Enjoying the Journey
All over the country young people are returning to school. Our own children start back this week. New beginnings are a wonderful opportunity to set so many things in motion. Regardless of what school your children are in, parents are always key to the education of their own children. Little things can make a big difference. What can you do to encourage your children to make the most of every day? Get ready the evening before. One secret to fruitful days is in how the previous evening is spent. Prepare so that the morning hours are not spent in “emergency mode.” Play good music around the house during the morning routine. Encouraging, Christ-honoring music will help everyone’s spirit. Take a Bible…
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Preacher’s are engaged in the greatest work in the world. It is a work that will outlive this world! 1 Timothy 5:17 says, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” Those who are engaged in such labor must also have times to rest and refresh their own souls. Friendship and fellowship is absolutely essential to keeping your own heart renewed. Even the great Apostle Paul rejoiced when he was given liberty to go to his friends and be refreshed (Acts 27:3). Three weeks from today we will be gathered with a group of preachers at The Preacher’s Rest in Hickory, North Carolina. This gathering is designed…
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All of us who have preached for any length of time can testify that some things are different every time we stand to preach. The truth never changes, but the preacher’s mind, the audience attitude, and the general circumstances do! Some days the message flows. Sometimes it does not. I have wondered of late if this was some of what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote to a young minister, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season…” (2 Timothy 4:2). Seasons change and some are more enjoyable than others. At this juncture in ministry I am preaching many times every week. To be perfectly transparent I must confess that some days I do not…
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It was my privilege to serve as an assistant to a wonderful pastor for many years. Eighteen years were spent helping someone else fulfill the work God had put in his heart to do. Yet the great truth is that I was also fulfilling the work God had put in my heart to do! An older, mature pastor was speaking for us many years ago. I was privileged to be his host. As we sat at dinner one evening he leaned across the table and said, “Scott, in church work people talk about men serving as a ‘second man.’ There is no such thing. In God’s plan there is a first place for every man. The man who serves as…
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Gayle Washington was a fellow-worker for many years in the ministry. Her burden is to help pastors and churches and the Lord is using her. She and her husband, Dave, have been wonderful friends to our family. I am happy to recommend her resources and hope that they may be of help to many local churches. The single most important mission of the local New Testament church is to reach people with the Gospel and help them to know God better. It’s all about people, yet it is essential to carry out proper daily procedures to keep the work of the Lord decently and in order. Through unconscious preparation, God allowed me the privilege of working for Temple Baptist Church…
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