It’s Thursday morning and normally this is the crunch day.  Feeling the pressure of getting everything done for Sunday.  Thursday and Friday are usually the High Energy days for me.  But I’m feeling good this week.  It’s Thursday morning and I am already finished with my two Sunday Sermons.  Life is good!  I might just take tomorrow off.

We have our monthly board meeting tonight.  We will have dinner at Cowboy Red’s then take time for our business.  I thank God for a good group of men to work with.  We are fortunate and blessed to have Godly men on our board.

On another note:  Why can’t the Astro’s hold a lead?  Up 4 to 2 and then give up 6 runs in 1 inning.  Relief pitching has a tough time in the Astro’s organization.  But holding a lead is also tough in a church.  We can be up 4 to 2  and in a matter of time we can begin to lose.  We have to learn how to hold the lead.  We can gain new families and have them attend for several weeks but if they are not assimilated they leave and we lose the lead.

Just like in baseball, relief pitching is the key.  It takes all of us, not just the pastor, to maintain the growth of the church.  It takes every member embracing and going out of their way to build relationships with new families.  It does not matter if we think we are too busy for more friends…we must stretch ourselves and take every opportunity to build the kingdom of God.  Go ahead invite someone to church Sunday and while your at it invite someone from the church out to dinner this week.  It will do you good!

It is hard some times to let our kids go.  Part of the maturity process for children is giving them a little more freedom.  Josh is 13, he is a great kid.  I am not just saying that because he is mine…well maybe I am saying that becuase he is mine.  He is a great kid and I trust him to make the right decisions in life.  But letting them go to a friends house overnight is tough.  You spend alot of time pouring into their lives to make sure when the time comes, they will do the right thing.

I am picky who Josh hangs around.  The friend he is with is a good kid from a great family.  But having said all that, it doesn’t make it easier to let Josh go.  Last night after we dropped him off, Sonya and I came to a conclusion, “our son is growing up.”

Part of parenting is having to let go.  I let go for this moment, but it is still my responsibility to instill in Josh the character of Christ.  I am not ready to cut the reins yet.  As long as he lives in my house I will hang onto him as much as I can.  But there are occasions that our kids need to know that we trust them.  This helps them to be more careful not to break that trust.

Here it is Monday morning again.  A start for another week getting ready for Sunday.  It seems that there is the same deadline every week.  Wednesday sermon…Sunday morning Sermon…Sunday night sermon.  It is the weekly grind.  It will start over a week from today.  Although it is a revolving deadline, I wouldn’t trade it for any thing in the world.  I love ministry.  The work that we do makes an eternal difference.  Regardless of the demands we have, ministry is the best thing going.

On another note:  how about them Astros?  Finally, they might be coming around.  They swept the Mariners now they look forward to LA.  I was glad they called Chris Burke back to the majors.  By far he is my favorite Astro.   But the team as a whole is doing better.  Hunter Pence is the man and all the others are starting to hit well.  Keep it up boys!

Let’s see, Men’s Breakfast Tuesday and then a crazy day in the office.  Wednesday was a day long meeting at the District Office.  Thursday, had a sectional committee meeting and finished the day with our monthly Senior Supper.  I am not a senior but by default of my position, I am allowed to go.  Today I came in at six to try to get caught up and get my sermon for Sunday ready.

As I left this morning, Sonya said that she missed me. (we haven’t seen each other much this week).  I told her that next week would be better, but she reminded me that I say that every week. 

Ministry is a joy but at times it is a hectic schedule.  The unsung heroes in ministry are the pastor’s wives.  They have to take the back burner sometime while their husband does kingdom work.  While pastors often fellowship together during our meetings, it is the pastor’s wives who rarely enjoy fellowship with their peers.  They are the ones taking care of the kids while the pastor is away from home.  My hats off to pastor’s wives and I pray that God will help us pastors balance family life and ministry.  Some weeks I do a great job at it, some weeks it is impossible.

Thanks Sonya for being understanding.

Last week I found out about the tragic death of someone very dear to my heart.  Although we hadn’t spoken for 14 years, David Stinnett will always be a part of my life.  He was a man of God.  Well-versed in the Scriptures.  At the age of 32 he had a command on God’s Word like had never heard.  It was under David Stinnett’s ministry that I gave my heart to Christ.  He led me in the sinner’s prayer at the Alethea Christian Fellowship in La Porte, Texas.  He baptized me in a swimming pool on August 3rd, 1991.  He introduced me to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.  David will always be special to me.  It was him who gave me a hunger to know the Word of God.  I would hear him quote Scripture after Scripture without looking at his Bible.  He was a learned man.

I am not sure what David’s life was like after those years of our relationship, but I know that his life had ups and downs like the rest of us.  My prayer is that he continued to hold fast to the Word of God and to live it until his final days.

A couple of weeks ago, David Stinnett passed away in his sleep at the age of 48.  A young man with a shortened life.  Life is not guaranteed.  Rest in Peace David!  Thanks for sharing Christ with me, I am eternally grateful!

I read a statistic this morning that said only 20 percent of teens say they have parents who pray and study the Bible as a family.  This is alarming but not unexpected.  If we look at today’s society we can see the fruit of our “Christian” families.  Our teenagers are impressionable and will gain their values from somewhere.  MTV, sitcoms, music, media or YOU!

What are we investing in our children?  I believe that fifteen minutes a day can shape the life of a teen for eternity.  If we as parents will dedicate ourselves to pray and read the Bible with our families I would dare say our families would grow closer.  If our children know that we are praying with them and for them, they will feel free to come to us when they are facing peer pressure or some other struggle.

It does not have to be a three point sermon at night but rather just share something that God has ministered to you through His Word.  Or maybe that is where our problems lie.  When we do not study the Word ourselves, it is hard to do that as a family.  If you will make prayer and the Word of God a central part of your family, we can change the world one family at a time.

At the Cheney house we have started having family devotion time at night once again.  We used to and stopped for a while because there wasn’t “enough time”.  Then we realized we just need to make the time.  That means setting something aside for fifteen minutes and giving attention to the spiritual direction of our family.  You can do the same! 

What is more important television or your kids spiritual vision?  Sports and athletics or spiritual fitness?  Fifteen more minutes of rest or eternal rest?  You decide!

Time seems to disappear.  It seems like one week is over and it is time to get ready for another Sunday.  Between ministry responsibilities, everyday responsibilities and trying to work in family time in there, life is tough.

We took a drive to Pleasure Island last night and we noticed all of the people fishing on “our” pier.  This was the place Josh and I went often.  In the last year and a half we haven’t done much fishing because it seems like we just don’t have the time.  Josh spoke up and said, “I’m thinking about giving up fishing because we just don’t have the time for it.”  Talk about a dagger in the heart.  I am trying to make a conscious effort to make more time for Sonya, Josh and Hannah but it seems time just disappears.

I have made myself a goal to spend more time with my family and especially my 13 year old.  Before long he will be out of the house.  I don’t want to regret not spending time with him.

Last night, we had a couple of missionaries to Mexico.  They have been serving there for 12 years and are now intinerating to help raise their funds.  There ministry last night can only be described as passionate. 

I have had alot of missionaries over the years and you can always sense their burden for their field of ministry, but Roger and Debbi were different.  They were consumed!  Consumed with a passion to reach Mexico for Christ.  Passionate to raise up leaders that can reach the nations.  Passionate to make an impact on this world that we live in.

It caused me to reflect on my own passion for the city I live.  Am I that consumed with what God has given me to do?  As American pastors we often get stuck in the grind and lose our passion for what we are doing and why we are doing it.  Ministry is not an easy road.  The weekly responsibilities on a pastor are at times tough.  But we should never lose sight of why we are doing what we are doing.

We must never lose that passion and fire for touching lives, changing lives and shaping lives.  I walked away last night evaluating how I can live a life of passion once again.  “Lord, help me to be consumed with a passion for your church and ministry.”