Week 23 – How to handle a Busy Schedule, The Life of a Bivocational Pastor Schedule

Posted on August 17, 2011 by pastorpstephens

I hope that this day finds you doing well and being blessed.  My back is doing fine.  It has been 23 weeks since my back surgery and I am feeling very well.  I was speaking to someone in the office last week about issues of faith and they learned that not only do I put in a full week at the office but that I also pastor a local church.  The church is doing well by the way and counting the nursery, we have exceeded 100 + people in the last couple of weeks, an excellent number for us in the summer months.  The Lord has truly been blessing His ministry through His church where we serve.  The individual I was speaking with had some questions about my schedule and how I was able to accomplish the ministry work while holding a full-time secular job.  As I have had a similar conversation with two other people in the last couple of weeks, I thought it would be good to share my thoughts on this issue.  Any time I have had multiple conversations on the same subject in a short period of time I have found that God is nudging me to share the message with someone else as well.

Before I start let me just simply say that anything God wants you to do, He will help you to do!  Okay, here we go! 

1.  Set Boundaries.  (Dinner Time is our time).

First let me say, that my wife is awesome!  She is very understanding and supportive.  A bivocational pastor does not minister alone.  It is a calling to an entire family.  I was a husband long before I was a pastor and my marriage relationship impacts my schedule and my priorities as a bivocational pastor.  Yes, I answer to the Lord, but I recognize that He blessed me with my beautiful wife and desires that I be a good steward of my relationship with her.  This means I must set and observe good boundaries in regard to family time, dinner time, date nights, and times for just sitting on the couch holding hands.  My wife understands that there will be times when I do need to jump up and go see someone who has a dire situation that must be attended to.  She gets that.  But I have also come to understand that I don’t always need to jump up and dash from the dinner table just to answer the phone.  People can leave a message and if it’s an emergency, you can make arrangements to take care of the situation in an appropriate manner.  When I first started as a bivocational pastor, I did not always do a good job setting boundaries.  The church I was in was a smaller church and I was so afraid that its survival depended on me that at times I tried to do too much.  This was not good for my own health – as I was too tired; it was not good for the health of my marriage – as my wife was ignored and left sitting on the couch with no one to hold her hand, and it was no good for the health of the congregation – as they did not get to engage in kingdom work and use their own spiritual gifts.  Set boundaries as a bivocational pastor.  Your wife will be grateful and so will you!

2.  Engage and Invite your congregation to participate!

I have to say that I have some awesome people in the congregation where I serve!  We have some deacons who are very compassionate and loving and who are excellent at visiting members who are ill and in the hospital or who are home bound.  A strong body of deacons is very important for a bivocational pastor.  Deacons are the servant leaders in a church and their ministry is vital to a healthy church.  When I was called to pastor our church, we had not added any deacons for several years – like almost 20!  We were down to 2 deacons which was not enough for our growing congregation.  We knew we needed to call some more so we began a process of sharing the scriptural qualifications for deacons with our congregation, praying together and ultimately calling some additional men to serve.  The entire process took over 6 months.  But it was a process that God had His Hands upon and the Lord provided us with some excellent men to serve the needs of the congregation and minister to His people.  Not only do we have some wonderful deacons but we have some wonderful people sharing their gifts of teaching, singing, helping and administrating.  It is definitely a blessing to have people who answer God’s call and help with Vacation Bible school, bookkeeping, newsletters, hospitality committees, mowing yards, pulling weeds, and a host of other ways.

Inviting and engaging others in kingdom work is important for every church even if the pastor is not bivocational.  Having only a handful of people involved in administering the activities will lead to burnout.  When Moses’ father-in-law Jethro saw Moses trying to do it all in chapter 18 of Exodus, he told Moses, “What you are doing is not good.”  Moses then began to delegate responsibility and involve others.  As he did, his life became better, others were blessed with learning responsibility, with using God-given gifts and abilities and leaders in the body were born.  Involve and engage others in your congregation and you will be blessed – so will they!  Do not rob them of the joy and personal growth that God desires for their life!

3.  Be disciplined!

I believe that apart from a calling from God to be a bivocational pastor (and apart from the support of your spouse) this is the greatest characteristic you will need.  You will need to be very disciplined so that you observe the schedule and the boundaries you set for yourself.  Now, I will confess that there are some areas in my life I struggle with.  One in particular is that I have to fight the urge to pick up the pastries.  Pray for me!  When an email goes out in my office about “Birthday Cake on Bob’s Desk” I have been known to knock people down in order to get to Bob’s desk in time to still get a corner piece.  I do struggle with certain issues but in general I am very disciplined.  Apart from my recovery during my recent back surgery, I have observed the same workout schedule for the better part of 30 years.  Wow!  Did I say I was disciplined?  Okay, maybe I am a little more “obsessed”.  In either case, as a bivocational pastor you have to be disciplined enough to stick to your schedule.  You have to be disciplined to observe the boundaries that you have set with your wife and family.  You have to be disciplined enough to follow the times set aside for preparation for the sermons you plan to do 2 – 3 weeks from now and disciplined enough to get busy on the one you are trying to write for this week!  And in the midst of that schedule, you have to be disciplined enough to set aside time for your own prayer and devotion.  Which brings me to the next point.

4.   Pray – a lot!

When I first wrote this down, I wrote “Pry – a lot”.  As in “pry” into somebody else’s business.  And in some ways that would be accurate for that is what you are doing.  You are prying into God’s business.  It is His Church.  They are His people….. not yours!  Keep that perspective.  Fall on your knees and try to pry into His business.  Seek His Face, seek His counsel, and seek His guidance all the time!  What is His vision for the upcoming week, month, quarter and year?  What are the important points He needs you to present to His people this week as you present His message this week?  After all, you are only a steward of the church, of these people, of the very messages that He is allowing you to deliver from His pulpit – not yours!  Pry into His business!  Ask for wisdom and guidance and help for the encouragement and instruction you need Him to pour out through you!

 Prayer is the key!  Pray!  Then pray some more. 

5.  Redeem the time.

I live about 35 miles from the insurance claims office where I work.  I drive through Austin, Texas to get to my office.  Austin traffic is not known for how quickly it moves.  I spend a lot of my time in the car in prayer.  I lift up the people I worship with and I lift up the people I work with.  Sometimes I ride to church with Chris Tomlin, Matt Redmond and Big Daddy Weave and we praise and worship the Living God together –  “How Great is our God!”  My car is like a miniature church on wheels.  I sing, I pray, and I even preach in my car sometimes.  I have a voice memo app on my I-phone where I can record my thoughts on the passage that I am going to be preaching on that week.  When I get back home at night, I can listen to those notes and not have to depend on my memory to put on paper the words the Lord put on  my heart so many hours earlier.  I make the most out of my time in my car.

Redeem the time!  Before I was a pastor, I bought the cassettes and the books for Spanish 2 and 3 so that I could become a better witness for the Lord.  Me complace para ser un testigo para El.  It pleases me to be a witness for Him!

As a bivocational pastor you have to be prepared to redeem the time!  Whenever I go to a doctor’s office, I listen to the Lord and am friendly and open to speaking to others around me, but I always take my notepad so that I can write down thoughts for my sermon or any lesson that I am in the midst of preparing.  Redeem the time.

6.  Exercise and stay fit.

Currently I am recovering from back surgery, but I have to say that exercise does wonders for you.  Yes, it is good for the cardio vascular and circulatory systems but it is also good for you mentally.  Exercise helps reduce stress.  It provides endorphins for your brain and in general gives you a chance to unwind.  I get up Monday through Friday and go to the YMCA at 5:00 am.  On Saturday I get there at 8:00 am.  I miss some days, but most days that is where I am.  (it is that discipline/obsession thing again.)  I try to lift 3 times per week and run 4 times per week.  I have to squeeze those 7 workouts into 5 or 6 days.  (Currently due to my back surgery I cannot lift or run).  Sometimes I read my sermon notes while I run on the treadmill, sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I listen to audio commentaries on the bible.  Part of staying fit has to do with eating right.  I am still working on that.  I am still trying to eat more fruit.  From some of my previous posts, you may get the idea that I believe “fruit” includes banana pudding, blueberry muffins and apple turn overs.  Yeah, I am still working on this area of my life.  I have recently discovered though, that I really enjoy nectarines and Gala apples.  It’s a start.  Pray for me….pray a lot!

7.  Make time for yourself.  Take a vacation now and then.

You will need to get away now and then to recharge your batteries.  During that vacation you will need to decide if you are going to do any long term sermon planning or is this going to be a vacation just for you.  Please decide this before you go.  If it is a mixture of the two and you are just getting away from town for a few days and the secular job and do a little bit of church work, then set some appropriate boundaries for yourself.  “On my honor, while on vacation, I promise not to work more than 2 hours today, not to make any calls outside of that window of time and to live by the Girl Scout Law.”  Come up with some boundary that works for you and your spouse.  Get away and enjoy yourself.

Those are the basics as I see them.  There are more I’m sure.  Remember to observe your own bible study and quiet times apart from sermon preparation.  Those times can be just as refreshing as a vacation.  Remember, God likes to work through people who look refreshed.   If you are a bivocational pastor or thinking of becoming one, fantastic!  The Lord will bless you, it is an awesome ministry.  Read the prior posting on Week 4 about why this ministry is so crucial!  If you know some bivocational pastors, please pray for them!  They love your support and the Lord answers your prayers!

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com.

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Week 22 – There is One who can calm your storms

Posted on August 9, 2011 by pastorpstephens

The past couple of weeks I have met several people who have been dealing with some very serious situations in their lives.  Some of the situations they have been dealing with have come upon suddenly and some of them have been long term isues.  But all of these situations have been serious, frightening and faith shaking matters that have threatened these individuals much like a storm can threaten a small boat upon the seas.  The bible talks about how to endure those storms, how to manage through those “less than ideal situations” we face in this life.  One such passage is found in Mark 4:35.  Jesus has been with His disciples and He has been teaching by the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Mark 4:35 On that day, when evening came, (Jesus) said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”  36 Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.  37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.  38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”  39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.  40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”  41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” 

This passage provides us some wonderful insight about the nature and the character of our Lord.  It also provides us some insight about our own nature and character.  Jesus had been teaching a crowd on the shores of the Sea of Galileeand the crowd became so big that Jesus got into a boat and pushed out from the shore so that He could teach and speak to all of them gathered on the banks of the shore.  And as He spoke to them gathered on incline of the banks of the shore it was as if they were in an amphitheater surrounding.  Oh, can I tell you the Lord loves to find a way to reach people?  Jesus finishes His teaching and we see the Lord inviting the disciples to undertake a journey with Him.

For just as much as the Lord loves to reach people, He also loves to invite His disciples, His followers to go on a journey with Him.  Jesus invited the disciples to stay in the boat with Him and cross the Sea of Galilee with Him and go the other side.  The Sea of Galilee is about 5 miles wide at the point where they were crossing.  This sea is known for its violent storms that come up so suddenly with waves that peak and crest and slam against the boats.  So here we have the disciples in the boat with Jesus and now this storm comes upon them.  The bible describes it as a “fierce gale with waves breaking over the boat” and the disciples thought they were going to sink!  And we have to remember that some of these disciples were fishermen, they were accustomed to storms, they were familiar with waves, so for them to be frightened, this must be a really bad storm.

I am sure that in the midst of this storm, they tried some things on their own.  I am sure they leaned on their own understandings.  I am sure they began to bail some water and batten down the hatches.  I believe there was a sense of panic on that boat.  Sometimes in the midst of a storm, it is hard to keep remain calm.  Finally somebody said, “We need to call upon the Lord.”  See, Jesus was with them.  He had invited them on that journey, they had joined up with Him and He was responsible for taking them to the other side.  The bible says that He was sleeping in the boat, at rest, at peace, not bothered, not surprised and not upset by this storm.  The disciples ran to Him in their fear and woke Him up.  Jesus arose and spoke to the wind, “Hush, be still.”

Jesus quieted the storm that was threatening His disciples.  And then He spoke to those He loved saying, “Why are you scared?  Where is your faith?”  And by asking them that He is asking, “Why do you not trust that I will protect you on this journey that I invited you on?  Why do you not trust that I will be with you, guide you and watch over you?  Why do you not believe that I can be trusted to take you through to the other side?  Why did you not call on me sooner?”

Those are valid questions for those who have called Him Lord, who have agreed to go on a journey with Him.  Oh, you need to know that the Lord desires that we follow Him.  He desires that we go on a journey with Him.  But just because we go on a journey with Him does not mean we will not face storms in our life.  Sometimes those storms will come upon us suddenly and violently.  They can cause us to panic and we begin to bail water and batten down hatches in our own strength until we are weak and weary.  So many times we never stop to recognize that the Lord is waiting for us to lift up His Name, He is waiting for us to call upon Him to calm the storms in our life.  Oh and we need to call upon Him for He is able to rebuke the storms in our life.

So why don’t we call on Him?  Why do we do we face the winds and the waves alone?  Why do we try and bail the water out of the boat by ourselves?  I believe it is because we are afraid of His reaction.  I believe it is because we are afraid of what He will say to us rather than what He will say to the storm.  Oh my goodness, please understand, Jesus turns away the storm that threatens His people, He does not turn away His people threatened by the storm!  Jesus does not turn you away when you are weary, frightened, grieving, or struggling with some problem that threatens to overwhelm you in this life.  He will turn to your storm, your problem, your addiction or whatever else threatens to overwhelm you and say, “Hush, be still!”  But His words to you will be words of trust, words of comfort, words like those recorded in Matthew 11: 28 – 29.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

Oh, I hope you get that.  I hope you know that He will offer you rest, that He will offer you a port from the storms in your life.  Oh, I hope you understand that you can call on Him.  I hope you know that should call on Him, because He will tame the wind, calm the waves and quiet the storms that you face in your life!

There is a peace that is available to all of us!  It is available if we only call Christ to the front of our boat.  We should put Jesus in charge of the journey that we are on in this life.  Peace is available if we allow Christ to speak to the storms that we face.

So many times we don’t do that.  All of us fall short in that area, even preachers.  And when we fall short it causes us missed opportunities at the best that God has to offer for us.  It causes us to miss opportunities to reconcile broken relationships, missed opportunities to experience the fullness that this life has to offer and to receive all of the blessings and the peace the Lord desires for us.  And it certainly causes us to struggle unnecessarily in the midst of a storm that the Lord could have quieted for us.

I pray that you will know the Lord’s peace and experience His best.  I pray that you will never hesitate to call Christ to front of your boat and let Him calm your storms and lead you on your journey in this life.  Call upon His Name for He offer Peace and Rest!

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

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Week 21 – God exceeds expectations…even with kidney stones!

Posted on August 1, 2011 by pastorpstephens

My back is doing very well and has not been troubling me at all.  But that is not to say I have not had my share of trouble.  This weekend definitely had its share.  It was a very interesting weekend.  It was one filled with peaks and valleys; trials and some triumphs.  The greatest biggest trial and triumph had to do with the church service.  A few weeks ago the Lord laid it upon my heart to have a high attendance Sunday in conjunction with our “dinner on the grounds” the last Sunday in July.  Every month that has five Sundays we have a pot luck lunch following the service.  I decided that this time of year would be a good time to send out invitations to everyone in the mail, email and through Facebook.  A lot of excitement was generated leading up to this service; many of our people really stepped up to the plate and invited a whole host of friends and family.  We have some awesome people at Onion Creek Baptist church!

My trouble was not with people being involved; my trouble was that I woke up about 4:40 am Sunday morning with a familiar pain in my side.  The pain radiated from my side to the back and caused me to double over in bed.  I became sweaty, clammy and nauseated.  There are few things worse than the dry heaves when you have had back surgery and you have a hard time bending down in front of the porcelain throne.  The trouble was I had a kidney stone that decided it was time to leave the kidney and begin its journey out of my body.  Last year I had 4 kidney stones and I know from experience that sometimes the body will have these pains or “contractions” for a couple of hours and then give up only to begin the “contractions” a few hours later in the day.  It is almost as if the body says, “That’s all you can stand for now, you don’t know nothing about birthin’ no babies.”  I was hoping the pain would stop before church and not start back again until AFTER church.  Those were my thoughts and THAT was my prayer.  “Give me a big enough window of time that I can preach today Lord.”  I knew the church was going to be pretty full and I was ready to speak to them about the importance of bringing children to the Lord with emphasis on allowing the Lord to guide our schedules and to fight the urge that the disciples displayed in Mark 10:13 – 16 to stick to our schedule no matter what.  I really wanted to bring the message that interruptions happen and sometimes we should just go with them and recognize that not only does God use interruptions but that we should acknowledge that He is the God of interruptions.  At this point I recognized I was facing one of those interruptions myself.  I had an opportunity to practice the message even before I preached it.

At that point, I changed my prayer and began to pray, “Okay Lord, if you want me to stay home with this kidney stone, I will.’  The pain eased up about 30 minutes later.  I fell back to sleep and woke up at my usual time with a sudden, sharp, stinging sensation, much lower and this time on the front side of my body.  It was very brief and only lasted a moment.  This pain is usually felt when the stone is already in the bladder.  I told my wife that it must be referred pain because there was no way that stone could have moved that quickly.  I was a little tired and sore but I got up, got dressed and went to church.  When we got to church, I went to the restroom and I was amazed that I had just passed the stone!  Based on visuals only – I would say this stone was about 3 millimeters.   By the time the worship service began I was almost feeling 100%.  That was the quickest experience I have ever had with a kidney stone.  I am so thankful that the Lord allowed me to attend the service and allowed that stone to pass so quickly.  The service was awesome, attendance was excellent and a great time of fellowship was enjoyed by everyone!  AND, and, I was blessed with the opportunity to participate on a day when it looked like I may have to stay home sick or at best go home immediately after the service and suffer with a kidney stone for the rest of that day and likely the next two or three as well.  The Lord was indeed gracious to me!  It reminds me of what Paul said in Ephesians 3:20 – 21

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

 God is able to do far more than we ask for or think.  Don’t limit Him with your prayers like I was doing when the kidney stone first started its journey.  God has often times far exceeded the pitiful little requests that I lift up unto Him.  Some may read this with a cynical point of view and say, if He is so good, so merciful, why would He allow you to even get kidney stones?  My response in “Readers Digest” form is simply this.  We live in a sin-fallen world.  Sin and disease entered this world through the willful, sinful actions of man.  I serve a Lord who offers me forgiveness of my sins and comfort for the challenges and Grace for the trials I endure in this sin fallen world….even kidney stones.  My God is so merciful that He has made a way that one day I shall have a perfect body and live with Him in paradise forever.  I may not understand everything now…but I understand that.  I pray that someday you will too.

What ever you may be going through on this day, make your requests known unto Him.  He just may exceed your expectations.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

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Week 20 – I’m Hard of Listening – not Hard of Hearing!

Posted on July 25, 2011 by pastorpstephens

The past week was a good one in many respects.  I was able to spend time with family and friends and I accomplished a lot.  Physically I felt fine except for Saturday evening.  The top of my right foot hurt; it felt very much like a bruise.  It was not the first time I have felt this pain since my back surgery.  When I was in the hospital I felt the same pain 2 – 3 days following the fusion my L4 and L5 vertebrae but I chalked it up to the weight of the air hose for the compression “leggings” I had to wear which was leaning on my foot.  I have since learned that the pain on the top of the foot is not from the bone at all but from the “peroneal nerve” which is a branch off the sciatic nerve.  When the sciatic nerve is flaring up due to trauma, impingement or spasms in the lower back this part of your foot can hurt and feel bruised.  Sometimes the sensation is similar to the pain you feel when you have laced your shoes too tight.

To make a long story short, I had done too much on Saturday.  After getting up before sunrise to finish my sermon, I mopped the house, went to the YMCA and walked 2 miles on the treadmill, came home and walked another mile with my wife, did some weed eating while my wife mowed the yard, went to Home Depot then walked around the outlet mall for about an hour.  Yep, I did too much.  I rested after getting home that afternoon and by the time I woke up the next day I was fine.  I took it easy the rest of the weekend and I am going to try to take it fairly easy this week too.  My wife is always encouraging me to “listen to my body”.  Sometimes I hear but I don’t listen.  I have always been the kind of guy that will push myself to do my run no matter how poorly I feel, thinking that it is better for me in the long run.  Usually, I am wrong.  “Listen to your body” my wife says.  She’s right.

It’s not that I don’t hear my body; it is just that I have always had a stubborn, independent streak and quite simply refused to listen.  Not only have I refused to be a good listener physically in my life, but there have been times that I have not been a good listener spiritually.  There have been times that God has tried to talk to me through His word, through others and through my situations and circumstances and I have just not listened.  Sometimes my problems with listening have been with my difficulty in discerning His voice and other times my problems have been with difficulty in obeying His voice.  Over the years I have recognized my weakness in this area and prayerfully asked for His help to improve in this area.

Maybe you have had some struggles in this area too, if so don’t beat yourself up.  We are not alone.  The bible is full of people that God spoke to, people God used in a great way; people who had to learn to improve their listening skills.   Check out Gideon’s story in the book of Judges!  Hearing the Lord and following His voice takes practice.

I had a dachshund one timed named Cato.  He was a good dog, he is my favorite dog of all time.  That dog could do all kinds of tricks.  He went blind when he was 2 years old.  At first he was real depressed.  He would just sit there in the middle of the room.  He was scared to walk around in the house because he would bump into furniture; he was scared to walk around in the back yard because he would bump into trees.  I tried to give him guidance by letting him listen to my footsteps.  He was not used to depending on me or listening to me so I walked as loud as I could.  I practically stomped around the house…and he would follow me.  He still bumped into furniture from time to time.  I would yell, “Stop” at him if he was outside and about to run into something.  Eventually, he got to the point where he could hear my footsteps even when I was wearing my house shoes.  I no longer had to raise my voice or talk loud to him.  He heard my voice and followed my direction even when I talked very softly.  He listened so good he even learned to do a whole lot more tricks even after he lost his sight.  Oh, he was a good dog.  I think that he became my favorite dog ever, not because of all the tricks he could do, but because of the close relationship we had.  He wanted to hear from me, and he wanted to receive guidance and direction from me.  He would always stop and listen to see where I was going so that he could follow me.

Our relationship with the Lord is similar to that.  Jesus says in John 10:27

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”

When we first begin our relationship with the Lord, it not always an automatic process to follow His direction for our life.  Sometimes we pray and we ask, “Speak louder Lord, I am afraid I won’t hear you!”  We ask Him to walk loud and talk loud so that we might know His will and His way.  I understand that.  I have been there.  But I know that it gets easier as you spend more time in His presence, in His word and with His people.  I know that you can get to the point that you more easily recognize and hear His still quiet voice.  Your relationship with Him will grow and it won’t be because you learned some new tricks or did some good works, it will be because of the time you have spent together.

Make it your practice to listen to the Lord.  He will lead you and guide.  He will take care of you.  And as He leads you and guides you, be sure and listen to your body.  That is just one of the many ways that the Lord watches over us and protects us.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

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Week 19 – How Much Pain is too Much? aka the IKEA experience

Posted on July 19, 2011 by pastorpstephens

I am closing in on 5 months since my back surgery and overall I am doing very good.  I must admit I have been a little bit sore the last couple of days.  I think I over did it on Saturday.  I woke up at 5 a.m. and finished working on my sermon for Sunday in time to go to the YMCA with my wife at 8.  While she was in her Zumba class, I spent 45 minutes on the treadmill.  This is twice as long as I have been going during the week.  After that we went to IKEA.  IKEA is Swedish for “How much further is it?”  I can answer that with another Swedish word – “ooph!”  That is a little known word meaning “too much”.  At least that’s what I think it means because after spending two and a half hours traipsing around in IKEA I was saying “ooph” several times during the day and a few times during the night after we left that place.  I think my discomfort was not related so much to the walking as it was to the bending & stooping  I did while chasing my 18 month old granddaughter through that place-ooph!  Too much!  I stretched muscles and tendons that had not been used in almost 5 months.  It has been 4 days since that big adventure in IKEA and I feel a lot better now.  But as I reflect on my experience from this past weekend I know that there are some people who are facing pain and discomfort and stresses and situations that are far worse than the nagging aches that made me say “ooph” this weekend.  For some of them they are at the point where they really are saying, “TOO MUCH!”  Some of them are distressed and discourage to the point that they are not sure if they can go on any longer.  Maybe you know someone in a situation like that or maybe you yourself could raise your hand and say, “That’s me.”  I want you to know that the Lord stands ready to comfort you and minister to you.  Jesus said in Matthew 11:28

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

The Lord invites us to come to Him, without fear of rejection.  Some people are reluctant to come to Him, they say, “You don’t know how bad I’ve been.  I have done too much!”  Oh my friend, when it comes to forgiveness, it does not matter what you’ve done or how much.  There is nothing that is too much.  The bible says in 1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”

There is no such thing as too much!  Jesus offers us forgiveness, He offers us Grace, He offers us all we need in this world and in the next one – if we only come to Him!  Jesus invites us to come and to lay our burdens down and never pick them up again.  He promises to strengthen us and help us endure any situation we may be facing.  All power and authority has been given unto Him, no task is impossible, no problem is “too much”.  Christ promises to meet our needs, and give us rest.  I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good invitation to me.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

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Week 18 – Setting Some Boundaries

Posted on July 11, 2011 by pastorpstephens

Last week was a good week but it was very busy.  My back feels really great!  It has been 4 months since my spinal fusion and my lower back does not bother me at all.  I have no sciatic nerve pain and no aches in my hips or my legs.  My back muscles are loosening up and the do not seem quite as stiff as they have been in the past month.  I am getting used to wearing the smaller brace now and I am no longer waking up in the early morning hours because of any stiffness.  I have been walking on the treadmill now for almost 2 weeks.  One thing I have noticed is that I have fallen out of the routine of exercising every morning.  I missed two days of walking in the morning last week.  And while I made up the time by walking in the evening it was somewhat disconcerting.  Before the surgery when I ran 5 days each week, I had certain days set aside for running.  Nothing and no one interfered with those times.  I hardly ever missed a day of running unless my back was REAL bad or unless I had an illness that totally shut me down.  I missed those days working out this week because I have been so busy in the office the last month.

As a matter of fact I set aside a day and worked from home on Friday so that I could get a lot of work done.  I was able to finish twice as much work at home as I would have been able to do at the office.  I avoided the distractions of phones ringing, discussions about World Cup soccer, who’s violating dress code and the other general distractions that come up from time to time in an office setting.   It felt very good to take care of some of the projects that are due this week and get them done early and not have to worry about them.

It is so nice to be able to set some boundaries and have a quiet time.  It is so great to be able to tackle some important issues and just get them over with.  Usually important issues take our undivided attention.  When I think of quiet times and tacking important issues I think of Moses and his request to see God in Exodus chapter 34.  Moses had been asked to lead a stubborn, obstinate group of people on a great journey.  As Moses is dealing with the ramifications of that request he asks God if he could please see God in all His Glory.  God told Moses, you cannot handle seeing all of My Glory but I will let you look upon Me as I pass by.  Then in the next chapter God gives Moses instructions so that they can share this special time together.  God tells Moses in Exodus 34:2-3

Ex 34:2 “So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain.  3 “No man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain.”

God has Moses set up a special time with no distractions, no interruptions, no other people, not even the flocks and the herds and there He and Moses have a special time together.  God gives Moses a glimpse of His glory and then He promises to go with Moses and the people.  Moses had an awesome time in the Lord’s presence.

I know that I need to have special times set aside not just for getting work done, not just for exercising but I need to have special times set aside for worship.  I need to have special times where I set boundaries that no one is allowed to cross so that I can have uninterrupted one-on-one time with the Lord.  There need to be times where the phone, the TV, and other people cannot interrupt me.  For me those times are usually in the car as I drive to work.  Sometimes those times are late in the evening. Sometimes they are early in the morning.  Sometimes those times of worship and reflection and prayer have even been when I have been running on a treadmill listening to some praise music.  Whenever those times are, when I have made those times about the Lord and not about me, I have seen a glimpse of God’s glory.

I hope that you get a chance to set appropriate boundaries for yourself this week.  I hope you get a chance to make some special time for God and I hope you get a chance to see His Glory this week.  Until next time may God bless you and those you love.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

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Week 17 – I finally get to Exercise following my back surgery!

Posted on July 4, 2011 by pastorpstephens

Last week I was finally able to get on the treadmill and begin a regular routine of exercise for the first time since my laminectomy and spinal fusion.  My doctor has been very cautious about letting me do any walking other than that required for my job in an insurance company and my ministry as a pastor at a local church.  So last week was the first time in almost 4 months that I had been to the gym.  I arrived at 5:00 am and briefly visited with the usual suspects.  It was great to see the guys again – most of them like me, middle-aged men fighting valiantly to stave off the effects of time and maintain as much of a youthful appearance, healthy physique and ability to outrun, outlast and outwork guys half our age.  Ah, the male ego.  Yes, I’m so vain I thought that song was about me.

My first week of being in the gym was good.  But it was different.  I was only allowed to set the treadmill at 3 miles per hour with no incline.  And I must say I was inclined to go much faster and have the treadmill set at a much steeper angle.  But my doctor still doesn’t want me to put any stress or strain on my lower back.  He continues to caution me to take it easy and give more time for bone to grow into the metal cage where the disc was removed between my L4 and L5 vertebrae.  He doesn’t want me to put any undue stress or strain on the pins and rods holding that level together.  I understand, and agree but still, going 3 miles per hour on the treadmill for 20 minutes when I was used to running 8 miles per hour for 35 minutes is almost torturous.  It feels SO SLOW!  And I have some work to do.  I gained 17 pounds in the first 3.5 months by not exercising.  Okay, let me rephrase that.  I gained 17 pounds in the last 3.5 months by not exercising AND eating a whole lot of ice cream while watching the NBA playoffs!  Every year, I do the same thing during the playoffs and I usually run a little faster and a little longer in the month of July to get rid of those extra pounds.  I need to work out.  Take it easy?  I should have taken it easy on the ice cream!  I knew what would happen but I kept going down that road.  Going into my recovery mode, I knew my ability to excercise would be limited so I made a myself a plan to “Eat more fruit”.  But apparently Blue Bell Tutti Frutti and Cherry Vanilla Ice Creams are not considered fruits!  SEVENTEEN POUNDS!  Whew!  Suddenly, I am not so sure that song is about me.

My next checkup is in 3 months.  I have set a goal to lose 10 pounds by that appointment.  I will do it by walking 3 miles per hour and eating a nutritious well-balanced diet.  Besides, the NBA playoffs are not for another year and there could be a strike anyway.  Walking 3 miles an hour will make it tougher than it used to be when I could run and lift weights but I know that the bible says in Ecclesiastes 9:11 “the race is not always to the swift”.  The bible also says in Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent surely lead to advantage”.  I will pray for the patience and persistence to follow my plans.

I don’t know what plans you have for the next 3 months.  I don’t know what may have tripped you up in the last 3 months.  Perhaps it was something more sinister than Tutti Frutti ice cream.  Whatever it was, I know that God can help you to be victorious and to have the patience, persistence and strength to follow your plans as well.  May God bless you on your journey.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

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Week 16 – Wearing a Smaller Brace brings Bigger Challenges

Posted on June 28, 2011 by pastorpstephens

Last week was my 3.5 month check up following my laminectomy and the fusion of my L4 and L5 vertebrae.  My check up went well as I reported last week and the doctor not only allowed me to begin a program of walking for exercise each morning before I go to work but he also reduced the size of the back brace I need to wear.  I was able to remove the two plastic support plates that came with the brace.  One was in front and one was in back.  Because of the placement of those supports, my wife often referred to me as her “turtle”.  I am sure it was a term that she used affectionately…only with me and never shared with any of her friends.   The support in back was a rather large support and now that it is gone, I can really tell a difference.  The brace is not nearly as hot and confining as before.  This is great as the temperature has exceeded 100 degrees at least 17 times in the last month.  Also, I can tell a difference because there is much less support.  Many of the muscles in my back have come to depend on that support during the day and they have let me know the last few nights as I lay down to sleep that they miss the support those “turtle shells” offered during the day.

But overall, the pain has not been bad and I have been able to sleep.  (Thank you Lord!)  My pain has only been a little bit of stiffness and slight fatigue of the muscles from lack of use.  Nothing like the pain in the lower back I experienced before the surgery and nothing that has made me need to take any pain pills or even any Tylenol.  It has been more of an annoyance.

I recently talked to one person who is experiencing some back pain and they are not sure what they are going to do.  They don’t know if they are going to get cortisone shots or perhaps have surgery.  They said they feel like they are really having a testing of their faith.  The words they spoke reminded me of a passage found in the book of James that speaks of the testing of our faith.  James, said in James 1:2 – 4:

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

I know it may sound like back pain would be a weird way to have our faith tested, but maybe it makes more sense to think of it more as an opportune time for our faith to grow.  There is never a better time to call on the Lord than when we need strength.  There is never a better time to call on the Lord than when we need help being patient.  There is never a better time to call on the Lord than when we find ourselves in the midst of a situation that we cannot change, one we cannot accept or one we cannot deal with on our own.  These are the kinds of situations where He works best.  These are the kinds of situations where our faith grows!

I pray that you will not experience any pain today.  I pray that you will be able to push through any trial you are going through today.  I pray that your faith in the Lord will take you to a place in Him where you are “lacking in nothing”.  I know that the Lord can and will produce endurance in you.  That is what He does best.  The Lord God has your back.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com 

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Week 15 – 3 Month Check Up for L4 L5 Fusion – Finally

Posted on June 23, 2011 by pastorpstephens

This week I had my 3 month checkup for my L4 L5 Spinal Fusion.  It was actually more like 3.5 month check-up as my back surgery took place on 3/08/11.  I was a little bit nervous in the days leading up to the appointment.  I know that I have been trying to tell everyone and myself that I am going to do my best to follow doctor’s orders but as the appointment drew closer and closer all I could think about were those small indiscretions that have taken place in the last 3 months that probably would make my back doctor frown if he were present in the room; bending to plug in the new computer cables when the old desktop crashed, bending to tying my shoes, lifting my rolling laptop bag one time to my desk chair when I couldn’t find my keys (okay more than once…..) and dodging to avoid water balloons at Vacation Bible School.  I know there are other things that could probably go on this list – but I don’t know  who is reading it so  I will plead the 5th.

I arrived early at the check up and suited up in the “always fashionable, does any else feel a draft” hospital gown for my X-rays and took the long walk down the hall way to the radiology department for my photo shoot.  As I returned to my room and waited for the doctor I thought about the time I tripped over a laptop cord and had to engage my cat-like reflexes to avoid a fall and I wondered if those acrobatics caused any kinks or problems with the screws, pins, or rods holding my L4 and L5 vertebrae together.  My worrying was not necessary as the doctor said the X-rays came back just fine!  He asked me if I had any pain in the lower back – no, not since before the surgery other than surgical pain.  Any Sciatic Nerve pain?  Not since week 3 or 4.   I only have a little stiffness sometimes in the early morning hours but it continues to get better.  Great, he said!   Things are going very well – see you in three more months.

Since things were going so  well, I felt encouraged to ask the doctor if I could run.  No.  I asked if I could jog on a treadmill – no.  I asked if I could ride an exercise bicycle….again, no.  I asked if I could WALK on a treadmill.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity the doctor said, “Yes.”  He is still not going to let me pick up anything over 10 lbs.  And I will not start Physical Therapy until I am at least 6 months out from the surgery.  He said at that time he will likely allow me to resume “normal activities”.  I asked him to clarify what that meant as my “normal activites” may not be the same as someone elses.  He said we will have to wait to have that discussion until next time.  The look he gave me let me know I had exceeded the 15 question limit so I saved the rest of my list until next time.  I was so excited as I left with the good report that I didn’t even notice I still had on the “always fashionable gown” until I felt a draft in the parking lot.

For now, I am happy that my  bones are healing and that I have not messed them up by being a bone head.  Pray for me to have patience, wisdom, and discretion.  I know that the Lord will continue to watch over me and I will heal IF I don’t get in the way.  During the next 3 months I am holding on to this scripture found in Philippians 1:6

 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 

 I hope that whatever journey the Lord has placed you on that you will continue to place your trust in Him.  He is faithful and He will not let you down.  He will finish the good work He has started in you and through you.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

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Week 14 – A Painful Experience

Posted on June 16, 2011 by pastorpstephens

Recovery wise, this week has been a very interesting week.  I have had a couple of times when I experienced a quick, sharp pain in my lower left leg near the shin similar to a needle stick.  I don’t know if it has to do with my back or because I have been on my feet so much this week.  This week we are having VBS – Vacation Bible School at our church.  It is a wonderful program and a great opportunity for us to share the gospel.  As pastor I open the assembly, share some bible verses, introduce a couple of songs and interact with the kids for about 20 minutes before we go off to the various areas.   The night is filled with bible stories, crafts, recreation and many opportunities to learn that God has expressed a great love for us by sending His Son to be our Savior.

By not being able to run or exercise for the last three months my feet are not in the same condition they were prior to the surgery.  Did I say I haven’t run in the last three months?  That part isn’t entirely true…during the recreation time the other night, some of the kids turned on me with the water balloons.  Survival instincts kicked into gear.  Adrenalin began to pump throughout my system and muscles that had not been used in 14 weeks jumped into action!  As I left a cloud of dust and a silhouette of cartoon smoke where I once was standing mere milliseconds before, I heard several people shouting, “Pastor Phil, stop running!  You are not supposed to do that!”  And as if they thought that might not stop me, I heard one of the ladies say, “I will tell your wife!”  Although I believe I had already gone back into “walk-fast” mode, I was grateful that I had some people who were looking out for my best interests and willing to speak up and correct me for something I was doing wrong.  The bible talks about that very thing.  The bible says that we are our brothers’ keepers and in Luke 17:3 Jesus said

Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

Sometimes saying something to someone is not an easy task.  It can be painful for both people involved.  Because it can be painful and uncomfortable, Jesus says in Matthew 18 if time permits we should go to our brother and do it in private and it he does not listen, we should come back with some friends and try again to speak some sense into him.  Sometimes all of us put ourselves into situations where we need our friends to speak up and warn us or rebuke us about some activity we may be engaged in or some path we may be treading on.  We should receive those words in the spirit in which they are given.

I am grateful for a congregation that loves me and has my best interests in heart.  I think I only got 4 or 5 steps in before somebody told me to slow down.  And VBS is going great!  As of last night we have had a great turn out the first 4 nights and have already had 2 of the students pray to receive Christ as Lord and Savior and one other person has asked to be baptized.  It has been an awesome week and we still have one more night of instruction and encouragement to go, followed by a party on Friday.  We serve a Mighty God and a Wonderful Savior!

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com

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