Ok. So still don’t see how ANY Tuesday can be a ”Super Tuesday” because I usually think of most (if not all) Tuesdays as more of “Torture Tuesday!”
But it appears to me that this Tuesday just happens to be a little different, at least for me anyway…
I believe that I have just had one THE most incredible meetings I believe I have ever had with a fellow pastor in ministry!
This man of God whom I met with today seriously has a heart for Jesus, wisdom about leadership, and a desire for his people to really make a difference in their community.
And he doesn’t even come close to pasturing one of the most “exciting” churches in his area where they wear the hippest clothes and blast out the coolest music.
BUT he does pastor one of the most influential churches in his area where he has remained faithful and obedient to God’s calling on his life. And because of his obedience, leadership, and perserverence the church he is pasturing has continued to be a discipleship machine! And by that I mean this church is turning out QUALITY disciples who are actively pursuing God’s direction for their lives each and every year! I cannot begin to tell you the legacy this church is producing for making the name of Jesus Christ famous in world for which they find themselves and I cannot begin to describe for you the difference this church is continuing to make in the community for which God has placed them.
And I will never forget what this pastor, who has served at this church for nearly 15 years, taught me today!
He said to me Austin, “You can make it through anything as long as you NEVER forget the call God has placed on your life. But if you forsake the call of God for anything else in your life, then you will never achieve what God has assigned for you do.”
WOW. What a statement!
He also went on to share with me that we as the church of the living God have to allow His Spirit to reshape and re-identify what success looks like. Far too many churches and church leaders are focused solely on the 3 B’s — Buildings, Budgets, and Bodies. Instead, we should be identifing success as actual life change which comes only through the Biblical process of making disciples, which is exactly what God calls us to do anyway.
Now that is a Godly leader who is exactly in the center of God’s will for his life and knows exactly what the people of this church need to hear in order to follow God’s will for their lives.
And nothing gets me more fired up than learning from experienced pastors!
Just so you know, I will always go to this pastor for counsel and I will always look to pastors in the community for which I am serving for sound Biblical advice.
Way to many of us are out there trying to do it our own simply because we think we know what’s best.
But I will I know that I will never make that mistake again. Other pastors, please learn from my mistakes. Look to other pastors who have been in shoes before. I promise, you will save yourself a lot of heart ache.
Let me say, ”Thank you Pastor for what you do and for always focusing on advancing the name of Jesus. It is my heart’s desire that you be honored and respected for the call God has placed on your life, and please know that young pastors like me still look up to you for the wisdom God has bestowed on you!”
Again, I will forget what what he taught me today and I will always love him for the love he has poured out on me through all of my life!
Now that is a Super Tuesday.
Oh yeah, I hear there is this election thing going on, too. Someone let me know how that goes…
