Off to K.C.

I'm leaving for Kansas City, Missouri in a couple of hours. Over the next 10 days I'll be in Kansas City, Springfield, and Bentonville, Arkansas. Then I fly back to Detroit and take off again for Pittsburgh later this month.

I love travelling and speaking, especially when I get to share what God is doing in Pontiac and challenge other churches to participate in world missions and church planting. I absolutely love it, but not as much as I love my church.

I love being a pastor. I love the faith challenges that I get to walk through and the life changes that I get to see. I can't think of a better job! Everyday I wake up energized to do what I do. I love being a pastor, but not as much as I love my wife.

Vanessa is wonderful. I love being married to her. I can't imagine doing life or ministry without her. She's a great support and encouragement to me on a daily basis. I definitely have the best wife in the world and I love her so much, but not as much as I love Jesus.

Jesus is number one. He's my priority. He comes above my marriage and my ministry. My goal in life is to please Him. Then as I serve Him faithfully my marriage is blessed along with my ministry. Nothing beats serving the Lord!

I think we all need to remember to prioritize our lives in this way:

1. Our relationship with Jesus
2. Our relationship with our Spouse (then Children)
3. Our relationship with our Church or Ministry

And if we do I know God will bless each and every area of our lives! And I'm off...

Time Management

Time is one thing you can't make up. That's why time management is so crucial, especially as a pastor. Here's a post with a couple of resources from a good friend Nick Poole on organizing your day. Now here's a copy of my weekly schedule with an emphasis on the main objectives of each day.

Sunday - Service Day (obviously the main focus of Sunday is the ministry within the services)
Monday - Spouse Day (this day is dedicated to my beautiful bride Vanessa)
Tuesday - Staff Day (meeting, planning and administrating is the focus of the day)
Wednesday - Study Day (preparation for our midweek prayer service and Sunday's message)
Thursday - Support Day (writing newsletters, raising funds and following up with supporters)
Friday - Strategy Day (dreaming and creative planning for the future)
Saturday - Sabbath Day (relaxing and preparing my heart and mind for Sunday)

I realize that your schedule will not look like mine and each day's theme will probably not start with the letter "s" (I can't help it...alliteration is always on my mind). However, creating a schedule is absolutely necessary for maximum effectiveness. If you don't schedule your time then your time will schedule you. Hope this may help!