I've been in ministry for 34 years. As a 19 year old, I took my first church position as a summer youth director at a local church, and and also working with a local Baptist Association reaching out to a town to start a Bible Study that would one day lead to a church plant. Those roots go back to the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Potsdam, and the Calvary Baptist Church in Canton, New York. I would go back to Roberts Wesleyan College that fall as a sophomore and be called to serve as youth director of the Penfield Wesleyan Church. I was privileged to serve there for three years.
Then it was on to seminary and a new place of service. I was called as Associate Pastor for youth and children's work at the Faith Baptist Church in Atoka, Tennessee. I held that position for four years and then was called to be their pastor. All in all I served almost 7 years in that church. Then I was called to return to my roots. I became the pastor of First Christian Church (SBC), Brushton, NY. I served there six years. In 1993 we moved to Northside, and I've been serving here 18 years. That's my 'career' so far. As much as I love it and as important as it has been to me and my family, there is another story I want to tell.
Our first child, a daughter, was born in Memphis, Tennessee. I was in my sixth year in that church. I still remember her birth and the joy she brought then to our hearts and still does today. When we moved to New York, my wife was pregnant with our second child. That first year, our son was born in the same hospital that Kathy and I had been born in years before. Three years later we had another daughter, and she too was born in that hospital. The kids brought us great joy then and still do today.
In 1993, we moved to the Syracuse area to accept a new ministry and a new opportunity. We had an 8 year old, a five year old, and a two year old. Today they are 26, 23, and 20. It seems like that blink of an eye. Since arriving here, we discovered we were having another child, only to go through the great pain and difficulty of a miscarriage. A few years later God gave us another another child, a daughter, and she is soon to enter middle school. In the blink of an eye, one has married, two are out of college, the third will be a senior in college, and the fourth is not too far from the teen years.
This weekend, the oldest came home with her husband. I love when the kids come home. Oh, I know they are not kids - but they are such a blessing to us. They will always be my kids - and I mean no disrespect by that. They are beautiful ladies and a fine young man. Why am I writing this? Because the theme of this blog is, 'Keep the Fire Burning'. My family is a key for me to keep the fire burning. They know me best, yet love me most. I can't imagine my life without them.
Most of all, I am grateful for my wife, and their mother. She has poured her life into them, and I see it nearly every day. I love her for that and so many other reasons. Ministry is busy. Ministry is a blessing. Ministry can be brutal. Whatever the case, remember this - there's no one like your family. Don't make them idols, and don't neglect them. Just love them. You will never regret that - and it will keep the fire burning!
Ironically, this blog started as a result of a book I was reading for a doctoral seminar. I started reading it on vacation last April, on my oldest daughter and her husbands back patio. The seeds for this outreach and ministry were planted last spring. Now they are visiting us and the blog is a reality. One more step in sharing my life, family and ministry for the glory of God.
Soon the movie Courageous will come out. I have seen it twice at pastor's special screenings. I was asked this week what two takeaways stick out in my mind for me personally from this film. I would say this: cherish every day, and never underestimate your influence as a father. Pray for the release of that film and it's impact globally. Enjoy your kids while they are home, and look forward to the times when they come home as they grow older. It will help you keep the fire burning!
grateful,
Bruce
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