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Where To Find Hope In Any Circumstance

We are all looking for hope, an expectation of good. We want to look to our future with optimism. There is a way for such optimism to be a regular part of your life but it requires something of you. Hope and optimism are not for the faint of heart but for those courageous enough to let go of their life and place their trust in an all-powerful, all-knowing God.

One of the most memorized and quoted verses among Christians is one which often loses its power due to its familiarity. We know Proverbs 3:5-6 but all too often lack the realization of its intended impact for our life. "Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Hope, optimism, expectations of good, come to those who can relinquish control, cease trying to be God and rely upon the ability and character of our God. Until we let go and entrust ourselves to Him, we are imprisoned by the limitations, insecurities and weakness of our own estimations and abilities to deal with the uncertainties of life.

The more completely you give your life to Christ, the more hope you will experience in your life! A future filled with great expectations is found in Christ!

James

To My Beautiful Wife...

Today is my second wedding anniversary with my Kim. It is hard to believe we have been married for two years. I am blessed with a beautiful, loving, Christian woman as my wife and am thankful for her everyday. Next to my salvation and relationship with Christ, Kim is the most significant and wonderful gift God has ever given me.

I pray Kim knows how much I love and cherish her. Every man should be concerned that his wife knows how much she is loved and cherished. A woman needs to know these things and a man should feel compelled to demonstrate his feelings in ways which let his wife know with certainty she is loved! A woman finds life and vitality in the relationship she has with her husband if he will love and cherish her well. Many men lament the "coolness" or "coldness" of their wife when she is simply suffering the ill effects of the treatment received from her husband! Love your wife well and you will find the fires of love, respect and passion burning brightly in your home!

Kim, I love and cherish you everyday. I thank God for you and pray He will make me a better husband everyday.

James

Unhealthy Churches And Unhealthy Ministers

Eighty percent of Bible school or seminary graduates will leave the ministry within the first five years of graduation. Perhaps you should stop reading and let that statistic sink in for a moment. These are men and women who have finished their degree! These are the ones who sacrificed, studied and in many cases went into debt to attend school for the purpose of serving Christ in the ministry. Five years isn't a long time but it takes only five short years for 80% of these dedicated men and women to say "adios" to the ministry.

If the above statistic didn't unnerve you then consider a few others found in a recent survey of ministers: Eighty percent of pastors feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastor. Seventy percent of pastors constantly struggle with depression. Fifty percent of pastors say they would leave the ministry today if they could but have no other way to make a living. These are very disheartening statistics!

Ministry is a tough calling from God but it is made all the tougher when the minister is not spending time with God on a regular basis or is himself living a life of hidden sin. Statistics again show a bleak picture of the spirituality of the ministry. Almost 40% of ministers polled in the afore mentioned survey admit to having an extra-marital affair since entering the ministry. Seventy percent of ministers surveyed say they only spend time in the Word of God when preparing for a sermon each week. How can a person be God's man for the church when he isn't even living like one of God's men?

Churches are very hard on ministers in 21st century America and this also leads to many of the statistics we see above. While moral failure is the reason many leave their calling, more prevalent issues lead the majority of those who leave the ministry to do so. These issues include questions of who will control the church, expectations concerning the role of pastor and simple stress. Many churches today expect the pastor to be a master communicator, marketer, entertainer and administrator while finding time to visit or "check on" every church member with a sniffle. These are high expectations for one man, especially when others in the church refuse to fulfill their own ministry calling. The pastor is not the only one called to do pastoral ministry but in many churches he is the only one willing (and expected) to do so.

Only a fraction of those who begin a life of vocational ministry actually finish their "career' in ministry. This is a tragedy for the church and one which must be addressed. The church is in need of spiritual leadership from her pastors, elders and deacons. If there are few healthy men in the role of pastor or elder there will be a trickle down effect to the rest of the church. Healthy churches need healthy pastors!

Healthy pastors need healthy churches! Unless churches clearly define the Biblical role for the position of pastor/elder and drop the unbiblical expectations from the job description, quality pastors will constantly face depression and the desire to "get out."

Pray for your pastor today!

James