One Pastor's Perspective

Today is January 13, 2014, and this is my FIRST post for the new year.  As I reflect on my past two weeks, the answer is simple.  And it is kind of sad:  Too much death in January.

If you ask any funeral director, he will tell you that the season after Christmas is one of the busiest seasons they have.  I guess people who are close to death use Christmas as a goal to live to, and once that goal is met sometimes they let go.  But that is not the entire story here.  I have had several families and friends who have had very unexpected sickness come on to a loved one and before they know it death was the result.  Very sad.

I freaked Diana and Drew out the other day as we were driving to Greenville as I told them “When something happens to me, THESE are the people I want to handle my funeral.”  I am NOT planning on that happening any time soon.  Any time in the next 35-40 years really.  But when that day comes, I want people who really know me to handle that service.  And they can tell anything they want to tell.

All of this reminds me of two things:  1.  LIFE IS PRECIOUS.  Each and every day should be lived to the fullest.  Be sure to do your best and your most EVERY DAY, because 2. There is NO GUARANTEE OF TOMORROW.

Not to be morbid, but this really IS what is on my mind.  Have a great day!

I will never forget this date … December 5, 1993.  No, that is NOT the day I was married to Diana Lynne Duncan.  THAT date was December 5, 1987.  No, the 1993 day is a different date, and one that I will NEVER FORGET as long as I live.

We had been at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for a year and a half.  I was overwhelmed by my first Hebrew exegesis paper … I think it was on Genesis 22.  Hebrew was soooo foreign to anything I had ever seen.  I had worked and worked on this paper, trying to pull an “A” in the class.  I worked late on the paper that night.  When I went to bed, in the darkness of the night Diana said it:  “Well, I guess it’s official.”  That was all she had to say.  The tone in her voice let me KNOW I had messed up terribly.  And I scrambled to figure out what… Not her birthday, that was in June … WHAT WAS IT???  It took me a few minutes to wade through the clutter of Hebrew words in my mind to realize I had forgotten our 6th wedding anniversary.  WOW!!  I messed up big.  And we were in seminary, so we had no money with which I could buy my way out of this with a nice gift or an expensive meal.

Needless to say, it took YEARS to get out of that dog house.  And I will never forget that day.  And I will NEVER forget our anniversary.  So, every year now I tell her happy anniversary about a week early!!!

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!! I love you!!

Okay.  I will admit it.  I am the oddball of which this speaks.

I did not choose this.  I do not strive to be different.  But I know that I am.  Maybe it’s because my initial background is computers.  Maybe it is because I am an introvert that forces extrovert because my calling and job requires it.  (This might explain why I am perfectly content to be locked in a cave with a computer.) But I know that I am.

I hope you wouldn’t pick up on this in the walls of Ebenezer.  I am comfortable with my church family, so hospitality and friendliness come pretty easy within the walls.  And, somewhat outside of the walls.  But put me in a room full of area pastors or people I don’t know well, and I clam up.  It’s not that I don’t like them… I have MANY friends who are pastors in our area.  But put me in a room full of them, and I get really quiet.

Maybe that is why today’s online training with Saddleback was so meaningful to me.  It was me, a pastor from New York City, and two pastors on the Saddleback campus.  And we had a blast!!  And we solved some problems and broke some barriers down.  I am so thankful for the folks at Saddleback and their commitment to equip pastors all over the world!!  They inspire me to help the young pastors I know and to equip pastors in Honduras and other places when I have the opportunity.

And I am thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Thankful for my Heavenly Father.  Thankful for the Holy Spirit, and I am thankful that God is greater than EVERYTHING, even my shyness!!!  And I am praying that God will continue to help me to use all those things He has given me to glorify Him and build His kingdom!

Here I sit in Easley again.  A day or two before I had planned to be here for Thanksgiving.  I am thankful that Dad seems to be doing okay today.  Yesterday was a hard day for him and for the Wike family as we buried dad’s brother, Bob.  I don’t think any of us even thought Dad would bury his brother.  But we did.

As I wrote yesterday, death is hard enough for all of us.  Dad’s disease adds another dimension to the process of mourning.  My prayer for him has been that he will be able to work through this as best he can and not re-live this death over and over.  So far, so good.  Time will tell the ultimate answer though.

My dad had a great love for his brother.  In ways that most of us would never understand, they found themselves set as the two of them against the world many times from their youth.  They were always there for each other.  Even until the end.

I am thankful today for family:  For my little sister, who drove up from Tampa on Sunday just to be here with Dad and is driving back today.  In the rain.  I am thankful for my wife, who took charge of the turkey frying I was supposed to do yesterday and pulled folks together to get it done.  And I am thankful for my church family, specifically for the folks that jumped in at the last minute and got those turkeys done, and for the folks that have pulled together to help me be able to spend this time with my dad.  These are hard days for him and I am glad I could spend a couple of extra days with him before Thanksgiving.

It is no cliche:  I really don’t see how people make it through times like this without family.

Last night, my exercise consisted of chasing Jack Newton and his band of wild boys all around the gym and making all of the ladies with their finest Christmas china nervous (so I was providing cardio for them as well!!)  Although technically I never had to run … All I had to do is point at Jack and walk towards him and he would freak out and start running.  Yes, I have that effect on children.

When I finally got tired and told him I wasn’t chasing him anymore, he did come over and start talking to me.  Jack is cool like that.

Tonight, a bunch of Ebenezer men and I will get our exercise waiting tables at the Annual Holiday Ladies Dinner.  It is a great event, sold out yet again, and I’ll guarantee it will glorify God much more than that concert at the Civic Center!!  If you have a ticket (or orders to serve), hope to see you there!!!

(Seriously, I go to Anytime Fitness on Cashua to work out and it is a GREAT PLACE!!  I like it much better than the Y!!)

What kinds of things comprise a pastor’s nightmares??  This morning I suddenly awoke and had VIVID memories of the nightmare I’d just had.  Paige Self McCabe and I were walking to the FLC this coming Sunday morning during Sunday School and we walked into the door and BAM!!!  The FLC was NOT set up for worship.  No chairs.  No stage.  No a/v stuff.  Quickly I ran out to go find Ed (and perhaps the AED unit to shock Ed’s heart back into rhythm after I told him).  We HAD to get the FLC setup within an hour for worship.  IMPOSSIBLE!!  And as I ran out, people were stopping me to tell me they needed a key … or this … or that.  I woke up and realized it was all a dream.  PHEW!!!  Yes, those are the nightmares of a pastor …

Sometimes I wonder if I should hide on Sunday mornings between worships.  I don’t because I enjoy the fellowship of others too much, and sometimes I get into trouble.  Inevitably I will be stopped and asked for things or asked to do things and it seems like I am running a gauntlet.  Someone usually needs a key or this or that.  Sometimes I promise to go do something RIGHT NOW not realizing that I will talk to ten other people between point A and point B.  Sometimes I get focussed and keep my eyes down, and find out later someone is upset with me because I didn’t speak or thinks I think I am being intentionally unfriendly.  It is quite a thin layer of ice on which I live!!

I don’t mind helping people and I love talking to people.  But I find myself getting older and forgetting things easier, therefore I make a serious effort to focus on one task at a time.  So know that I love you guys and am trying my best!!

On the other hand, a miracle.  A bona fide miracle that I got to see first hand.  The BEST part of my vocation is being able to have a front-row seat and see miracles that can only be explained by GOD!!  I visited a man yesterday who has been in the hospital for three weeks after a HORRIBLE wreck.  The day after his wreck I saw him and just wondered how long before he was no longer with us… But YESTERDAY I went in to see him and had a great conversation.  He is making remarkable progress and reminded me, once again, that God is INDEED the GREAT PHYSICIAN and He has a plan that is far better than anything we can imagine.  Even when we think all hope is lost, He is at work!!  I am thankful for that and for being able to talk to my friend yesterday!!

Last Sunday (October 13) I preached about everyone’s favorite topic … Tithing.  Why??  Because that was the topic I pulled out of my sermon hat!!  (Not really … I seriously do pray and ask God what He wants me to preach on.  He put this on my heart, so I obeyed).  It is everyone’s favorite topic.  It was really funny, too … The early worship was pretty full, but 11:00 worship was pretty thin in attendance.  Makes me wonder if people were talking about it in Sunday School …

Fast forward to yesterday.  One of the topics of discussion for some friends of mine yesterday was something I said in the sermon the week before:  I said “I don’t know what ANYONE gives at Ebenezer except myself.  I don’t know, and I don’t want to know!”

My friends thought surely I said that for effect.  “C’mon, SURELY you know.  How could you know the statistics you presented without knowing who gives what???”

First of all, Automated Church Systems software does a pretty good job in presenting statistics.  And, yes, you can run reports without names.  Second, I didn’t even run the report.  I asked someone else to run it for me.  And third, I take what I say in the pulpit quite seriously.  If I tell you something about me, it is TRUE!!  Because, a long time ago, I decided if I say something in the pulpit, it had better be true out of respect to my Lord and Savior.  Call it an ethics thing, but I would fear my fate if I stood and said something I knew to be untrue.  I am not perfect, but I have this healthy fear and respect of God Almighty.

Also, a long time ago I made a decision that I do not want to know who gives what in our church.  Yes, there are other pastors in other churches who DO know what people give.  That is between them and their churches.  A very wise professor in seminary, many years ago, told me that I really DO NOT want to know.  He was/is right!!  I believe in that so much that it made our fundraiser angry a few years ago when he was encouraging me to know some things about individuals and their giving habits.  I told him then of my commitment not to know these things.  He told me he had never been in a church where he didn’t know such things.  We had to agree to disagree.

I know that one day I will stand before God and He will hold me accountable for everything I have said from each pulpit in which I have stood.  Seriously, It is TRUE!!!

Do you ever feel like you are running on empty???  Or, there is something in your gas tank, but it cannot be more than vapors?

This has been a great weekend at Ebenezer.  But it has been one of those weekends.  Once again, our Honduras rummage sale was a great success.  And, even though it is a lot of hard work, there is a fun factor in spending time with the team.  And it can be fun to talk to people during the sale:  Some of them make it really interesting.  On the other hand, I KNOW I would never survive in a career of retail sales.

Yesterday was a GREAT DAY at Ebenezer as we celebrated both the Lord’s Supper and Baptism in our morning worships.  Meetings and worship last night.  And today, a full plate of stuff to do and a bunch of people in the hospital.  Top it all off with a Men’s Ministry event tonight and I will officially turn into a zombie by 9pm today!!!!

But it will all be alright … God WILL get me through this … AND an extra cup of coffee (OR FOUR).

Here I sit:  Nursing a knee that I actually hurt before I left for Honduras.  It is a little better today, but Dr Connor tells me I need to rest it, ice it, and take plenty of Ibuprofen.  I kept forgetting the ice until last night, but it made such a difference I won’t forget it again!!

I could blog all kinds of details about Honduras, but it would look just like last year…  Many of the same impressions are still in my heart.  I saw God work in ways that can only be explained by His hands.  I met people who have such a strong love for Him and faith in Him that it puts me to shame.  He gave me opportunities for which I am unworthy and incomplete, and He filled in all of the gaps to make them work.  God really does bless us far beyond what we deserve!!

There were a few things that really stood out on this trip:

• The anxiety of the first trip was gone!  I was really able to slow down and take it all in this time.  Really able to enjoy the moments.  I didn’t even take a watch because in Honduras, that wouldn’t matter anyway!!
• It really meant the world to me to have my family on this trip.  That wouldn’t have been possible without the kindness of a couple of church members who basically paid for Krissy and Drew.  I am very appreciative for that!!!  And what meant the world to me was watching my wife and kids see it all firsthand and allow God to work through them.  This will go down as one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever seen in my life!!
• The opportunities I had to pour into the lives of other pastors and the chance to preach in a church that our team built a few years ago meant so much to me that I cannot even put it into words.  In every way, God was there and His presence was powerful.  Again, I am so thankful.
• BIBLES … Yes, I personally was able to distribute around 300 Bibles and we gave more than double that number to other churches.  And their love for God’s word is contagious and passionate.

Where does it all go from here??  I KNOW I plan to go back.  Even if I have to hobble across the country again, because it was all worth it!!

I’m getting ready … In my heart and mind, I am really focusing on Honduras.  We leave on July 24th and several truths apply here:

1.  When you pray and ask God to give you focus, HE DOES!!

2.  When I work towards a goal like that, I have this energy to help complete the things I need to get done HERE before I leave.  It is a drive.  It’s like I’m drinking Redbull but I don’t EVER drink that stuff …

3.  Every time God is doing something big, I feel it in my heart.  And this time I SURE do.

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks preparing for our mission AND finishing some projects at the church that need to be done by the first of August.  Haven’t really blogged much lately, and that is ok.  I hope I will have plenty to share on the other side of this mission trip!!!