If you're having trouble viewing this email, please click here.
Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,
In light of the last two blog posts, one of the most frequently asked questions about ministry here is "What does a typical week look like?" The honest answer to that is every week is a little different, but this week I thought it might be interesting to document a typical work week in pictures, so I toted my camera along with me and tried to take pictures of "normal" activity.
Wednesday
Thoughts on the week:
A couple things you may have noticed looking at these pictures. First, I wear a lot of white t-shirts. I seriously thought about redoing this just so I could wear different clothes. Second, a lot of ministry isn't very exciting behind the scenes. Everyone appreciates a professional because they're excellent at what they do. We love pro athletes because they excel on the field, but most people don't want to watch them work hard in the weight room or on the practice field. We just want to watch them on game day. We love great preachers because they help us understand God's Word, but most of us don't want to watch them spend 20-25 hours a week in their study exegeting the text so they can bring us the main idea in a well crafted, 40 minute sermon. We just want the sermon. I spent a chunk of time this week reading a church history textbook, sitting at my desk writing email, and mowing the grass at the Storehouse. Most of that isn't exactly "newsletter worthy". But when my church history class starts next month, people will want to hear how that class is going and see a picture of the class. Teaching with excellence begins with the hard and non-glamorous work of knowing the content. Continuing and growing the ministry means regularly communicating with people, and in the 21st century, that means lots of email. Mowing the grass at the Storehouse enables us to do ministry, because if it was waist high our clients wouldn't come.
I started this email by saying that every week is a little different. Some weeks I write a lot of email, but some weeks I spend lots of time meeting with people face to face working to expand this ministry. Some weeks I read a lot while preparing to teach, and others I spend time developing lesson plans for a class. Some weeks I spend several days picking up furniture and donations, and other weeks nothing is donated (though usually it's somewhere in the middle). Some days the Storehouse is overrun with clients, and some days we listen to the crickets (though usually it's somewhere in the middle). Every week might be little different, but God blesses them all.
To all of you who faithfully do the nitty-gritty, behind the scenes work that makes all of our lives easier, thank you! To all of you who patiently and sacrificially support us as we labor faithfully through the mundane, praying for the moments when the Lord moves visibly (and hopefully from the last two posts you can see that he has!), thank you! We are truly blessed to have you in our lives!
In closing, let me echo the Apostle Paul:
"Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more." 1 Thessalonians 4:1 (emphasis mine)
Things You Can Be Praying for This Week:
1. Baby Hosea is due on Thursday, so please pray for his safe arrival this week.
2. Meredith's birthday is also Thursday, so join us in praising the Lord for another year!
3. Our first Thursday food distribution is also this week. Please pray that the Lord would bless both our clients and the volunteers who serve with an outstanding day!
Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,
In light of the last two blog posts, one of the most frequently asked questions about ministry here is "What does a typical week look like?" The honest answer to that is every week is a little different, but this week I thought it might be interesting to document a typical work week in pictures, so I toted my camera along with me and tried to take pictures of "normal" activity.
Monday
 |
| Monday morning started with a little card writing. We love our partners, so we send them all birthday and anniversary cards as one way to let them know. |
 |
| I then sat at my desk and wrote a blog post, which you probably read last Tuesday. |
 |
| I spent the rest of the afternoon reading my companion for the week, "A History of Christianity". |
Tuesday
 |
| Tuesday, Charlie and I did some catching up in the office at the Storehouse. This is typically our opportunity to talk about the state and future of the ministry. |
 |
| The batteries in the truck needed replaced, so here I am taking out the old ones. Charlie put in the new ones. |
 |
| And Tuesday afternoon, I read some more church history. |
Wednesday
 |
| Wednesday, some U-Turn guys helped us collect donations. |
 |
| The truck was empty when we started, and this family blessed us with furniture, linens, and dishes! (All high need items) |
 |
| That afternoon, a little more church history. |
Thursday
 |
| Thursday, we spent most of the day cutting grass at the Storehouse. |
 |
| Thursday afternoon I finished editing the new Christmas Store application and emailed it to Joey. |
Friday
 |
| I spent Friday morning catching up on email, including sending some info the radio station requested for Project Thanksgiving, and touching base with a pastor who has been following the blog and reached out to us this week about connecting with our ministry. |
 |
| And finally, I finished the week up reading church history! |
Thoughts on the week:
A couple things you may have noticed looking at these pictures. First, I wear a lot of white t-shirts. I seriously thought about redoing this just so I could wear different clothes. Second, a lot of ministry isn't very exciting behind the scenes. Everyone appreciates a professional because they're excellent at what they do. We love pro athletes because they excel on the field, but most people don't want to watch them work hard in the weight room or on the practice field. We just want to watch them on game day. We love great preachers because they help us understand God's Word, but most of us don't want to watch them spend 20-25 hours a week in their study exegeting the text so they can bring us the main idea in a well crafted, 40 minute sermon. We just want the sermon. I spent a chunk of time this week reading a church history textbook, sitting at my desk writing email, and mowing the grass at the Storehouse. Most of that isn't exactly "newsletter worthy". But when my church history class starts next month, people will want to hear how that class is going and see a picture of the class. Teaching with excellence begins with the hard and non-glamorous work of knowing the content. Continuing and growing the ministry means regularly communicating with people, and in the 21st century, that means lots of email. Mowing the grass at the Storehouse enables us to do ministry, because if it was waist high our clients wouldn't come.
I started this email by saying that every week is a little different. Some weeks I write a lot of email, but some weeks I spend lots of time meeting with people face to face working to expand this ministry. Some weeks I read a lot while preparing to teach, and others I spend time developing lesson plans for a class. Some weeks I spend several days picking up furniture and donations, and other weeks nothing is donated (though usually it's somewhere in the middle). Some days the Storehouse is overrun with clients, and some days we listen to the crickets (though usually it's somewhere in the middle). Every week might be little different, but God blesses them all.
To all of you who faithfully do the nitty-gritty, behind the scenes work that makes all of our lives easier, thank you! To all of you who patiently and sacrificially support us as we labor faithfully through the mundane, praying for the moments when the Lord moves visibly (and hopefully from the last two posts you can see that he has!), thank you! We are truly blessed to have you in our lives!
In closing, let me echo the Apostle Paul:
"Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more." 1 Thessalonians 4:1 (emphasis mine)
Things You Can Be Praying for This Week:
1. Baby Hosea is due on Thursday, so please pray for his safe arrival this week.
2. Meredith's birthday is also Thursday, so join us in praising the Lord for another year!
3. Our first Thursday food distribution is also this week. Please pray that the Lord would bless both our clients and the volunteers who serve with an outstanding day!
No comments:
Post a Comment