Embracing Monday

I am glad to be in front of my laptop writing and creating fresh content for this blog. It’s also with overflowing joy that I’m able to greet Monday morning focused on several opportunities to minister to people in need of a comforting word and a healing touch. Proclaiming the Gospel is something I am passionate about, as is my beloved wife, Terri.While the Lord has equipped us to go about this in different ways, employing a variety of means, the end result—reaching people for Jesus Christ—remains the same. Our heart’s desire is to see people come to know and grow in Christ. We love coming along fellow co-laborers, sharing our love for Jesus, and gratitude for the marvelous work God has done in our lives.

The past two and half weeks have been heavily focused on school. Being a 50+-year-old grad student has its challenges. On the plus-side, is meeting new people and getting to know a new generation firsthand. Millenials certainly are interesting. After having been in class with some 20-somethings, I have grown in my appreciation of them as a people group. They are value-centric, seeking to derive more from work than just putting food on the table. They desire to be valued and need to feel that their contributions matter. They aren’t all work and no play. For Millenials, work/life balance is necessary.

As a recovering addict, balance is something that has always seemed like a struggle for me. Spending all day with my head in the books, a laptop in front of me, working on a large, 13,000 + word research paper and then a huge research project mimics compulsive addictive behavior. Fortunately, studying does not lead me to be in handcuffs. But it has reminded me of who I once was and grateful for who’s I am today.

In my graduate studies, I have learned a lot about leadership and team development that I did not know, even after all these years both as a worker bee and as an employer of people. It has been an enriching experience for me. I am thankful for the Lord’s provision and for my wife’s support in this endeavor as we seek to be faithful in following God’s calling on our lives.

Ministry has not been what we expected it to be. Honestly, I don’t know that either of us knew what to expect. We remain overwhelmed by God’s grace and the thought that He would use us to do His work. But He has. And we do. Through ministry initiatives like Operation Christmas Child and outreach programs like Union Gospel Mission, Terri and I have had the privilege of ministering to a mind-boggling number of people. We have had front row seats to seeing God at work. It has been an incredible journey thus far. With every passing week, this blog continues to grow and reach people that we would not have been able to reach in more traditional ways.

Tomorrow is Monday. I look forward to embracing the day and seeing what all God does through His work.

Go in peace.