I can't say They Never Told Us ABout Missions.

Missions was integral to the life of the Bible College we attended. What amazing times we had at Liberty Church in Pensacola when it was Missions Week! There were the most incredible stories of Mission work from Missionaries who had committed themselves to work long-term in various fields of ministry around the world. Special offerings were taken and Faith Promises for the coming year were confirmed. Dallise and I found ourselves so inspired that we promised more the first year than we actually made in income. We had to figure out the balance, however, and were a bit more realistic after that.

We have had the pleasure of leading a few short-term, 2-week trips to Guatemala and Mexico. We always wanted to inspire members who had never been to the mission field to go see first hand what their giving and prayers accomplished.

One of our church families had served for years in Jocotepec, Mexico. Several of our men had made trips down to assist the missionaries in constructing a new building. When it was finished, we were invited to participate in the dedication of the building. When I announced the trip and asked who wanted to go, the men who had been down volunteered to go again. I was disappointed that no one else was interested. The following week, the Director of Globe Missionary Evangelism, the overseeing mission organization, and I spoke about the trip. He was planning to be at the dedication and then sponsor an R&R trip for several missionaries over in Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Coast. I offered that our church would sponsor our missionary family and join them for the trip. We would spend about 4 days at the dedication and then another few days at this fabulous resort. Next Sunday, when I announced the expanded plans that included Puerto Vallarta, we had a whole new group who was ready to go. We all went and had a great time of ministry and of rest.

Now, hardcore missionaries who go out to immerse themselves long term in the culture of the mission field thereby effecting lasting change for the Kingdom of God probably scoff at such a mission trip. It probably seems like a glorified, feel-good exercise that makes the individuals participating feel better about themselves and their altruism. They may have some valid observations from that perspective. However, I found on our trip that it was an effective way to introduce missions to Believers who had never ventured out before. Their appreciation and prayer and financial support for those who do go long term was greatly increased. Bottom line is that it's not a bad combination to bring perspective to those who had no personal experience other than listening to Missionaries speak and show their slides. (I know, I know. We now call it a PowerPoint Presentation.)

Everyone who went to Mexico with us on that trip came back with great memories. Sadly for me, the favorite story seems to have involved the Hot Tub Incident involving Yours Truly. I'll tell that story in my next blog. Stay tuned. You don't want to miss that one.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for another mission trip, maybe to Jamaica or Hawaii this time. Who wants to go with us on this "Mission Trip"?

They Never Told Me How To Balance Ministry With Family Life.

They did tell me it was important, but there were no formulas on how to make it happen. So, I had to figure it out on my own. I'm not sure you can teach a Minister how to keep focus on Family. Every family and every ministry is so different. For me, I look back over the years with gratitude that I was an Associate Pastor for half my ministry life. As Sr Pastor the other half, I led smaller churches and was not overwhelmed with round-the-clock schedules. It seems to have taken the pressure off a bit and I could adjust my ministry schedule around personal life a little more easily.

One year on the Saturday when our church was hosting a Liberty Fellowship Winter Conference in which I had some organizational responsibility, I was able to slip out and attend basketball games for my sons. Dallise and I always made it to band concerts and football game halftime shows and sporting events and sailing events. It was hectic, but we felt it was important.

Once as Sr Pastor, I had scheduled Judson Cornwall as our guest speaker. As we neared the week of the meetings, I realized it coincided with the final game of Seth's High School basketball career. Dallise and I toyed with several ideas about how to juggle the conflicting schedules, including skipping the service that particular evening. In the end, I called Bro Cornwall to explain my dilemma and ask if he might be flexible enough to reschedule and come to our church on a different weekend. He replied that it was the most legitimate reason for a reschedule he had ever been given and graciously agreed to come later.

We have been blessed in our family. As one friend put it to us, "For parents who have done so many things wrong raising their children, they sure have turned out remarkably well." That's about all the credit Dallise and I can take. We just blundered through it all and now have every reason to be proud of our kids. Each son has married a godly wife and together they are raising their own children in Christian homes and wisely balancing their service as Leaders in their respective Churches.

We just finished a blessed Memorial Day weekend with the whole bunch of them in our home. What a delight! There are now seven Grandchildren (two in Heaven) and another due in November. You may gather from the previous statement that life is not always rosy. The sweet is mixed with the bitter, but in the end, God has triumphed in our family.

I have said often that my greatest life ministry would be reflected in our kids. That is already apparent. Who they are in God and what they will accomplish in their lives will be evident in generations to come.

Do I ever think I somehow missed out on greatness in ministry? Not a chance! The most challenging, yet rewarding ministry in which I ever engaged was with our kids. The balancing act was worth it, and I think God is just pleased in the Center of our Family.

They Never Told Me That Not Everyone Is Transparent.

People say that they appreciate my transparency. The problem is that I know myself and I sure don't feel very transparent a lot of the time. If there is any transparency in me, I'm not sure I can say that becoming transparent was a natural process for me. I'm not sure it is natural for anybody. We all have a tendency to put forward our best foot, to maybe talk and act as we think other people want to perceive us. We want to hide the innermost thoughts and feelings that betray the fact we are not all we are cracked up to be. We Christians seem especially to struggle with this. We certainly have our own language, Christianese, and we have developed a carefully crafted set of Christian platitudes that are not always, but can be, empty and meaningless.

I'm not about to suggest that all conferences and retreats are bad. However, it can be very painful for the minister whose church is in the middle of a difficult time to get to the retreat and hear the glowing reports from everyone else present. The feeling is that I must be doing something wrong; I must not be a good leader; I must be the problem in our church. It took only a few years in the ministry to discover just how difficult it is to be open and honest with other ministers.

One year in particular, Dallise and I headed off to the annual retreat. We were not very excited because we had been going through a difficult year. I was not looking forward to pretending that all was well. We decided that we would be honest about our emotions and confess the hard times, but also that we were trusting God. We did not even get to the registration table before we had been greeted by two or three close minister friends. "Hey, Bro Philip. It's great to see you. How are thing going in your church? Great, I'm sure; just like ours. Isn't it great to be a Pastor?" Well, my response was, "Not so great right now. We had a rough year. Some key people left. Our finances are down and we're struggling a bit. But we are also believing God and know He will see us through this time. It will get better. We're just needing some encouragement." Honestly, some of our friends did not know quite how to handle us. We just kept being honest at this retreat because it was the only way we knew to ask for help and understanding. Finally, on the third day of the conference, one of our best friends broke down and admitted he had been going through all the same things we had experienced and that he too was discouraged. It took him three days, but he finally got transparent with us and we were then able to encourage each other honestly. The honesty was refreshing and liberating.

Maybe you notice that I value being real and that I do not value pretence. One of the best compliments I have ever had made about me was from my daughter-in-law, Charis. A co-worker once asked her how she could deal with her father-in-law being a Pastor. The co-worker's perception was that Pastors are different out of the pulpit than in it, and how could Charis deal with that difference. Charis' response was that it was not a problem for her because her father-in-law was the same both out of and in the pulpit. I was honored by her kindness.

Although I wish it were always true about me, I appreciate that occasionally someone may see and appreciate the real me. It sure seems to make life easier and more enjoyable when I don't have to remember who I think I'm supposed to be to make others happy. I think I'm just gonna have to be me, you know - the me God wants me to be.

They Never Told Me Just How Little Time

I would actually have for prayer, study, and personal devotion. Maybe they did tell me how difficult, yet important it would be to prioritize my day for personal preparation, but did I believe them? Naively, NO! When I was in Bible College, I worked a 40-hr week and took classes at night. It seemed all I did was work, eat, study and sleep. I left for work (BTW, making $3.00/hr and proud of it) at 7:00am, got home at 5:30pm, showered, ate dinner and left at 6:00pm for 6:30-9:30 classes, arriving home at 10:00pm. Every day was full.

I remember thinking how glad I would be when I was finally out of school and into ministry. I envisioned myself enjoying unending and uninterrupted hours of prayer and study. There would be no time restraint on the devotional side of life. After all, this would be the most important facet of personal ministry, right? Keeping myself spiritually alive, basking in God's instruction to my spirit would be key.

Wow, was I ever wrong about that! It was frustrating just how demanding everyday administration could be; and, oh how demanding all those people could be. Didn't they know I needed to be with Jesus? Now, I'm no Moses sitting in the gate or under the tree in the wilderness "judging" 3M+ people, but I felt a bit disconcerted at ending a day and realizing I had not spent adequate time with The LORD. I always thought ideally that if I could just take care of one issue or another, I would then have the time to study for myself and not just for a sermon.

Well, here I am 33 years later, still trying to figure out how to be successful at managing my devotional time. I once listened to a Christian radio show host interview an author who had written a book on how to have a consistently successful family devotional life. The more I listened as I drove down the road, the more guilty I felt. We had times, seasons maybe, when our kids were young that we would get somewhat consistent, but we never broke the distraction issues for long, consistent periods. This author really sounded like he had it together, and I certainly did not. Right at the end of the program, the host asked the author, "How do you make this all work in your family since you travel so often and always on the road away from your family?" The author replied, "Oh, I don't do so well at this myself." Well, I was all alone in my car, but I looked at the radio dial and screamed aloud, "You what!!!! All this time I'm feeling guilty because of you, and now you tell me you don't do this so well yourself!!?? How dare you!" Well, needless to say, I did not buy his book on Family Devotions, nor anything else he ever wrote.

The bottom line, I figured out, is that time is really not the issue with most of us. We will make time for the things that mean the most to us. I met a young man a few years ago who played soccer passionately. Because of hectic lifestyles, their games were played at 11:00pm and later. Another young man I know and love has been playing a basketball tournament at 10:00pm and later. It just points out that devotion is not a time issue, but a priority issue.

By the way, I'm not writing a book about prioritizing one's life for devotions. I'm still working on it myself. When I get it perfected, I'll start the book and inform you where you can pick up a copy.

Get me out of this hospital room!

For some Ministers, hospital visitation is one of the most tedious of pastoral responsibilities. For me, it has proven to be one of the most Life-Giving facets of ministry. Some of my training for hospital visitation informed me that I should get in, see the patient, say a quick prayer and get out ASAP. Sometimes, when a patient is extremely ill or deeply medicated, that is obviously the way the visit should go.

But I have found through the years that it can often be most advisable to spend as much time as possible with patients and their families. I found it a profound ministry to sit at the hospital with patients and families for entire days at a time. I am listing below some of the fun things, some of the funny things, some of the poignant things that have happened to me around the hospital visit.

* It was in the hospital waiting room that my church members learned I used Tanning Lotion to soften the glare of my extreme whiteness.
* It was in the waiting room that I perfected the telling of some of my favorite jokes.
* It was in the waiting room that I learned intimate things about these families and they learned them about me.
* It was in the waiting room that I laughed with families as we told stories, and it was like medicine.
* It was in the waiting room that I cried with families, and it was like healing.
* It was in the hospital room that I learned a lot about medicine, even though the Dr's were ready for me to be quiet and leave so they could speak to the patient.
* It was in the hospital room that I saw the real person without makeup, without the fancy clothes, without any pretense, and they didn't care how I saw them, as long as I saw them.
* It was in the hospital that I saw God touch Sonny after his heart surgery and a supernatural peace came over him when God's anointing fell upon him.
* It was in the hospital that many private confessions were tearfully made to me in absolute confidence.
* It was in the hospital that widowed daughters and wives, husbands, children and parents met me coming in with open arms and shameless tears of appreciation that their Pastor had cared enough to come.
* It was in the hospital that parents voiced the fears and questions about their sick child that could never have been spoken anywhere else without shame and condemnation.
* It was in the hospital that God through anointed prayer raised up a neighbor from certain death. It was absolutely a miracle.
* It was in the hospital that one touch of my hand to my friend's shoulder made it perfectly clear she had left her body and gone to be with Jesus.
* It was in the hospital that I was privy to a dynamic family gathering around the death bed of its patriarch singing hymns as he was removed from life support.
* It was in the hospital that we sat silently watching a family mourn quietly and knowing it would be an interruption of holiness to say anything.
* It was in the waiting room that families exchanged questioning and worried looks as we waited for news of the surgical success.
* It was in the hospital waiting room that I could serve families in practical ways; getting drinks and snacks; going to the nurses' station for an update when the family was afraid to ask, but afraid not to ask; speaking words of hope or words of reality when necessary; calling family members with updates; calling out-of-town family members to summon them to the bedside; providing transportation.
* and of course there was prayer, intense prayer, intercessory prayer, comforting prayer, releasing prayer.
* It was in the hospital that I spent an entire day helping a family let go.
* It was in the hospital that I rejoiced the most when unexpectedly good news was shared.

I guess there's a place and a time to get in, see the patient, say a quick prayer and get out. But most of the time ministry just takes more time. I believe, in looking back at over 30 years of ministry, most of my church families will remember me more for being THERE than for the sermons preached, and that is just fine with me. It was in the hospital that I discovered how to love, hurt, care, serve, grieve, hope and rejoice.

Nobody Had To Tell Me About ...

the importance of a supportive, loving wife when it comes to ministry. On this Valentine's Day, 2009, Dallise and I have been married just about 36 1/2 years. I cannot think of any way in the world that I would or could have have faced all these years in the ministry without her.

We were married on Sunday, August 6, 1972. At the end of that week, the end of our Honeymoon trip to St Augustine, FL, we moved into our little 12' x 52' mobile home that still had not been leveled and properly set up. About two weeks later, I began Bible College classes at Liberty Bible College. Dallise was there when I dreamed at night about the big exam on I & II Samuel, walking in my sleep trying to find the answers in the staple on the wall. She calmly led me back to bed and assured me I would do well, and I did. She sat on the low tree limb in the back yard asking me questions from different Books of the Bible and made me feel invincible for the ministry days ahead.

When we chose to spend a summer interning with her Dad in his new church plant, she was willing and excited to sell our little mobile home and leave for a 3-month adventure. At the end of the summer, when it was time to go back to college, she helped me load our rented U-Haul and head back to Pensacola even though we had not secured a place to live once we arrived. Friends housed us overnight, and the next morning we found a house to rent. Her faith was unwavering even in such uncertainty. Two years after that we headed back to DeLand, FL to spend the next 12 years of minstry in the little town we called "DeLand of Promise". Her faith was unshaken as we watched a 10-hour torrential downpour practically destroy the little bit of furniture we were transporting in an open trailer.

Twelve years later, when we resigned and had no where to go, she is the one who sat up in the middle of the night and had a vision of going to Birmingham, AL where we found a place of ministry that lasted another 8 years.

When we were debating the move to Fairhope, AL and I was feeling overwhelmed with the enormity of the moment, she said, "Let's go!" Eight years after that, we were considering a church plant in Chicago. We knew there was risk of failure, but she agreed that if that venture was not successful, we would figure out together what to do next. That is exactly what has happened and she has encouraged me all the way. Now while I am working at Chase Bank and sometimes feel I am missing my Calling, she reminds me that I am still being used by God to minister to people I would never see in "Official Church Leadership".

My point is that I have never had to make a major, life-altering decision apart from her. She has been with me all the way. I cannot imagine this journey without her. That makes her far more valuable than simply a Valentine on this February 14. She is life to me! Happy Valentine's Day, my indispensable Partner in Life!!

They Never Told Me About Musicians...

When I was a kid, the first Christian TV programming was just hitting the airwaves; shows like Oral Roberts and his healing ministry and lots of Gospel Quartets. I was captured by the Gospel Quartets. I loved the music. It touched something in my soul. Music still does that to me. The strains of melody minister to my soul and the words are the confession of my beliefs. I need it often.

Musicians are a creative and wonderfully talented bunch of people, but they can be a little quirky. Nobody told me this in Bible College; nobody told me that some of the most intense fellowship occurs between the Pastor and the Worship Pastor as they both try their best to be obedient to the Holy Spirit.

I have worked with people who are extravagantly talented musicians leading with professional quality and I have worked with some who are not formally trained musicians, but have an incredible sense of the flow of the Holy Spirit for a service. I have also worked with musicians who do not necessarily shine in either of these departments. These fall under the heading of "making a joyful noise unto the Lord". As a Pastor, you sometimes just utilize what you have and pray for rescue. Sometimes you just give people a chance knowing their hearts are pure; sometimes purity of heart is the best quality going for you. In all honesty, I have been pretty blessed through the years to have some amazing Worship Leaders in the small churches we have served.

There was a time early in our ministry that was characterized by an incredible worship experience for months on end. We hosted a joint praise service, High Praises, one Friday night each month and invited other churches to participate. We experienced two hours or more of pure worship without interruption; no preaching, no announcements, just worship. Wave upon wave of God's presence overwhelmed us in those meetings. One minute we would be prostrate on the floor in awed wonder and the next leaping and shouting for joy. I've never experienced anything quite like it since.

It was while we pastored this church that we were blessed with an interesting team of musicians. Our pianist was narcoleptic. Yes, you read that correctly. She would strike a chord on the piano during a time of spontaneous worship and nod off to sleep. About the time you thought all was lost, she would rouse long enough to hit the next chord. We also had a deaf drummer at this same time. Yes, again you read that correctly. He was totally deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other. He was a teenager who wanted desperately to be part of the team, so we gave it a shot. He wore headphones and really tried, but we did ultimately have to ask him to leave the music team. We had a fair trombonist at this time and a guitarist who we discovered later frequented the local bars as an entertainer.

Incredible, huh? It is amazing to me that God was anywhere near that whole thing, but we sure did enjoy HIS presence in those days. In some ways, I miss the excitement and spontaneity of those encounters with the Holy Spirit. Alas, we have come a long way, baby.

Musicians; you gotta love 'em!