Monday, February 24, 2014

Basket or Bucket?

2 Timothy 2: 20-21* tells us about the various types and uses of vessels... So from time to time, I like to think about myself - both as a Christian, Wife, Mother, Sister  and as Mrs Pastor - and ask: 
"What kind of vessel am I when people deposit things with me?" 

I narrowed the options to 2 everyday and functional vessels that are used to store things and can be carried from place to place with ease - basket and bucket. In fact, I actually ask myself the same question when I want to share something with others besides my husband. 

I've gone through positive and not so positive - but "productive" - experiences that I've had to share with others for very different reasons - either to solicit their prayers or thanksgiving for answered prayers or even just for their and or my encouragement.

Each time I'm in one of those heart-to-heart moments, I can't help but wonder: "Am I pouring my heart into a basket or bucket person?" I'm sure you can guess the difference - yes, one disperses it's contents - quickly and freely - especially if it's liquid and the other keeps its contents intact.

Nothing is more disheartening than to hear a bit about yourself everywhere the person you thought you were confiding in has been. I'm sure that members of our churches also feel the same way - which is why this "Are you a Basket or Bucket" question that comes to mind when I hear other Mrs Pastors say that people in their church don't confide in them.

I agree that there may be other reasons why people don't confide in you however, dealing with this "Basket or Bucket" question will help you and your ministry for sure. Remember that a basket with a lid is still a basket.

We also need to know if and when to switch from being a bucket to a basket - as there are times when we need to "vent." Sharing with others is one way we can stay stable, not stressed, from bottling (or it is bucketing) so much.

Just remember that if you wouldn't want to vent or share with a "basket-person" neither will others if you're a "basket-person." May God make us worthy vessels for His use. AMEN!

References:
* 2 Timothy 2:20-21 -  In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. (NLT)

Monday, February 17, 2014

The Church Family

Today is Family Day in some parts of Canada, so I decided to talk about the Church Family - it's one family I find very fascinating.

Let's consider the origin of Family Day in Canada first. It was first celebrated in the Province of Alberta. The Premier, Don Getty, advised the Lieutenant Governor, Helen Hunley to proclaim the 3rd Monday in February as Family Day - and the purpose of the day was short and sweet:
A day to help emphasize the importance of family.
I didn't realize that other countries: Australia, South Africa, Republic of Vanuatu and even the State of Arizona in the US also have and celebrate Family Day. This makes sense since the family is the nucleus of the nation and a nation of healthy families is a healthy nation.

Likewise, the Church Family comprises various families and a healthy church is determined by the health of the individual families and how we all relate to one another in our "home" families and the Church Family.

As Christians, we are family because we are joined by the blood of Jesus. Since that is our common denominator, we need to treat each other with love and respect as Jesus demonstrated while on earth.

We must never seek to take advantage of each other rather seek to "give" the advantage to others.

It has been said that "A rich man among poor men is a poor man." So it's our responsibility to care for our home and church families in that order - so that we can all be "rich" in spiritual, marital, emotional and other areas of life. So this Family Day take some time to focus on the importance of your family and the church family - ask God to lead you to do something different and be a blessing. Blessings boomerang...

Monday, February 10, 2014

5 Ways to Teach Your Children to Hate the Ministry*

I got this piece from a fellow and very dear Mrs Pastor and just had to share it with more of us. It's a rather long piece so I've summarized it - and added my comments in purple font.

To put it bluntly, a lot of pastors' children hate the ministry. My team interviewed 20 pastors' kids who are adults now. They provided some insights that were both inspiring and disturbing.
Children with a pastor-parent can grow to hate the ministry for many reasons, but there are five guaranteed ways you can make sure they hate being a pastor's kid (PK).
 

1. Put the ministry before your family.

Let's face it, ministry is demanding. Sometimes church members make you feel like you have hundreds of children to rear. It feels like neglect not to address their needs. So, you leave your own children to minister to someone else's family. After all, your family will understand your being gone "just this once." If you have to be away, it may be beneficial to bring members of your family with you on ministry opportunities. One PK reflected on his childhood, "My father included me in everything. ... The experience with my dad made me love ministry (I am in the pastorate) and I wouldn't change my experiences for anything." Your kids need to believe that you would rather hang out with them than with the people of the church. Children will learn to hate the ministry if you put the needs of everyone else ahead of your family's needs.

Tip: You can also seek out family volunteering events - that's part of ministry.

2. Tell them how much is expected of them as a pastor's kid.

Pastors can put excessive expectations on their kids because the church wrongly puts these expectations on the pastor's family. One minister's kid said, "It was VERY stressful being a PK because EVERYONE judges you differently, like you're supposed to be perfect. And then if you did mess up it was a bad reflection on Dad. We were told that by my parents often."
PK's often rebel for a number of reasons. High expectations led one PK into rebellion as he reflected back, "I felt an enormous amount of pressure to keep up appearances, something which I could not do for long. This eventually led me into a state of rebellion and anger toward my parents and people in the church." The expectations are not limited to behavior, but also include the child's participation in church functions. The pressures on kids to help the pastor look good in front of his congregation can be overwhelming to a child.
Tip: Looking good before God is what matters remember Ephesians 6:4.**

3. Tell them about church conflicts as often as possible.

Ministry includes relational conflicts. Pastors will need to practice some level of transparency with their children so they won't assume Dad's and Mom's emotional upheaval is a result of the child's actions. Your children will take it very personal when you are angry. One PK explained it this way: "The most difficult thing being a PK was watching my dad remain faithful to a church that wasn't. To see my dad as he prayed, loved, and shepherded men who stabbed him in the back was hard. It was extremely hard. By the time I left for college I was so mad at church, I would have gladly left."

4. Look godlier at church than when you are at home.

Children will grow bitter about watching a parent live an insincere lifestyle. They will assume the faith was all an act, turning them away from you and the gospel (because they've not seen the real thing). One lady PK said, "He treated my mother awful. He ruled the house with an iron [fist], never was grace given. I knew most of the stories in the Bible, but I never learned from observation how to apply them to my life." This is problematic for a pastor's family. "Dad always showed more affection to mom at church than he did anywhere else," a lady said with sadness. "Work got his best," said one young man. "Work took a lot out of him so he was very short [tempered] and easily frustrated by his kids. He had a strong devotional life but found it hard to show grace to the family while showing vast amounts of grace to the flock."
Your family needs to hear you confess your shortcomings more than anyone else. Tell them you are sorry. Ask for their forgiveness regularly and then repent from any actions that are sinful. Your child's needs from their parents are not intrinsically different from any other profession. Integrity always matters-- but if a Christian leader is different in public than in private, the gospel is dishonored and people are eventually disillusioned. When that involves your children, expect them to walk away from the gospel—disillusioned.
 

5. Act more like a live-in, full-time pastor at home, rather than a parent.

Your kids need a parent, not a live-in pastor. One 22-year old PK explained it this way, "I am not a rebellious, spiteful PK because I am not really a PK. I am just a guy whose dad also happens to be a pastor. Sure, having a pastor-dad is different, but I think one of the biggest reasons PK's get so rebellious is that they don't really have a dad—they have a live-in, full-time pastor who treats his kids more like a member of his congregation."
One middle-aged PK lady pleaded with ministry parents, "Please, be a parent first to your kids and their pastor second. I don't call my father my pastor. He is simply my daddy. And I thank God for that every day."
 

How to help them love ministry

Not all children of pastoral parents hate the ministry. We must do what is best for their overall well-being, fight our own insecurities, and then trust the grace of God to do the rest. One well-adjusted young man encouragingly said, "Being a PK with godly and realistic parents, I've also had an example for what it looks like to love Jesus and cherish His word. The example of my parents and wonderful people in the church has encouraged me to follow Jesus because I see what He's grown in their lives, and I want that. And I want my friends to have that too."

If you have adult children who were PK's, maybe you need to go to them and ask for forgiveness. We heard from so many grown adult PK's who are hurt, bitter, angry or disillusioned. They need to hear from their parents how much they are loved in spite of all of the mistakes you made while serving in ministry.
 
If you are still raising your little PK's, ask the Spirit to show you where your children are adversely affected by your actions. Humbly ask their forgiveness—even if they are preschool. Then, raise a generation of PK's who see their parents in need of a Redeemer and who are resting in the grace of God more than they fear the accusations of a congregation.
 
Ours won't hate ministry in Jesus Name, however we need to take heed how we plant the seeds of ministry. Remember HIM? Hierarchy In Ministry: God, Husband/Wife, Children/Family, Ministry/Church, Work/Career. Paul was very clear on where and how our marriages and families matter to ministry:
Titus 1:6 - A spiritual leader must have a good reputation. He must have only one wife and have children who are believers. His children shouldn’t be known for having wild lifestyles or being rebellious.  (God's Word Translation)
1 Tim 3: 4-5 - 4 He must manage his own family well. His children should respectfully obey him. (If a man doesn’t know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) (Contemporary English Version)
Interestingly, last year I ecouraged us to "put yourself in their shoes" - you can read it:
http://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.ca/2013/01/put-yourself-in-their-shoes.html.
We must treat them with care like eggs - a cracked egg can never be put back together.
 
**  Fathers, don’t irritate your children and make them resentful; instead, raise them with the Lord’s kind of discipline and guidance. (God's Word Translation)

Monday, February 3, 2014

"Mine!"

Late last year, I was listening to Pastor Robert Morris...I don't remember the topic but he was talking about tithes* and said:
One of the first words children learn to pronounce well is "Mine!"
He went on to say that as adults we still use that word emphatically when encouraged to give to God forgetting that everything** we have belongs to God. In fact, God said exactly the same thing concerning tithes***
- "Mine!"