Tis the Season

This is a very busy time of the year for most people but especially for Pastors. Year end meetings, minstry reviews, 2012 ministry planning and the usual busyness of preparing weekly messages and Bible studies along with all of the other Pastoral responsibilities makes the load a little heavier than usual. But in the midst of it all God grants the grace and strength to make it through with some since of Pastoral sanity and focus.
Looking back over the past 11 months at Galilee I must say that God has been extemely gracious to us as a church. The Lord has added to Galilee this year well over 25 to 30 people the majority of which are active in ministry, the ministry opportunities have grown, the spiritual growth of many of the members is evident more than ever, the budget has grown over 2010, corporate prayer time is slowly improving, the facilities have been maintained and the spirit of Chrisitian unity is getting much better. So often we as Pastors are prone to compare our ministries to the so called "great growing ministry" down the street. But I thank God that I haven't fallen into that trap of comparing our ministry to others. Don't get it twisted there is tons of room for improvement in all areas of our ministry and I'm trusting God for that! I constantly try to teach Galilee that our measurement for how were doing as a church must come from God's standards and not mans. I believe we are slowly learning that as a church.
Today was one of those days I got caught in between. I had been preparing all week to preach from Hebrews 4:14-16. But do to the fact that I am bivocational and work in an industry that thrives during this time of the year, it was an extra long work week. I just could not get to the text like I felt I needed to. I had informed one of our associates, Rev. Renaldo Lemons, to be ready if I didn't get to where I needed to be by Sunday morning. I really wanted to preach but didn't want to go half cocked to the pulpit. Needless to say God allowed me to stand and preach a message I had preached before that was right in line with the theme of corporate prayer that I have been preaching for the past 2 weeks, "When the Church Prays", Acts 12:1-16. As tired as I was and as sore as my back was, I really thought about taking the Sunday off but something in me just wouldn't let me take the easy way out. God breathed on the messenger and the message and gave physical strenght to preach and added 2 to the church today. Praise God!!
We shared from the Lord's Table today and it was a high moment for our church. I believe the Lord is really opening up our understanding of this very sacred time in the bodylife of our church.
Shout out to Rev. Lemons for getting in the chamber and for being ready to be shot for the Lord. Faithfullness is a priceless commodity in the life of an associate preacher and he is truly learning that.

God be praised for all He has done and is doing through the Galilee Baptist Church of Shawnee Oklahoma!!!!