it has continued. About this time last year (March 30th) I was given my surgery date of May 26th. I remember not being sure how I felt about having an actual date. It made things very real and time was limited, but it also eliminated most of the anxiety of not knowing when things were going to happen. I remember that while I was confident that Jesus was in control and that He would take care of everything, there were times when I was very nervous. Also this time last year, I was really begining to struggle with my energy level. My Acoustic Neuroma Tumor was impacting my life. While I do not have all of my energy back, I can tell you for a fact that I have more energy now than I did 1 year ago. So 10 months post op, I have lost my hearing on the left side, the ringing can drive me crazy some days, still have some fatigue issues, and I still a little numbness in my legs. With all of that I can say I am better to...

No Audio file this week, but here are my notes. Message title: Jeremiah 29:11-14 God Has A Plan The Big Idea for message: Even when we do not understand why things are happening, during the good and the bad, God has a plan. Sticky Statement: Seek God with all that you have and He will restore you!! Misc: Before I get started this morning, I have a service announcement. Some of us have been using the NIV translation for up to 25 years now. Well Zonderzan, the publisher, is updating the NIV Bible. They are coming out with a 2011 version. I tend to be a fan of reading different Bible versions, but I want to caution everyone. The 1984 version of the NIV is a good Bible, a few years back they came out with the TNIV version which was gender neutral in a lot of places that was not right. In some places it referred to God in a gender neutral way, I do not agree with that. Now the new 2011 NIV is based more on the TNIV than the 1984 version of the NIV, so it has roughly 3600 gender ne...

Click here to download the audio file Here are my notes from this week. Message title: Acts 1:8 Reach Out to Others The Big Idea for message: God wants to give us everything we need to be successful. That is to be successful in sharing His love with others, with fulfilling the Great Commission. Sticky Statement: When the Spirit is at work, Lives will be changed! Misc: Today we are going to finish up the series we have been going through on “God’s Plan for Sharing.” We started by looking at the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” As a church that is our number one goal! We are to make disciples, we are to reach the lost, share God’s love, and guide them as they develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. We then looked in Galatians and talked about helping others bear their burdens, knowing they cannot do it alone. We also looked at sharing whatever God has blesse...

Click here to download the audio file Here are my notes from this morning. Message title: John 15:4 Abide in Christ The Big Idea for message: As Christ followers we need to be in a complete dependent relationship with Jesus for Him to really work in our lives. If we attempt to do everything on our own we will struggle, if we seek Jesus and stand with Him everything is accomplished together. Sticky Statement: Abide in Christ and watch how He can use you! Misc: This morning we are looking at the second section of ‘God’s Plan for Sharing’ as laid out by the Iowa Southern Baptist Convention. Last week we looked at Galatians 6:1-10 Hold to One Another. The two main points were bearing one another’s burdens and sharing our blessings. We talked about how we need to help each other through the tough times and lift each other up. We also looked at how we are told to use what God has blessed us with to bless others. This morning we are going to be looking at John 15:4 ‘Abide in Christ’ and how...