it's hard to say "no"
I just turned down an opportunity to speak at a Minister's Retreat in Tennessee with several hundred pastors and church planters. It was a gut-wrenching decision, but I said "no" because I'd be gone on Parker's tenth birthday! I have such a hard time saying "no" :) I love speaking to pastors and church planters. But I've tried to abide by a simple philosophy that I believe is God-ordained and God-honored: if ministry and family are ever in conflict, family always comes first. It's a tough decision, but at the end of the day my son would miss me alot more than a group of pastors :)
5 Comments:
Great call!
"Family first" is certainly a mantra that should never stray too far from the front of a Christian's brain, but speaking as someone currently living in Tennessee...boy, did we miss out on an unbelievable opportunity. After spending five years in DC(three at NCC as a college student) and moving back to TN, I've discovered an unbeliveable amount of resistance to innovative or "boat-rocking" ideas. It seems that as new ministers find new ways to reach new generations, the Bible Belt mentality may provide just as much a burden as a blessing. What us Tennessean church leaders need is someone like Pastor Mark to come in and say,"I know this stuff sounds crazy, kinda like it's on the fringe, but I've lived through it, I've weathered a lot of the storms, and young professionals respond to this in ways previously thought impossible!!!"
Promise you'll keep Tennessee on the radar and may Parker have the most wonderful birthday ever!!!
Don't ever lose that quality of putting family first Pastor!!! For all of us potential young ministers, I think this was a great blog and an excellent example of what a Pastor should be all about.
As a PK myself, I can appreciate the inner conflict that pastors are often confronted with of choosing between their family or their flock. My dad did the best job he could, and I'm sure there were many times my sisters and I aren't even aware of that he chose us over someone else. Thanks for being a great pastor, and thanks for being a great dad!
thanks for the encouragement one and all :)
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