Absence makes the heart grow fonder.....

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”; I don’t agree with that statement.  I understand that this is my opinion but since this is my blog I get to share my feelings.  I have an amazing wife who works for a great company.  Unfortunately, every year during this time she leaves me to go to work conferences that last for about three weeks.  During those three weeks I get to see her two times when she comes home for a late afternoon and evening to relax.  Maybe it’s because I’m wired differently, but I love being with my wife.  Even if we’re not talking or doing anything it brings comfort to know that she is in the next room or on the couch nearby.  I enjoy just watching her and bugging her endlessly about stuff that she could not care less about.  When Tami is not around I feel an emptiness that I don’t like, and it seems like the longer we are married the harder it gets.  I understand that many of you have jobs where you have to travel and you are used to a lifestyle like that, but I’m thankful that we have never really had to experience that type of life.  And what little I have experienced hasn’t made me love her any more, but I know that our love has grown because of the bond we have as best friends. 

I wonder how often people react to their journey with Christ in the same way—“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”?  I don’t believe it would ever be intentional, but we live in a time when so many things are pulling at our lives that it’s easy to say that we’ll catch church next week.  I’ll read my Bible and pray tomorrow or I’ll deal with that spiritual struggle next week.  We don’t love God any less, we just have fallen into the trap of thinking, “I won’t be effected by a few days away, in fact, it may even cause me to miss church or Christ more.”  Let me encourage you, we all have faced this struggle, but the thing you must determine is that nothing is going to separate you from your church family and your daily journey with Christ.  You never know what tomorrow holds, so do all you can do today to make sure you’re ready for tomorrow. 

Trust

Do you trust me?  That is a question that I’ve heard asked so many times in movies, a question that I’ve said to Tami several times during our lifetime together, and a question that comes into our lives every day.  When I go shopping, the question of trust is raised whenever I’m making an expensive purchase, when I buy a car from a car dealership it runs through my mind, and of course when I buy a home I have to ask that very question.  We are living in a day when trust is such a difficult thing to have because we are misled in so many areas.  I’ve bought the lemon car that I was promised was perfect.  I ordered that online product that was going to make my life so much easier only to get it in the mail and realize I’ve been conned.  Luckily I’ve never bought a home that had any hidden surprises waiting for me, but I’ve seen it happen to others.  Do you trust me?

The world we live in today has seen so many broken promises, from our government to our school systems, and even in the church where we should be able to trust everything.  So, how do I learn to trust?  How do I know when I can answer yes to that question?  How do I know when I can truthfully ask others to trust me knowing that I’m a man of integrity?  The Bible teaches us how to know when to say yes to both of those questions—Yes, you can trust me, and Yes, I trust you—and I encourage you to grasp these truths and apply them to your lives every day.

The people I can say “yes, I can trust you” to are the people that exemplify the character of Christ.  When I look at their lives I see fruit being produced that is good fruit.  They are not about themselves and what they can get out of me but instead want to know what can they do for me to strengthen my journey with Christ.  They don’t lie to me, cheat me, or talk bad about me.  They approach me when I’ve done something to hurt them and follow the Biblical example of talking to me one on one.  They encourage me to become the man of God that I’m supposed to be.  That is a person I can trust.  You may be saying that there are not people like that, but I want you to know that there are people like that and those are the people that you need to be seeking out and building relationships with. 

How do I know if people trust me?  Do they see Christ in me?  Do they see that my heart is passionate for the things of God for them as well as for me?  Am I producing fruit that is good fruit or am I leaving a path of destruction in the things I’m doing?  And the real hard one for me is this: do I love them enough to approach them one on one when I feel they are doing something that is contrary to Scripture?  These are such high standards and I know that we will never be perfect in living each of them every day, but they should be our goal.  If I can’t answer to the positive on most of them in my daily life, then I need to get on my knees and ask for God’s forgiveness and set out to live the way I’m called to live.  If I do live by these standards most of the days, then I need to remain humble because it is by the working of the Holy Spirit in my life that I’m able to do it.  God has called all of us to live this way, so forget the past and establish for yourself new values today to fulfill God’s plan for your life!  

A Tribute to a Special Grandmother

This morning we found out that Tami’s grandmother passed away last night. She was 98 years old and one of the most godly women I’ve ever known. I met Grandma Lebsack when I was a teenager and started dating Tami. Both Grandpa and Grandma would come to South Bend and stay in a small apartment that we had inside the church. Since they were retired they would often be there for several weeks. I found myself making my way to that small apartment so I could just sit and talk with them. They were a delight and poured so much into my life as a young man following the call of God on his life. They were both retired ministers, and every conversation gave me a nugget of something that would help me later in life.

I often remember the times I would walk in and they would be having their daily devotions. I asked myself why a retired minister would feel the need to have a daily devotion because after 50-plus years of ministry they had to know it all. Oh, the ignorance of youth! I know now that if I want to stay alive spiritually that I need to be in God’s Word on a daily basis. The years quickly went by, and Tami and I were living in Michigan when her grandfather passed away. Grandma could have gone into a hole and just waited out the rest of her life, but she didn’t. Instead, she became more active in making friends, being a support to her pastor, and ministering to people in the church. Tami and I would go and visit her in Colorado, and when we went to church she knew everyone. She could tell us about their lives and opportunities that she had to pray with them. And it wasn’t just the senior citizens of the church but rather people of all ages. We sat in her Sunday School class and listened to her pour her heart out to those present. Her class was so large that it had to meet in the church auditorium. She was always a great teacher and preacher.

When Tami and I were pastoring in Ohio, our 15th anniversary was coming up and we needed somebody to watch the kids so we could go out of town. Tami’s mom was not able to come, so we asked Grandma if she would fly up and take care of Krystal and Caleb. She gladly accepted and at 80 years old she came to take care of a teenage girl and a young boy. When we returned, Krystal made us promise that if Grandma ever came to watch them again that they wouldn’t have to ride with her in the car. Living out in the country, she had some problems with the narrow roads.

Grandma eventually moved to Texas where she lived close to family. While here, she taught me her recipe for the perfect cinnamon roll. Tami and I tried for years to make rolls like Grandma did and could never do it. Now I can because she loved baking and teaching. Tami and I had many nights where we’d pick Grandma up and just take her to dinner to talk. She had so many great stories and was always great company. I could go on and on, but I just wanted to give you a glimpse into the life of a very godly woman. I was blessed to call her Grandma for over 30 years and will rejoice someday when I get to see her again. Love your family because this life passes by very quickly. 

Guess What Happened To Me Today...

Monday morning, I came into the office still rejoicing over the day and felt a little tired but knew I had things to get done.  I spent the morning emailing people and having some study time and by the afternoon my mind was just tired.  What do you do when you have a tired mind?  Well, if it’s April and you still haven’t done your taxes, you get them out of the way.  Having done my taxes for so long and with the great software available to take care of everything, I just started entering our information and got our return finished.

Once I’d completed the return I simply had to file it electronically and our 2014 taxes would be complete.  I went through the pages answering the questions and received the confirmation that I could now send in my form.  I clicked the “Send Now” button and a picture of an envelope came up and it showed the forms being loaded into it.  Once it had all the forms it sealed itself up and I watched as clouds came rushing by showing me it was flying to the cloud to its destination.  All of the sudden a message came up: “Your form could not be filed because a form with this social security number has already been filed”!  What?!  I never filed my taxes because I never completed the forms.  I tried it about four or five more times with the same results and knew I had to call the Internal Revenue Service.

After spending 20 minutes looking for the right number to call I ended up on a recorded line and kept getting transferred to various other recordings.  It was getting really annoying listening to all these options when all I wanted was a real person to talk to.  Finally I got a message that placed me on hold and went to music, which always seems to be a good sign.  That is, until another recording comes on saying there are too many people in the queue so call back later and it just hangs up.  Have to love our tax dollars hard at work! Lol

Finally I decide to call the Fraud division and I actually get ahold of somebody.  They take all my information and look and sure enough, somebody had used my information to file a tax return.  After several minutes of discussion I knew what I had to do to correct the problem from my side and set out to fill out forms and contact organizations about the fraud.  Today, I mailed my tax return and hopefully everything else will get corrected soon.

That got me wondering about my life as a Christian.  When I get on my knees to pray and my prayers get to heaven, does a fraud alert go off?  You know, claim to be a Christian but only come to God when I need something from Him.  Or does heaven respond with open arms because God knows my heart is set on Him and He’s just waiting to move mountains on my behalf?  There are a lot of frauds out there, but don’t let yourself get caught being one.  

Remodeling For The Best

This week is a big week at the Bullard house. Last year we had our home gutted and had everything redone. It turned out amazing and has brought us much joy and will for years to come. Upon completion of the inside, we looked and felt like we wanted to address our backyard. That brings me to today’s blog.

We have been blessed to be in a home that had a pool when we bought it. We have definitely gotten our money’s worth out of the pool because we are in it several times a week when the weather is nice. However, the backyard is over 10 years old since the pool has been installed, and we want to update our backyard. We are having a covered patio area installed and having the concrete on our patio resurfaced. To resurface the patio the workers had to bring grinders to remove the top layer of the current patio. They worked a whole day just grinding away at every part of the patio, and if you understand concrete you know that grinding off the top layer will create a lot of dust. We have dust particles in our pool, all over our garage, some got through the French doors onto our wood floors—it was everywhere. Now, I could have gone out and said, “Stop!” but we would never experience the blessing of a new patio. So, in a few days we will be cleaning everything so that we can get back to normal.

Jesus looked into the lives of every one of us and said that our hearts are covered by sin and need to be resurfaced. It was because of His love for us that He came and willingly died on a cross for us. We all have sins that need to be forgiven, and the work that Jesus did on the cross is all that is required to find forgiveness. If we simply open up our hearts and accept Christ’s gift of forgiveness we will be saved. Now, in the process of forgiveness a lot of dust might be exposed. Things that need to be cleaned up like our language, the way we treat others, what we allow into our minds, and so on, but if you are forgiven you have overcome those things and through the power of the Holy Spirit you are free from them. It may take a while to clean up all the dust, but you will get it cleaned up and the new you will be a wonderful creation in Christ. 

I Need Tami....

Every year Tami has to go out of town for several weeks because of her job. Luckily, all of her travel for the year is completed by the end of March. Every year it gets harder and harder to let her go because I like having her at home at night even if we’re not doing anything together during the evening. When she is gone I feel lost, and then at night when it’s time to go to sleep it just doesn’t feel right because she is not there. I’m thankful she has such a great job and works with great people, but I love my family and really like it when they are close by.

I have friends and family that I love and I’m committed to. I look forward every week to being able to spend time with them because they are such an important part of my life. They celebrate with me, cry with me, love me, support me, teach me, and so many other things. When I am away from my family I feel lost. My spirit is aware that it’s not getting the things it needs to stay strong and alive.

I have a Savior, His name is Jesus Christ. Every day I should be connecting with Jesus through prayer, meditation, and spending some time in the Bible. Every so often I find the pace of life getting out of hand, and I sacrifice those elements that are most important to my spiritual life. I know that Jesus is just waiting to connect with me, but He is not going to force me to do something that I don’t want to do. When I don’t connect with Jesus on a daily basis I find myself beginning to feel dry and empty inside. I begin to blame others or the church for my misery because I’m not being “fed,” as so many have said through the years. But I need to remember that the most important part of my being fed comes from the time that I’m alone with Jesus. For years I’ve heard that everybody else is to blame, but just as it’s important to make sure I’m close to my family, and as important as it is that I’m close to my friends and family, it’s most important that I’m close to Jesus Christ. Are you the one who will commit to staying close to Christ? What’s the next step you have to take to make that happen? Whatever that step is, do it today! 

The Thermostat Battle

Have you ever had a battle over the thermostat? I’ve done it for years at home because Tami loves freezing me out of our house whereas I like having a nice moderate temperature. Tami is 68-70 and I’m at 72 in the summer and 70 in the winter. We’ve learned how to function in our house with this system because whoever is by the thermostat changes it to what they want.

Now, the battle of the thermostat is also at the office, and today it had me laughing. As most people know, I do not handle cold weather well, so I like the office at 72.  But I can function fine if it’s a little warmer.

All that to say that we all have the temperatures that we like for the room we are in. In the same way, there are temperatures that we like in our spiritual lives. Some of us like it hot—bring on the heat and challenge me—while others are happy with where they are and don’t want to feel the heat. I’m not really comfortable with confrontation, but I understand that the Bible is very confrontational. I have to see myself as a sinner, I have to see how I’ve fallen short, and when I do things that are sinful or destructive I need to be called out and challenged by either the Holy Spirit or by a Christian who loves me. I hope you know that I love each of you! I love you enough to do the tough thing, to call you out if you are living in rebellion. 

A Trip to the Dentist

Since last October I have been going through the process of having a new tooth implant put in. What I thought would be a short process has turned out to last months. I think that the end is in sight, but I’ll find out in two weeks. So what does that have to do with my blog today? Well, today I had to go and have more work done, and I’ve come to enjoy going to see my oral surgeon. Oral surgery has come a long ways from when I was a kid and it is not a bad experience to me.

They begin by giving me laughing gas to relax me. I’m the type of person that gets talkative when I start to relax, so I become very chatty with the nurse assisting the surgeon. After I inhale the laughing gas for about five minutes, the doctor comes in and asks how I’m feeling, knowing full well that I’m feeling pretty good by now. Then a large cotton swab with a numbing agent is placed on my gum to numb it before he begins injecting the numbing medicine to numb my mouth. By the time he is finished with the numbing injections he could repeatedly punch me in the mouth and I’d never know it. Good stuff! Lol. Now I’m ready for the dental work to be done.

After about 15 or 20 minutes the work was complete, and I never felt one bit of pain or discomfort during the entire process. As he was working on me today I was thinking that this dentist could do anything he wanted to the inside of my mouth, and I’d never know it until later in the day when all the numbing medication started wearing off. I’m in a state of totally trusting that he has my mouth’s best interest in everything that he does during this procedure.

That brings me to the lesson that I learned today. As I go through life I can become numb to things in the world that go against what the Bible teaches me. I can begin to fall into the lie that the Bible really doesn’t mean what it says because it was written during a different period of human history. And when I begin falling into that lie I find myself living a life that is not pleasing to God. I can’t allow myself to become numb to the truths found in the Bible but instead must resist the attempt of society to redefine my faith. It may be uncomfortable because people are going to think you are a Christian fanatic, but you’re not here for the approval of man. The only words I look forward to hearing when this life is done will come from Jesus Christ: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” 

Celebrating Life!

Today is a day of celebration because we are celebrating life: the birth of a new granddaughter who by God’s grace will bring us years of laughter, joy, and wonderful memories. Haven Grace is planned to come into this world at noon and she will be welcomed into two families who will love her and spoil her. Yes, there will be the tears from falling and skinning a knee, or the times when we will worry because she doesn’t feel well, but I know there will be many times we sit back and just watch her as she enjoys growing up. My biggest prayer for our new granddaughter is that she is healthy all of her days, learns about the love of Jesus at an early age, and asks the Lord to be her Savior. We are so blessed to have two beautiful granddaughters – PaPa and MiMi are proud grandparents!

Just as we are ready to celebrate this precious new life coming into our family…we are celebrating the life and legacy of Tami’s grandmother, Velma Lebsack. Last week the family was informed that Tami’s 98-year-old grandmother was not doing well and is not expected to be with us much longer. Tami and I made a trip down to Granbury to see her last week along with the rest of the family. We are going to grieve when she passes away, but not in a bad way. Our grieving will be because we will miss her… but we will also be celebrating her life, as she has left a wonderful heritage and legacy for her family. Grandma Lebsack has lived a full and wonderful life that is worthy of celebrating.

I met Grandma Lebsack when Tami’s dad came to pastor the church that I grew up in. He was an only child, so once he accepted the position as senior pastor of the church it didn’t take long for his retired parents to make their way to South Bend to check out the new home. Her grandparents always sat in the same seats whenever they would visit. They stayed in a small apartment that the church had on the property, so it was easy to run into them. Both Grandpa and Grandma Lebsack were preachers… so I often had the opportunity to listen to her preach and teach. She was an amazing preacher and teacher. She was loving, easy to talk to, a great listener, and an unbelievable baker. Once I got into the family she taught me how to make her famous cinnamon rolls!

After Tami and I got married, when Grandpa and Grandma Lebsack visited us they would take over the kitchen and cook for us. I’ll never forget the time Grandma came to watch our kids when Tami and I took a vacation to celebrate our 20th anniversary. She was a widow by then and in her mid-eighties, but she didn’t hesitate when we asked if she would watch Krystal and Caleb (15 and 10 years old). The kids loved her and the church helped out, but it was a special time when Krystal and Caleb really got to know their great-grandmother. When we returned, Krystal made us promise that she’d never have to ride with Grandma driving a car ever again (another story for another time – ha!).

I could go on and on about Haven Grace and Grandma Lebsack, but I was just reminded of how quickly life comes and goes. Celebrate every aspect of it because you never know what tomorrow holds. And celebrate it by passing down the faith that has been passed down to you. Grandma is a spiritual pillar of our family and that same faith she has was passed down to a son, his daughters, their sons and daughters, and now to the fifth generation of children. What a great legacy!

Play Date With Brynley

I don’t think there are many things better in life than experiencing the joy and laughter of a child. Last night, since we were iced in, we invited Krystal, Justin, and Brynley over for dinner. They live less than a mile away and wanted to get out of the house for a little while. When they arrived we were waiting on dinner to finish cooking and Tami was busy with some project, so I asked Brynley if she wanted to play. With a big smile and excitement in her voice she said, “Yes!” So I asked if she wanted me to bring some toys into our family room or if she wanted to go to her play room. The play room! She took me by the hand and led me back to the room where we keep her toys. She opened the door and we walked in, ready for some Papa and Brynley time.

The first thing we did was sit at her drawing table and write. I spelled my name and Brynley’s name then had her try doing the same thing. I had a wet paper towel to clean the white board, and she was prompt to point out spots I missed. The fun we had drawing and writing was priceless. After that we had to go play with her barn animals. Brynley has a little barn with stalls for the animals, and when you open their gate the barn makes the noise of that animal. So we made sure that every animal was in the right stall. The ‘neigh,’ that’s a horse to us and is Brynley’s favorite animal, the pig, the sheep, the cow, and the chicken. We laughed at the animal sounds coming out of the barn and moved the animals around like we were really out on the farm.

From there it was on to her doll house. I’m so glad I know how to spell it because apparently I don’t know how to pronounce it! Lol. Last weekend at the Couple’s Breakaway I read a question with the word doll in it and only Jennifer Brasnick understood what I was saying. My sister wasn’t in the room when this was going on, so when she came in they asked her to say the word, and she said it identical to me. Anyway, back to my play date. We played with Brynley’s doll house that had a daddy doll, a mommy doll, a Brynley doll, and a Haven doll. Haven is Brynley’s little sister who is going to be born next week!

Those few moments of quality time with Brynley are so special because she normally wants her mommy or Mimi. But it was just us two having some alone time, and even though she will forget about our play date in a few days these times will always hold a special place in my heart. Just as that time with Brynley was so special, I know that Jesus is just waiting for special alone time with me. He wants to teach me how to follow His Word, how to enjoy His wonderful creation, and how to just be filled with joy because all I want is to be with Him for a special time.

Why Such a Hurry?

Last week we celebrated Valentine’s Day and I set up a nice romantic meal for Tami and myself. We don’t go out to nice places often, so I wanted to make it special and made reservations at a favorite place where we hadn’t been for a few years. I really like the anticipation of the evening where Tami gets all dressed up and I do the best with what God has given me.

One of the fun aspects of our dates is that Tami always tries to figure out where we are going to be eating. In my sermon on Sunday I told how she will just start asking questions about where we are going and won’t stop. She knows how to read my face and knows when she chooses the right restaurant just off my expression, so this year I was determined not to let her know where we were going to eat. I simply refused to look at her while she would interrogate me about our plans. She kept saying “Look at me!” but I held my own and didn’t buckle. Finally the night of our date arrived, and I totally fooled her and took her to an unexpected place and proudly surprised her.

This leads to the point of the story. If I’m going out to a nice restaurant with my wife looking all fancy and dolled up, I don’t want to be done with dinner in 30 minutes. Normally Tami and I will sit and talk, and we tell the waiter or waitress that we will let them know when we are ready to order. We settled in and got our drinks, and we were both really hungry so we decided to order our appetizer. We’ve learned from past experience that we shouldn’t give our whole order because it will be out way too fast. Our waiter pushed to get our whole order and assured us time and time again that he would not put in the next course until we were finished with the course we were eating. Yes, I buckled and gave our whole order. Sure enough, it backfired. As soon as we ate the last of our appetizer our salads were at the table. We were halfway through our salad and a gentleman brought out our entrée and was setting it down when I explained that it’d be nice to finish my salad before my entrée was sitting on the table. He apologized and took our food back to the warmer. I’m sure they didn’t cook a new, fresh order for us.

In our lives there are areas where we have to take control. I have to take control if I’m going to have a vibrant relationship with Christ. I have to take control if my family is going to follow the path that God has for us. I have to take control if I’m going to be effective as an employee at my job. The world will try to tell me what to do and how to do it, but I need to be obedient to the voice of the Lord and His Word that teaches me how to live. When the world says “act this way,” I must make sure it lines up with God’s plan, and if it doesn’t then I send it back. You have the power to take control in your spiritual journey with Christ; will you?

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you it took our waiter 45 minutes to cash us out so we were there for almost two hours.  What a date!  

Have to Love Hanging Stuff

Late yesterday afternoon I arrived home ready for a nice dinner and some time to relax from a busy day that included working out just before I came home. When I went to freshen up, Tami followed me, looking excited about something. When I asked why, she informed me that she was eager for me to hang the new decorations she had purchased that day.

I knew that dinner had to be prepared, dishes done, and pans hand washed. I told her that there was a lot to do and that it’d be better if I waited until Friday when I was off work. Tami told me that she wanted it done right after my shower, so I knew that I would be hanging things in a short time.

It’s not that I mind hanging things, but I prefer to do it at a time of my choosing, when I’m alone so I can take breaks or relax if I get frustrated because things are not going right, and when I’m not coming off a busy day. So, needless to say, my excitement level was far different than Tami’s. When I entered our family room I saw that I was not just hanging one shelf but two, almost side-by-side. Each would have to be hung level with the shelf next to it, but they were a funky shape so that made it more difficult. Also, the notches where the screw heads would hold up the shelves would have to be calculated into the measurements.

All said and done, the project was accomplished and it all looks nice. The hanging process brought stress and caused me to not be the most patient of men. I don’t think I said or did anything that I’d be ashamed of, but why do I allow such a simple thing to frustrate me? I know Tami, and I know she is enjoying her home, so you’d think that I’d just relax and do the project. Unfortunately I get the same way in my spiritual life. I’m a person who likes routine and I know my routine. When God starts messing with my routine, it creates stress in my life that I don’t want; however, I need to remember that God isn’t there for my comfort but to teach me how to be a better man. That means stretching me by tossing in a project or activity that I may wish to avoid but will learn through: learning patience, trusting Him, and doing whatever I’m asked, when I’m asked—not to make my life easier, but to make me stronger!

Not Into Back Pain

Last weekend, Tami decided to search for something in our attic even though I assured her it wasn’t there. I knew that she would never be able to get up in our garage attic, so I went up for her. Such a loving husband! Lol

While searching in the attic I figured it was a good time to start throwing away stuff that we have not used in years: old VHS tapes, broken suitcases, damaged Christmas decorations, and some other things. As I was tossing them down into the garage I confirmed what I knew from the beginning—that the item Tami had me searching for was not in any of our attics. As I was getting ready to climb down, I thought of one other item I should get out. It was a luggage carrier that mounted to the top of our car, and it had been in the attic for 10 years. We no longer have the car and with an SUV we have no use for it. I began pulling and trying to work it through the rafters. Then it happened, something I’d never done before and hope to never do again: I pulled a muscle in my lower back, and it stopped me from doing anything else.

I’ve heard from people who’ve done this but never imagined that I would someday experience it myself. I guess I’ve entered a new phase of my life. Somebody needs to tell Tami so she’s easier on me. I climbed down the ladder, put the carrier away, went into the house, and sat in my chair. The more time passed, the stiffer my back grew, and I was soon walking around like an old man. I took pills, sat with a heating pad on my back, and even slept a few hours on the couch to get comfortable. It’s been four days, and every day it’s getting a little better, and I’ve learned that I will not do something like that again.

Going through that experience got me thinking about my spiritual life. Am I aware when I do something that brings harm to my relationship with Christ? Do I know what conviction is and understand that it’s there to help me stay healthy? When I do harm to my spiritual walk, do I take the proper steps to get back to the place I need to be with the Lord—like on my knees at an altar or in the Word? I may need to talk to a pastor or somebody I highly respect spiritually. My physical body will recover because I’m being careful and nursing it back to good health, but I need to make sure that I’m taking care of my spiritual wellness in the same way. 

The Joy of Volunteering

Both of my parents were active in ministry from the time I was born up until last year. They’ve done everything that can be done in a church and never questioned their involvement even though both had very active, busy lives. My dad served for several years as a deacon in the church. He ushered, served as a prayer partner, and taught Sunday school. Some of my most special memories of going to church as a boy involve sitting in my dad’s Sunday school class. He not only taught us the Bible, but he also made it exciting. Since my dad was a sports enthusiast, he always found a way to incorporate sports into our learning. There was Bible Baseball, probably my favorite, where you could earn a single, double, triple, or even a home run. Each question was more difficult the farther you wanted to get on the bases. That was my version of junior Bible quiz!

My mom was a Sunday school teacher, painted, cleaned, directed our nursery school (which had 200 students), coordinated church dinners, called people who needed special prayer, and probably did other things I can’t even remember. Despite raising five children and keeping up with all of our school and other non-church activities, my mom didn’t know what it was to say no if called to do something for the church.

As you can see, the church has always played an important part in my life. By the time I was able to drive, I was at the church whenever I had free time to volunteer for work projects that needed to be done. My senior year of high school, I was the children’s church pastor over a group of 100 boys and girls while the church’s children’s pastor led the older children in another room. I loved it and couldn’t wait to see those kids every Sunday. I’m saying all of this to hopefully encourage those of you not involved in a ministry to get involved. Find the joy of serving the church in a way that pours into your life!