Whenever I speak as a guest, one of the first things I do after giving my name and thanking my hosts for having me is to tell my salvation testimony. Before anyone stands before an audience and opens the Word of God, it is my belief that the presenter should offer his salvation testimony. As pastors, shepherds of God's flock, overseers of Christ's body, it is vital that our people hear regularly our testimony of how Christ saved our souls. And here are a few of the results you can expect.
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It has taken some time, but I'm at a place now where I can admit that I made some mistakes in my first five years of ministry. I definitely learned from them, and I want to share some of them with you. Maybe you can avoid them. One of them does have to do with growing my hair out way too long, so if you want to see that picture and have a good laugh -- you'll have to click "Read More."
As I was working through Mark 14 for my sermon series, I came across the place where Jesus tells His disciples they will all be offended because of Him that night (14:27). He says this reality is in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy (13:7), "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." It occurred to me that there is a principle in this prophecy that we have probably all seen play out in various situations. Protecting ourselves and our ministries through prayer can help us guard against this principle playing out in our lives. Jesus was fulfilling Scripture of course, but no such prophecy exists for you and me. So, it serves us well to guard against this principle. How can we do that? The ministry can be a lonely place. I'm not just talking about those rare, precious moments of solitude and rest. I'm talking about the fact that literally no one else can possibly understand the exact mix of thoughts and emotions you feel at the top of the ladder. No one else sees everything you see. No one else "gets it" like you get it. Often, even if you were free to share what's on your mind, and even if the other person supported you and was sympathetic to your vision, it is not very likely that he or she will understand - at least not in the sense that you understand. So, before you click away from this post, please understand this: there is hope. This is one of my favorite things to repeat: There is always hope. Those who know me personally will find it ironic that I have a blog post on this topic. I have every size of clothing in storage containers in my garage in hopes that they will one day fit again. The lightest weight I have been in my adult life was in my freshman year of college in the low 180s. And that's all I'm going to say about that! This is not a post to guilt anyone into a commitment to become more physically fit. The goal of this post is to offer some biblical insights on the topic to encourage us to make time to take care of both our church bodies and our physical bodies. Personal Fitness as StewardshipWe would all agree that our bodies are given to us by God. We can destroy them; we can let them go. We can maintain them properly. Our genetics may be outside of our control, but much of our wellness is up to us to manage. We are indeed stewards of our bodies. The bottom line is that the better we take care of these bodies, the longer lives and healthier lives we will likely live - meaning, that we will have longer to minister to others, to win people for Christ, to disciple future leaders, and bear Kingdom fruit, if we get and stay in shape. Pastoral Ministry as Enemy to Personal FitnessWithout going so far as to use this as an excuse, it is a fact that pastoral ministry is one of the most stressful professions a person can have. Most pastors do not work a 40-hour workweek. Some pastors work double that. Most work north of 60 hours per week. Not good! We eat on the run. We eat out a fair amount. We eat at weird hours. We don't have the time or money or go buy healthy foods. We don't get enough exercise; many of us don't get any exercise. Add to all of this the stress that ministry inevitably brings, and you have a recipe for morbid obesity and possibly a lifespan cut tragically short. Heart attack incidence is greater among pastors than in the general population. We've got our work cut out for us! Take the Challenge!I first started typing the draft of this post in August 2019. I've heard that getting in shape is tougher with every decade of life - the 20s, the 30s, the 40s. I'm at 37 right now, and I do have to work harder to get results than I did the past several times I've been down this road. As I prepare to post this blog, it is December 1, 2019. I've begun working out daily, eating smart, and doing all the things I know to do. I've lost 35 lbs, and my body fat % is dropping. I'm heading in the right direction, and you can too. Consult your doctor about nutritional advice and before beginning an exercise regimen. But as ministry brothers, let's covenant together to optimize the bodies the Lord has given us for maximum kingdom potential!
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AuthorPastor Billy Shaw is a full-time pastor, husband, and father with a passion for helping other pastors. Archives
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