Developing good habits leads to good results

 As 2020 was drawing to a close I encouraged our church to commit to reading through the Bible in 2021. I explained there were several ways to do that and even provided a tract with a reading schedule, that if followed, would allow them to read completely through the Bible in one year. I also explained that I would not be following the tract but would do as I normally did when reading through the Bible; I would read three chapters each morning. That's all it takes to read through the Bible in one year!

Like anything that is done on a consistent basis, there are mornings I am not inspired to read the Bible. Maybe I get up late and feel rushed. Perhaps I didn't sleep well and lack the motivation to read my three chapters. I may wake up with other things on my mind that I want to address first. No matter, I fix my coffee, go into my study, open my Bible and read my three chapters. Then I'm free to do the other things I need to do.

Developing good habits is essential to enjoying any kind of success in life. People have little to no savings because they have not developed the habit of spending less than they make and saving the rest. Many students struggle in school because they've not developed the habit of studying. Some people struggle with job losses because they have not developed the habit of being lifelong learners. Many Christians struggle spiritually because they have not developed the habit of studying the Scriptures. Some business leaders struggle because they have not mastered the habit of being ethical and honest in their business dealings.

It's important to decide what you want from life and identifying the habits you need to develop that will help you achieve and maintain that. When you do identify those habits and begin to practice them, you will find the next challenge is to remain consistent in doing them. It's so easy to compromise on occasion. You know you should go to the gym, but it's raining and you're tired and you need gas in your car and your gray suit is in the cleaners. I know, the gray suit has nothing to do with your decision, but any excuse is as good as any other. Regardless of the reason, you talk yourself out of going to the gym that day which makes it that much easier to not go to the gym on other days.

When I was pursuing my doctorate I was working full-time in ministry and had a family. Although I only had to be on campus one week for each course, they all required a lot of reading. I quickly realized that I could not read what I needed to study without a plan. I took my calendar and blocked off half-days for reading. Basically, I made an appointment with myself to read. Following that reading schedule became an important habit that allowed me to easily complete the required reading for each course.

Again, when you identify the things you need to do to accomplish the goals you have set, you can determine the habits you need to develop to be successful. Faithfully following those habits will lead to your success.

40 Years in ministry

 Saturday evening I was sitting in our living room watching TV when I suddenly realized that this month marks my 40th year as a minister. It was in July 1981 that I began as pastor of Hebron Baptist Church. I admit to being a little stunned thinking about four decades serving as a minister. For the first 20 years I served as pastor of that church. The next 14 years I served as a Resource Minister for our region. Since retiring from that I've spent the past 6 years doing supply preaching in between two stints as a Transitional Pastor.

As I taken a little time to reflect on these past years it is striking how bivocational ministry has become much more acceptable since I began serving in that capacity. In 1981 there were few resources available for bivocational ministers. We were not especially appreciated by other pastors nor often by our denominations. Today there are a number of books and other resources that focus on bivocational ministry. Denominations offer conferences and workshops for their bivocational ministers. Some schools now offer programs geared for bivocational leadership. Many denominational leaders now recognize the value of bivocational ministers and are intentionally looking for such ministers to serve in some of their churches.

As I write this I'm looking at 40 years of accumulated books filling the shelves on three of the walls in my study. Every shelf is overflowing, and I have no idea how many books I've given away or tossed as they became outdated. These books have served me well in my sermon preparation and in my efforts to know how to best minister to others. At my age I probably should think of getting rid of most of my books, but like many pastors it's not easy for me to do that. At least I'm not adding to my collection as much as I used to.

Yesterday I baptized a young man in the church I'm currently serving. What a blessing that was! Every person I've baptized over the past 40 years has blessed me. The one thing I missed most while serving as a judicatory minister was not getting to baptize people as the pastor of a church.

I suppose I am still amazed that God called me to this work. Those who know my story know that I began my pastoral ministry with no experience and no education beyond high school. Sometimes I think I was the least likely person to be entrusted with such responsibility, but never in these 40 years have I ever doubted that God did call me into the ministry. I do regret the many times I failed to be the minister I should have been, but I thank God for the way He has used me.

There is no greater calling than that of a minister. I believe someone once asked Jerry Falwell if he ever considered running for President of the United States, and I think his response was that holding that office would be a step down from serving as the pastor of a church. I agree with that completely. What a blessing it is to serve a church, and I am thankful for the opportunity to now serve as the Transitional Pastor of a wonderful church. I've retired twice so far in my life, but I've never retired from the ministry. I'm looking forward to many more years serving God and the churches He allows me to serve.

Going where you are needed

One of the challenges for a bivocational minister is finding a place to serve. As I've written elsewhere, bivocational ministry is mostly geographical. Chances are a bivocational minister will not travel more than an hour to serve a church. He or she has to take into consideration their other employment and the amount of time they would spend on the road if they traveled further than that. About an hour's drive would be far enough, and even then it's going to create occasional problems.

A friend of mine felt called to bivocational ministry. He is self-employed so his hours are somewhat flexible. Still, he was struggling to find a church nearby to serve. He sent me a message recently to let me know he had accepted the call to serve a church in a different denomination that was about 20 minutes from his home. Although he expressed surprise at serving a church in that denomination he felt their theology and ministry philosophy was very close to his own. I'm happy for him and praying that he does well.

I had talked with one of the leaders of that denomination several years ago when I was doing a sabbatical study on how different denominations were addressing bivocational ministry. That leader told me that several of their smaller churches were calling bivocational ministers from different denominations including the one in which I serve. While serving in different denominations may not always work because of theological or polity differences, it can be a way for a smaller church to find a pastor and a bivocational minister to find a place in which to serve.

One of the dangers associated with this is when a minister feels he or she needs to bring that church into his or her denomination. We often hear about sheep stealing, but I've known some pastors who were into church stealing. In our denomination we've had some pastors from other denominations come in and lead the church to join the denomination they came from. I consider this highly unethical and should not be tolerated. 

When I began my pastoral ministry the denomination in which I was a member offered me no assistance in finding a church. I heard from a neighbor about a small, rural church that was seeking a pastor and sent them my resume. We each decided to take a chance with each other, and I served that congregation for 20 years. God opened a door, and I went where I was needed. My friend has done the same, and I'm sure God will bless his ministry in that church. Be open to hearing God's leadership when seeking a place to serve.