Busy hands are happy hands

I haven't posted much in recent weeks. The simple reason is I have been busy. As my regular readers know, I am currently serving as the Transitional Pastor of Madison FBC in Madison, IN and I have an auction business. My days are pretty full.

Someone recently asked if I wasn't retired. I think it was my wife! Actually, I've retired twice from two different organizations. I just don't do retirement well. A few weeks ago I bought a couple of books on retirement, but I haven't had time to read them! Later this month I'll be 69 years old, but I enjoy staying busy, and I love doing what I'm doing. Isn't retirement supposed to be about doing what you want to?

Pastoral ministry has been a blessing to me. I served as the bivocational pastor of Hebron Baptist Church for 20 years before going into judicatory ministry. As a bivocational pastor I was busy, but it was such a rewarding time in my life. After retiring from my judicatory role I've had the opportunity to spend almost a year as the Transitional Pastor in my present church, and it has also been a very rewarding experience.

I love preparing and delivering sermons that have the potential to change lives. It's not the sermon that changes people's lives; it's the foundation upon which the sermons are developed: the Word of God. When we stand before the people God has entrusted to us and proclaim His Word people's lives can be changed forever. As they say down south, if that doesn't light a fire under you your wood is wet.

I love the way ministry touches people's lives. To see families healed, to see addicts set free from their addictions, to see people who had no hope find hope in Christ is a joy. In my present place of ministry I've been blessed to watch people within the church find creative ways to minister to hurting people who needed someone to come alongside them.

I love to be with people who gather together to worship God. Our current church has two worship services: a traditional service and a contemporary service. Both have excellent worship leaders. Both are very different in their approach, and both provide an outstanding worship experience. Week after week I look forward to being a part of both services.

I love being a part of a denomination that is so diverse and yet committed to ministry. Perhaps this will surprise some because denominations get so much negative press these days, but it's true. I don't always agree with everything our denomination does, but I appreciate the support I've always received. I appreciate the faithful work of our missionaries around the world. Having served 14 years in judicatory ministry and getting to know many of our regional ministers around the country, I appreciate their faithful service to the pastors and churches that comprise their regions.

Yes, ministry can be tough at times, but it is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. Why would I want to retire and never again serve in such rewarding work?

In tomorrow's post I'll talk about why I enjoy working as an auctioneer.