Take Care of Your Spark Plugs

If someone gave your congregation an evaluation on how it encourages its shepherd leaders, or anyone in leadership for that matter, how would it rate?  

Every church needs spiritual leadership.  Leaders are to a church what spark plugs are to a car engine.  I love to read Philemon 6-7.  Paul praises Philemon for being a spark plug in the Colossian church.  With fondness he reflects on Philemon’s ministry as one that “refreshed the hearts of the saints.”  But, I’ve often wondered, “Who refreshed Philemon?”  I’m sure there were people who filled his cup and encouraged his heart.  Who were they?

Ask any elder in the body of Christ and he will tell you that being an elder is the highest calling he has ever answered.  After twenty six years of watching elders “eld” the one thing I’ve heard them say more than any other is, “People see us sometimes as more than human.  People assume that our need for encouragement, prayer and nurturing fellowship somehow evaporated when we became elders (not to mention their families).  Nothing ever gets to us.  We’re ten foot tall in the Spirit and bullet proof!”  

Anyone who has ever answered the call to serve a body of Christ knows it’s not for the faint of heart.  Leadership can be burdensome and lonely.  These special servants have needs and hurts. They struggle with fears and questions that weigh on their hearts and keep them up nights.  They have bouts of weakness and can be overwhelmed by feelings of ineptness. Like Elijah of old they cry out, “Lord!  What in the world am I doing…here!?”

Truth is, most churches aren’t so good at caring for those whom they call to ministry.  Common sense tells us to pay attention on this matter.  Scripture does, too.  I like 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.  It reads:  We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 

I saw something the other night that brought a tear to my eye.  Some brethren came to an elders’ meeting unannounced.  They didn’t come with requests, a crisis or an urgent ministry idea.  They came to do ministry.  They prayed with our elders.  I have to confess; it’s the first time in years I’ve seen that done in our congregation.  The prayer was rich and heartfelt.  Tears flowed.  Hugs were generous.  And, only God knows how much ministry was done in their hearts.  

I thought about the touching scene recorded at the end of Acts chapter 20.  We know Acts 20:28.  We quote it all the time when we select elders.  But, we need to finish the chapter!  Paul exhorts the Ephesian elders one last time and then says goodbye to them.  They cry and embrace one another.  Then, they kneel and pray together.  What a touching scene!  Too Norman Rockwell?  Too romantic?  I don’t think so.  It’s a snapshot of what the relationship between shepherds and sheep should be. 

They need us.  We need them.  And, Satan knows that.  That’s why he cunningly works to destroy the intimacy, peace, and playfulness that the Holy Spirit so earnestly desires to create within every congregation.  We can do a better job as a congregation and,…we will. 

How’s it going in your church?  What ministry can you bring to those who lead you in the Spirit?   I can still hear Paul.  Can you?  “I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.”    

O Father, bless us with the kind of sight and hearing in our hearts that make us sensitive to the needs of those who lead us in the ways of the Spirit.  As you encourage us, may we encourage them.  Thank you for men and women around the world who give their time, interests, gifts, compassion, understanding and wisdom to help us be what you have called us to be in your Son.  Amen. 

Randy Daugherty

Stephenville, Texas

Let it Breath

My family went on vacation together a couple of weeks ago. We didn’t “plan” anything to do while we were on said vacation, really. Our plan consisted of relaxing, sitting, sleeping, reading, swimming, walking, eating, and watching movies. We did all of these things together--all of six of us. For an entire week.

Usually when you’re on vacation, you’re surrounded by unfamiliar places and people, which means you spend all of your time with the people you do know. That means our only respite from each other was when we went to sleep at night (and even then it wasn’t always a “respite,” since my thirteen-year-old sister occasionally kicks in her sleep).

Many people have asked what I did on my family vacation, and I always relay the list of items mentioned above. The reply is always the same: “So...you didn’t do anything? Didn’t you get sick of just being around each other?” Well, you know what? No, we didn’t “do” anything. But we did have a family conflict one night! I’ve told a couple of people this, just to see how they’d react. The reply to that is always the same, too: “Hmm. Some vacation!”

Going on vacation as a family is hard for some people. That’s why so many families pack their vacation schedules full of stuff to do: trips to the theater, shopping, going to watch sporting events, theme parks, concerts, and so on. Some people even choose to go on vacation with other families so they won’t be stuck all alone with just the members of their own family.

For one thing, going nonstop while you’re on vacation doesn’t sound relaxing to me. For another, I think families do this so they don’t have to interact with each other on an intimate level. Sure, you can go off and do all that stuff and have a blast together. But the last two monumental family “powwows” I’ve been a part of have both been when we were supposed to be enjoying a nice vacation.

When you get off like that by yourselves as a family, things can get really awkward or really awesome. It can be painful to escape like that with no conversation cushions like football practice, little Sally’s parent-teacher conference last week, or the latest church news to keep your relationships afloat. When my family is on vacation, we’re on vacation so we can take a break from talking about those things. But, then...what do you talk about?

As families we need to cross these pain thresholds. Our family “conflict” consisted of some of us calling out others on some things that we need to work on as individuals. Some of the things I had to say tasted pretty bitter, and some of the things I heard did not fall sweetly upon my ears, but they were all necessary things.

The conversation was not a reprimand. It wasn’t detrimental. It was hardly depressing. In fact, when we were done, my loving dad said, “This is the best conversation I’ve had in awhile!” He was so right. That single conversation was more life-giving for me than an entire week on the beach or in the mountains.

We’re afraid of slowing down enough to realize: “Wow. I need to apologize for that,” or, “I need to treat her better where this is concerned,” or, “My relationships need more depth and dimension.”  Discovering that that is what your relationships consist of is scary. But letting them stay that way is scarier.

The traditional Christian family is afflicted, in a sense. We’re afflicted with chronic lukewarmness in the way that we choose to share life together (or the way that we choose not to, for that matter). Romans 5:3-5 says, “And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

In choosing to confront this affliction, whether it’s by sitting down and having a transparent conversation, writing out a letter, or sharing tears together, we are choosing to be good stewards of the blessed web of unconditional love, forgiveness, and servanthood that God so generously provided for us when He created Adam and Eve--the first family. Confronting affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. Who doesn’t want to live a life full of hope alongside family?

God,

Forgive us for treating one of your most brilliant ideas with disrespect sometimes. Teach us how to live obediently in the midst of a family, through the highs and the lows. Give us bold hearts and spirits, that we may conquer our family afflictions with confidence in the knowledge that our love for each other will not be destroyed, because Your love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. We love you and we thank you for giving us families.

Through Jesus,

Amen.

Erin Daugherty, Abilene Christian University

One Thing is Necessary

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-40

This passage is not a contrast between good and bad. It’s a contrast between good and better. Martha was a good woman. Jesus loved her very much, apron and all (see John 11:5).  It was Martha who opened her home to Jesus.  Martha’s hospitality gave Mary an opportunity to sit at the feet of Jesus.  

Martha, however, was distracted with much serving. Martha wasn’t refusing to listen, she was anxious about serving her guests. Have you ever had a group of friends over for bible study and a meal? Were you distracted during the study, because you were worrying about the meal?   The preparations Martha made were not frivolous.  They were important! By doing them, Martha served Christ appropriately and enhanced the atmosphere in which He taught. The problem was that the preparations were not completed prior to Jesus’ teaching. Right priorities are always a choice we have to make.

In addition to missing out on what Jesus had to say, Martha’s distraction also caused her to miss how much Jesus cares about her. For example, at the end of the day, Mary would probably have said without hesitation that Christ cared for her, but during the visit Martha asked, “Don’t you care?”  Distractions in our life will cause us to miss out on how much Jesus cares for us.

Christ’s love for us never stops.  Our sense of His loving care can change dramatically from time to time. The determining factor in whether or not we sense His love is our willingness to abide in Him and His word.   

Many things are important, but one thing is necessary: JESUS!

Dear Jesus, thank you for desiring to spend time with me. Thanks for your loving care. Forgive me of all those times I let distractions come between us. You blessed me with a Bible.  I don’t want to leave it sitting on the table untouched! I want to remember these words: “one thing is necessary”.  I love you, Jesus. Amen.  

Terry Diane Smith
Stephenville, TX.

What is Your Suffering?

In my life I know a father abandoned by his wife and who lost his 2 young sons to illness, a wife married to and staying with an abusive husband for 40 years, and a woman devastated by physical ailments with a lifetime of surgeries and pain.  In moments of reflection on their lives I heard them say: “I wouldn’t change a thing”, “I wish everyone could have what I have”, and “My life is so good”.  Each endured suffering with unfathomable grief, inescapable despair, and unimaginable pain and yet they made these incredible statements.

From the perspective of the tragedies in the lives of these people their words did not reconcile with the reality of their sufferings.  I knew these were not flippant remarks to impress but were sincere expressions from the souls of believers.

I came across two scriptures that I read within the context of the lives of my friends who have suffered so much.

"But we must suffer as Christ suffered so that we will have glory as Christ has glory." Romans 8:17

So hold on through your sufferings, because they are like a father’s discipline.  We do not enjoy being disciplined.  It is painful, but later, after we have learned from it, we have peace, because we start living in the right way. Hebrews 12:7, 11.

I have gone through my own suffering since those of my friends.  I would not try to compare mine with theirs but I know mine was very painful.  Much comes to light in suffering.  Priorities are clearer and focus is keener.  The truths spoken by my friends became clear and I can now reconcile their words.  Only in suffering do I come to realize and understand the true brokenness of my life and how much I need my Father. Only suffering brings me to the feet of Jesus begging for His help, crying out to Him to save me from my pain and hopelessness. Only suffering allows me to be bare before Him with nothing offered, no ego, no solutions, no justifications, no rationalizations, only my cry for help to allow Him to save me. Until then I won't let Him in. I am too proud, too self reliant, too independent.  My Lord doesn't choose to make me suffer. That is not what He wants. But He knows it is the only way I will ever understand.  He knows it is the only way I will ever let Him save me and recognize it is His power, and see it for what it is.  When I have fallen at His feet and am laying before Him with no expectation the Spirit cries out to my Father for me knowing exactly what I need and He answers with a loving embrace of His presence. When you experience firsthand this relationship it is pure joy and you would never change it.  

That is what the father would not change. 
That is what the wife wished that all could have. 
That is what the woman proclaimed as so good.    

That is why they said what they said.

Thank you Father for always pursuing me. I want to taste true communion with You where there is true life and peace.  Lead me to that life however You need to.

Scotty Elston
Shallowater, Texas