Balancing Ministry N' Work

Today, November 25, 2012, I celebrate 17 years of marraige to the best wife I could have ever asked for. She has been a wonderful blessing through sickness and health, and I look forward to spending the rest of eternity with her! This evening we watched our movie 'Pure Country' with George Strait and our song 'I Cross My Heart' with the kids. A line from that song says 'In all the world, you will never find a love as pure as mine!' It was true 17 years ago at our wedding and it is even more true today! I Love you Hunny! Tomorrow, the 26th, we hit the 30 month mark of my Acoustic Neuroma Surgery. It is hard to believe that it has only been 2 1/2 years. A lot has happened in such a short period of time. I had to step down as Pastor at New Life Chapel due to my surgery and recovery, made a job change and moved to Iowa. Started pastoring Ninth Street Baptist, but then left my day job and the church to move to Centralia, MO for a new company. 30 months post op, w...

Been a while since I posted. Below is the AM service sermon I gave. Life can be crazy at times, with its ups and downs. I can tell you that the Hudson family has seen its share of craziness these last few years. We have had some great things happen, I was ordained back in 2010, had a couple of promotions at work, and we see our recent move to Centralia as a really good thing for us. On the other hand, we have been thrown some curveballs. Just shy of 3 years ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, followed by a 13 day stay in the hospital to remove it. As if that was not enough Alexis has had two surgeries in the last year or so; and of course all the bills that come along with all these medical issues. These were not challenges we were expecting or had planned for. Life is full of good times and times full of struggles. All of us go through things that make life seem like it is out of control. We have medical issues, back problems, knee surgery, finding a job, housing issues, an...

I was blessed with the opportunity to preach this morning at CornerStone Baptist here in Centralia, MO. Mark 12:29-30 Is Your Heart breaking for the things that breaks God’s heart? Please turn with me to the book of Ezekiel. We are going to start at Ezekiel 36:22-27. In these verses we hear how God is going to restore the people of Israel. Ezekiel 36:22-27 “22 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went. 23 I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh”—the declaration of the Lord GOD—“when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight. 24 “For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, ...

I would be willing to bet (and I do not gamble) that most of us have heard that we are supposed to minister to people as part of our daily lives. We have been told by pastors that during our daily activities we are to share God's love any chance we get. I can tell you I have encouraged people while I was standing in the pulpit to do just that. I have said that a pastor can reach people in church, but each person can reach dozens of people each week that the pastor would never come in contact with. I remember during our men's group at Ninth Street hearing the encounters the men had each week. It was great to hear how they were living out there faith. Day by day how they would quietly witness to the people in their lives. It was great! Since our recent move in May, I have been missing our church in Iowa. The people there are amazing and seeing how they served God faithfully week by week was very rewarding. Another part that I have been missing is the ability to witness to t...

I have been thinking about this post for some time now. I actually started it over a month ago, but have not been back on my laptop long enough to see it towards completion. Technology is Great! Cell phones that allow us to talk to friends and family regardless of where they are. You even get free long distance on cell phones, that is a big plus being so far away from our loved ones. Computers are another great result of the technological advances we have seen. I can do many things at work that would have been next to impossible 20-30 years ago. Not to mention they also help us to connect with love ones. A couple of weeks ago my Mother-In-Law was in town and they used Skype (a live video conference software) so the kids could talk to their Grandpa who is currently in Canada. It was a blessings for all! Facebook can even be a good thing. I am closer to many of my cousins in PA that I never new that I ever could have been without it. Technology has allowed us to create a bond that ...

May 25th is a day in history to be remembered. Star Wars debuted on May 25, 1977. This week marked the 35th anniversary of the beginning of a legend, and is celebrated around the world! May 26, 2010 may not be remembered by nearly as many people but it is an important day for me and my family. Today, is the 2 year anniversary of my Accoustic Neuroma brain tumor surgery. Today, I am thankful for the life I have! How did we celebrate it? Last night we went out and celebrated 3 things. 1st it was Chris' birthday on the 21st, 2nd Thomas' birthday is the 29th, and the life given back to me after surgery. We went to a wonderful Japanese Steak House where they cook the food right in front of you, plus some great sushi... made for a great dinner. Today we spent the day getting settled in our new house, so nothing fun but still rewarding. As far as my symptoms go, things are a little better even with the stress of a new job, a major move, and everything that goes with it. Headac...

Some days (most actually) I wish I could understand why things happen in our lives. I know beyond a doubt that God has a plan for each and everyone of us, it just does not always make sense while we are going through it. Those who have followed me for the last couple of years, know that God has been at work in my life. Most recently, He used the University of Michigan Hospital to save my life. Then a few months later He opened up a job in the small town of Spencer that seemed to be perfect for me. Shortly after our arrival in Spencer we joined a pastorless church and a few months later they called me to be their Pastor. God at work ALL THE WAY!!! Everything was going good. Work was good and it was great to be used by God at Ninth Street Baptist Church. Late in 2011 things at work began to change. The hours were getting longer and longer and the stress was ratcheting up. As the long days turned into long weeks and months, it began to have an impact on my health, my family, and my ti...

Today, February 26, 2012, is 21 months to the day since my Acoustic Nueroma Brain Tumor removal surgery. As I approach the 2 year mark, I ask myself am I glad I had the surgery? YOU BET!!! Would I do it again? Without a doubt!!! While I am not 100% 21 months later, I am much better off than I would have been had I waited or not done anything at all. My tumor was growing rapidly and would have caused major problems in the following months or years had I waited. Today, I have a constant ringing in my left ear, I cannot hear anything out of that ear, I do get dizzy, I do get tired easily, reading tends to put me to sleep, I do have balance issues, and I do get headaches on that side of my head. It could have been a LOT WORSE! While the list of side effects may seem long, the list of things that I can do is much longer. I can work, I can rough house with my kids, I go to the shooting range, I can go fishing, I ride my bike, I am here to be a husband and father, and God is still usi...