All to Him I Owe

 A number of individuals here at FBC of Folsom are joining together to read through the whole Bible in a year. It has been a joy to see the enthusiasm in the conversations as people are talking about what God is teaching them. As we finish up the month of January and we keep up with the schedule keep these simple thoughts in mind about our devotional Bible reading.

1. If at first you don’t understand…read it again!

2. Focus on the quality not the quantity! – in other words, don’t feel bad if you don’t finish an assigned reading for the day because you dug just a little deeper on a passage.

3. Don’t feel bad if the lesson you walk away with is simple – some of the best things God teaches us are very simple and concise. Simple can be just as life changing as complex.

4. Don’t feel bad if you have honestly read the passage, studied it, and still don’t understand – the lesson you walk away with when that happens is that God knows something you don’t know. 🙂

5. Look for a Person in Scripture not just the precepts.

6. Try to read out of the same Bible – mark it up, underline, highlight. Let your Bible develop the sense of a journal recording your walk with the Lord.

7. Don’t forget to meditate! – take one thought and give it thought. Use a 3×5 card or a post it to help you capture that thought and let it affect your thinking.

8. Think about Psalm 119:15 – respect what God says! Let “yes sir” be at the tip of your tongue as you read. If God said do it, say yes sir and do it.

Sunday Night I shared the following list of ministries that do not require a title, or position. They are ministries that anyone can do but are often overlooked. Here they are:

1. The Ministry of Attendance – The greatest way to thank a teacher who has prepared a lesson is to be in attendance to hear that lesson. This is more than just being present, it is being an attentive listener who is engaged to the message being taught.

2. The Ministry of Early Arrival – This simply means coming ahead of time for the purpose of looking for people to visit with or physical needs to attend to.

3. The Ministry of Interception – this is intercepting the possible physical or spiritual distraction a pastor may recieve on a Sunday that can easily distract him.

4. The Ministry of Greeting

5. The Ministry of Children – There are two primary things a pastor can’t compete with in preaching – cute kids, and crying kids! Anyone who is working in the nursery is helping eliminate a distraction to the Word of God. When a mom places her child in the nursery and is comfortable that the baby is safe, cared for and loved, then she is able to rest comfortably in the service.

6. Amber Alert Ministry – this is the ministry of looking for people that are missing and giving them a call or a note the next week to find them.

7. The Ministry of Encouragement – every church has critics. Critique is always possible because everything we do in church could always be done better. What about the ministry of encouragement? Notice the things that are good, and going well!

8. Life-line ministry – this is the ministry a person has who notices people who are starting to drift away. They catch them and attempt to bring them back.

9. The Ministry of Friendship – As a church we are family, but a church becomes stronger when family members decide to be friends.

10. The Ministry of Generosity – It is hard to get people to sign up for something. It is even harder to get them to do what they signed up for. When a person does what they signed up for they often do the bare minimum. Every church would benefit from someone who goes beyond the minimum to do something above and beyond. That is to be generous.

This blog went silent for the last year for many reasons. With the revamp of our website I have a new desire to keep this blog more current. In the weeks and months ahead there will be a variety of different posts. You will see small articles of instruction, encouragement, and tid-bits about life in the ministry. Simply think of them as small glimpses into the mind of Pastor Ron.