A few weeks ago I shared a couple of blog posts on the reasons why I love Ashland, Kentucky. Here is the third reason:
3. Everything is close and convenient
Close and convenient are relative terms. What might feel close and convenient for one person might not be for another. Compared to the other places I’ve lived, Ashland is the perfect size.
I love that we can drop all four of our kids at three different schools in under 15 minutes. For me, it’s possible to run home for lunch because it only takes 5 minutes. Even if the traffic is “bad,” it doesn’t take very long get where I’m going.
Ashland might not have everything a larger city has to offer, but it has everything my family needs. And we can get back home with enough time to enjoy it.
Check back tomorrow another reason why I love Ashland, Kentucky.
Yesterday, I started to share a series of blog posts on the reasons why I love Ashland, Kentucky. Here is the second reason:
2. Family ties are strong here.
I believe God gives us family as a tangible express of His love and affection for us. He gives us a mother and a father when we need nurture and protection. He gives us siblings and cousins to challenge and encourage us. Extended family multiplies our network of care and helps round out our character. That doesn’t mean that every family lives up to these ideals. Some families, as you know fall far short. But in general, families are a gift from God.
I’ve noticed that many families in the Ashland area lean on each other throughout the year. They don’t just get together around the holidays. They work together to take care of kids and grandkids. They depend on each other to help with health issues and maintenance issues. They care for their parents and grandparents with a fierce loyalty.
Families today face a growing number of challenges. But I’m proud to report that family ties are strong here in northeast Kentucky!
Check back tomorrow another reason why I love Ashland, Kentucky.
I believe that God calls pastors to communities as well as churches. You can’t have a healthy church without personal evangelism and local outreach. If is very difficult for a church to engage in these activities without the support of their pastor. In my experience as pastor, its hard to get excited about reaching beyond the four wall of a church unless you love the community where you minster.
In order to show my love for the area where I minster, I want to share a series of blog posts this week on the reasons why I love Ashland, Kentucky.
The people here are warm and welcoming
My wife and I were both raised in the north. I’m from a small farming town southwest Michigan and she grew up in sprawing suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. We have lived a few places in our life together, some big and some small, but none with such kind and gracious people.
Our church family has been incredibly warm and welcoming, but it goes way beyond that. We have enjoyed a quick smile and an offer to help from shopkeepers, salespeople, and workmen. The teachers and staff at the schools where our children attend have been accepting and encouraging. Our neighbors are friendly and helpful and we have enjoyed a few cooks and block party together.
That is not say we haven’t encounter any grumpy people. But for the most part, the people in this hard-working little city have welcomed my family and I with open arms. For that, we are grateful.
Check back tomorrow another reason why I love Ashland, Kentucky.
Christian leaders minister to others in crisis situations. One of the most common crises is going to the hospital for surgery. Here are five suggestions to help you be a better hospital visitor.
Be kind and courteous. Remember, you are there to encourage the patient, not embarrass them. Don’t sit on the bed, make light of their health condition, or get in the way of the hospital staff. Instead, stand where the patient can see you easily, use humor, only when appropriate, and compliment the hospital staff whenever possible.
Respect their privacy. Patients take their pain and sickness to the hospital, but usually have to leave their modesty at home. It is always a good idea to knock before you enter a patient’s room or excuse yourself if they need to get settled in their bed. You should also be careful not to share too much information with other caring people, even as a prayer request.
Make time for spiritual encouragement. If you are visiting on behalf of a church, the patient is probably expecting you to pray with them at sometime during your visit. Don’t be shy about leading the patient and whoever else may be present in an uplifting word of prayer. You may also choose to read or quote Scripture as an added encouragement.
Don’t impersonate a doctor. You may learn details about the patient’s health situation or diagnosis during your visit. The patient may even ask for you opinion. In either case, resist the urge to share your “unprofessional opinion” with the patient or their family.
Don’t wear out your welcome. Most people are glad to have visitors in the hospital, but they may feel as if they need to entertain you while you are there. Unless the situation is critical, it is best to keep the visit brief; 15 to 20 minutes is usually sufficient.
These are just some suggestions I’ve found to be helpful. What would you add to it to help others make better hospital visits?
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Thank you to everyone who helped make my blog success so far! In 2015 I will adjust my posting patterns so that I can focus more closely on my Doctor of Ministry ministry project. Keep checking in and have a great New Year as you lead other to follow Jesus Christ.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 3,800 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people.
Jesus knew that his time was short when he gathered with his disciples to celebrate the Feast of Passover. So he got up from the meal and surprised them by setting aside his outer garment and wrapped a towel around his waist like a lowly servant. Then, he proceeded to wash the disciples’ dusty, dirty feet. When Peter objected, Jesus told Peter that he must be washed if he was to have anything to do with Jesus.
When Jesus finished, he returned to the table and questioned the disciples about what had just happened. Jesus told them that they were right to revere him as their Rabbi and Lord, but he went on to explain that leaders in God’s kingdom, must be servants as well as leaders. Then, he commanded them to follow the example he just given them of washing on another’s feet.
The thing that stands out about this passage is not just what Jesus said, but how he said it. In the closing days of Jesus’ earthy ministry, he taught his disciples about the important of humility in leadership. But he did much more than teach them or instruct them to serve others; he modeled it for them. He led by example.
Today’s Christian leaders would do well to support their directives, teaching, or instructions with a consistent example. Leadership is not just what you say, but how you act. It is as true in the conference room as it is in the pulpit – “Practice what you preach.”
Here are some questions to help you lead by example:
Are you sending any mixed messages in your leadership? Are you telling people to do one thing, but then doing another thing yourself? What can you do that fix that?
How can you adjust your leadership style to “show” as much as you “tell?” Are their lessons or principles that you are trying to communicate right now that need to be experience as well as explained?
It has been a long journey, but my family and I are finally headed home – to our new home in Ashland KY. This past Sunday, August 10, Unity Baptist Church voted to make me their next Senior Pastor. We are thrilled that God has made His will so clear and given us such a strong, loving, and prayerful church family.
As we prepare to make our move, I would like to express my gratitude to the people and organizations that helped and encouraged us along the way. I appreciate that Billy Yates and Alan Brady from Pedal Power Bike Shop let me live my childhood dream by building and selling bicycles. I am thankful for the people at Central Baptist Church in Paris and Cornerstone Baptist Church in Lexington who loved and accepted my family and allowed me to serve them as an interim pastor. I wouldn’t have made it through this transition without the help support I received from Paul Chitwood, Karl Babb, and the rest of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Ronny Raines from First Baptist Church Bradfordville FL, and Ron Edmondson from Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington In addition, David Stokes has been invaluable, even before he became the Executive Director of the Elkhorn Baptist Association (soon to be the Central Kentucky Network of Baptists). I also need to mention Kevin Milburn, Senior Pastor of Union Baptist Church, for being such a good friend and counselor.
Thank you again, everybody, for all your thoughts, well wishes, and prayers. We have some of the best friends and family in the world! We are excited to see what God has in store in Ashland. If you are ever in eastern Kentucky, stop in and visit us. We’d be glad to have you.
Ministry is similar to gardening in that both activities require a lot of time and energy before anything develops. It takes patience and dedication to prepare the soil, sow the seed, and water and fertilize the seed so it has a chance to grow. The Apostle Paul made this comparison while warning the Corinthian believers against jealousy and strife. As “fellow workers” in God’s field, we are responsible to plant and water as we have opportunity, even if we aren’t the ones who ultimately produce the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:5-9).
Summer can be a tough for churches, like it is in the garden. Most churches experience a dip in attendance, participation, and even giving as members celebrate holidays and travel with their families over the summer break. Numbers of guests may dry up as they try to make the most of summer’s long days and warm weather. In ministry, like gardening, water is especially important during the hot, dry summer months. In ministry, watering could mean investing in a budding ministry relationship or it could involve some extra planning and preparation for the upcoming fall. In addition, watering should include prayer remember that it is God, Himself, who brings the harvest.
What will you do this week to “water” your ministry?
What will you do this week to invite God’s provision and blessing?
