I Hope He Learns His Lesson!

In my 20 years at FCC, I have had blessings too many to count. Our FCC family, though not perfect, is warm, caring, and generous.

 

I've also had a few blunders along the way. (Okay, more than a few.) I'm talking about the kind of blunders that cause a more sensible person to say "I sure hope he learns his lesson." Translation: "I hope he pays for his stupidity."

 

I've done and said some really stupid stuff. Oh, I'm not talking about things like having a jr. high lock-in with no other adults to help, or saying from the pulpit "there's so much sex on TV it's no wonder they call it the boob tube," or scheduling three weeks straight of camp, youth conference, and another week of camp all the while my wife, Kim, was at home with a 4 and 1 year old, or...(it's a long list). I'm sure you have your list, too.

 

I've learned lessons a lot bigger than those -- most of them the hard way. Why is it that some of our biggest and most important lessons learned come out of pain I caused in others and in me? I'm sure it has something to do with the hardness and stubbornness of my own heart -- it takes a greater blow to break it.

 

Thankfully, with all my blunders and moments of idiocy, I am still surrounded by the arms of a loving God and others who love me unconditionally.

 

Life and ministry is a series of mistakes, lessons, and blessings. Often, they run together in a pack. So, here are a few (more practical) lessons I've learned in ministry to this point.

1. God does more than we can ask or imagine.
2. My wife, Kim, is my best friend and my greatest supporter and co-laborer in ministry.
3. It's not a job, but a calling. If you ever see it as a job then you need to get out of the ministry and do something else.
4. You cannot please everyone, nor can you make everyone happy. So don’t sweat it.
5. Church bulletins are a necessary evil.
6. Get out of the office and among people. You can’t sit in an office all day and do ministry.
7. Sometimes you have to let people leave the church.
8. Prayer needs to be our first choice, not last resort.
9. You can’t do it all, so trust others to help.
10. Extend mercy and grace first...ask questions later.
11. It’s okay to rest, relax and sometimes go hide. Jesus did.
12. Seek wisdom from others. There are some smart people out there.
13. Far more important than your ministry and only second to God is your family. Don’t neglect them.
14. God's Word changes people.

Still learning,
Phil