I've been steeped in busyness since Christmas and haven't had time to blog.
Spending a lot of my time these days in fundraising and grant writing as well as trying to make business deals that will result in increased revenue for the work to which God has called us. Mission is not what I once dreamed it would be. It's better and it's worse.
It has been now 18 years since I first took a position as Youth and Music Director at tiny Northside Baptist Church in Blanchard, Oklahoma. For the longest time, I did ministry on fumes -- financially speaking. It was always "for the Lord" and most of the Church seemed very eager for me to contribute my service for pennies or less.
I guess it was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn that if mission and ministry is going to make a long-term impact, it must be sustainable. It is right for Kingdom workers to expect to be compensated for their labor. It is wrong for Christians to withhold that payment -- it's actually a kind of theft.
So, I find myself now working out this new paradigm. I have little choice. Having recently resigned from denominational work (and it's small but steady paycheck), this new adventure really has to work.
If it does, of course, it will literally change the world. And that's all I want.
Thy Kingdom come, Lord!
Spending a lot of my time these days in fundraising and grant writing as well as trying to make business deals that will result in increased revenue for the work to which God has called us. Mission is not what I once dreamed it would be. It's better and it's worse.
It has been now 18 years since I first took a position as Youth and Music Director at tiny Northside Baptist Church in Blanchard, Oklahoma. For the longest time, I did ministry on fumes -- financially speaking. It was always "for the Lord" and most of the Church seemed very eager for me to contribute my service for pennies or less.
I guess it was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn that if mission and ministry is going to make a long-term impact, it must be sustainable. It is right for Kingdom workers to expect to be compensated for their labor. It is wrong for Christians to withhold that payment -- it's actually a kind of theft.
So, I find myself now working out this new paradigm. I have little choice. Having recently resigned from denominational work (and it's small but steady paycheck), this new adventure really has to work.
If it does, of course, it will literally change the world. And that's all I want.
Thy Kingdom come, Lord!
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