I had one of those moments on Monday morning...the kind that if you were the boss or in a pretty high position of authority in your work place and this occurred, it probably wouldn't be a "big deal". And for this particular situation it wasn't as big a deal as the exact same situation had been for previous employers

But in ministry, it works the same way, doesn't? Despite being eternally-minded and work having a "greater purpose and meaning", at the end of the day, it is still a job with assigned responsibilities and accountability systems in place just like what is found in the secular market.

Are such situations in the church handled in the same manner as corporate America? Situations can't continue to go unresolved, simply because it's in a church environment. This could happen to any church position, yet for some reason I'm thinking of such struggles in which Associate Pastors might find themselves.

Pray for Associate Pastors as church staff in general, that job-related issues that arise would be handled with prayer and wisdom. Pray that there would not be a rush to judgement or rash decisions. Pray for understanding and solutions to take priority over frustration and the problem. May having an eternal perspective about the responsibilities of their position help foster a culture of excellence; that even when night reached, will still place them in pretty high regard, for the glory of God.

-PNC

My Senior Pastors' mother has been in the hospital for the past 43 days, 39 of them, in ICU. We got the update during Sunday mornings' service...in the next day or two, she'll be home.

Our Pastor is incredibly involved in leadership positions outside the 4 walls of our church, so his schedule, combined with the health of his mom the past month and half, it's been a busy time in which many have stepped up to help things run normal. More importantly, thousands agreed in prayer for the health of a woman, who with her husband, has experienced an incredible, decades-long ministry throughout the world.

Those who heard of her condition prayed for her healing, whether they were on the other side of town or the other side of earth. The body of Christ at-large agreed in prayer and a local church held up its Pastor. What man sees as addition, God sees as multiplication. If one can put 1,000 to flight, then two can put 10,000 to flight. And where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, He shows up!!  Does three put 100,000 to flight? Four, a million? So 1,000's pray and I run out room for the zero's!

Pray for Senior Pastors...may the be reminded that God is faithful; despite faults and failures. Pray, that like many of us struggle, that they not get hung up on figuring out the situations they face. May the solutions of heaven be carried out here on earth. Pray churches around the globe continue to be prepared and equipped to help carry the burden of the church; that its vision, operation and success would not rise, fall and rest solely on the abilities and experience of one individual.

Sometimes you can just look at an area or a circumstance, when suddenly, unexpectedly, you have an "aha" moment. Something in your brain begins to ask what it would look like if you changed this, moved that, removed clutter, and made room for systems and processes that would work better.

In the end, particularly when your "aha" moment proves to be viable and transformational, you respond positively; looking forward to enjoying the changes made.

Positive rearrangements lead to an incredible new look.

Likewise, we want churches to be effective and efficient. However, that might require some rearranging. It might take moving things around...perhaps even people. It might require removing some stuff and add other elements. However, it's critical that for an organization to pull this off,  the "aha" moment must be viable. Covered in prayer, changes need to be offered with consideration,  for there is nothing worse than a transformation that people have reasonable apprehensions that end up becoming reality.  

Pray for church efficiency and effectiveness that any changes and processes within the organization would receive proper attention, covered in prayer and concerns taken into advisement. Pray that changes would not be done hap-haphazardly, or because it works for churches elsewhere. Each community is different, as is every church, thus, pray they remain true to what God has birthed in them, called them to be and fulfill the needs for where they are and who they serve.  Pray the transformation brings glory to God and ultimately, results in people responding positively to the things of God.

-PNC                                     

"Live as a credible witness. If our actions don’t line up with the message we’re proclaiming, we risk losing our credibility." - Dr. David Jeremiah, Sr. Pastor, Shadow Mountain Community Church.

In a word, consistency. Where there is no consistency, there is no credibility.

This is all that we need to keep in mind as the church engages its community.

Pray for churches and their communities, that actions would line up with the message proclaimed. Pray for consistency, that we would be aware of decisions, actions and words that would cause onlookers to use as reasons against coming to Christ. Pray that church would no go so far as to focus on perfection, but a persistent pursuit of God and a constant renewing of His grace for those moments when our credibility is in jeopardy. May God transcend our faults and strengthen our efforts in pointing others to Christ.

-PNC

...missionaries and a mission field.

We are called to be a witness to the grace and glory of God and the power of the cross. Yet, as we go through life, we need those who continue to invest in us, that we may grow in that grace and the knowledge of Christ.

This is why we need the body of Christ. We all have experiences that are to be shared with each other to strengthen the faith of those around us as well as to be strengthened by others. So who is investing and strengthening the lives of those in ministry? Our Pastors? Our missionaries?

Pray for our missionaries, that they would be surrounded by those who would invest in their lives. Pray that their faith would be strengthened, their minds renewed and their spirits refreshed. Pray that life would not discourage their purpose; particularly to the point that it would undermine their ministry. May their lives be fortified, that when they have done all they can to stand, pray they remain standing.

-PNC

 In a surprise move, the Detroit Tigers baseball team changed General Managers, just days after the trade deadline for team players. The team owner, reportedly, simply stated they were "going in a different direction".

We all heard that phrase, especially regarding an employment situation. We've watched it in movies. A character changes lawyers. A counselor realizes their advice and expertise is no longer valued or heeded.

Then there's church. Parting ways is never easy, especially when the relationship has been one of great quality and value for an extended period of time. Yet even in ministry, things can change suddenly. And a community that is supposed to be a place of safety and stability now feels neither safe nor stable.

Thus, we pray for pastors and their advisers.

Pray for the relationships of pastors and their deacons, elders, board members and administrators. Pray they would be healthy and strong, ready for ministry, conducive for the kingdom of God. May conversations be seasoned with grace and disagreements handled with respect, truth and love. Pray that the advice and expertise given is covered in prayer, offered in humility, and built on sound principles. May the Word of God be the lamp to the feet of the church and the light unto the churches' path.

- PNC


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Last night, as I played with the kids before bedtime, I pretended to fall asleep on the floor. I could barely contain a smile or laughter as they tried everything to see if I was awake, including the youngest opening my eyelids (read: practically poking my eye) and shaking my head, "wakey-wakey, wakey-wakey". Then the two of them started talking and asking. Do we call Mommy? Daddy not wake up.  What do we do?

I stopped pretending shortly thereafter, but I had to stretch it for a moment, because their trying to figure out what to do had gotten my curiosity. Later on, something registered. How do youth and children's pastors feel, as they watch kids and teens ask questions about decisions in their life and how their faith should impact those decisions? Likewise, what am I modeling at home, as to how my faith impacts my decisions.

It's a challenge to be taken seriously. It's one to be covered in prayer.

Pray for the Pastors of our kids and our youth; that their lives would be ones part of a firm foundation being build in kids and teens. Pray their lives would indeed be models of what God can accomplish when we look to Him in the decisions that we face, rather than going solo. Pray that the guidance and wisdom and counsel they provide to kids and teens is firmly planted in the Word of God. May the church be a source of strength and a resource for kids as they grow and mature, rather than a sore spot of resentment. Pray pastors and their kids live and become not only great decision makers, but decision leaders, for the glory of God.

-PNC

So much of life, especially in one's early years, is about sharing. Equal opportunities. Equal time. Equal number of turns. If not exactly equal, it should at least be fair.

Who am I kidding?  One's early years?  It's 2015 and adults have this struggle every day!! If I thought for longer than 5 seconds regarding a few comments I made in the privacy of my own home the other day, Id' have to admit I asked pretty much the same question.

Whether your head understands and your heart doesn't accept or vice verse, we all have the moments where we look a situation, usually in some state of transition and think, this is it...I'm ready for it.

These moments occur for every one of us, in every stage of life, in every occupation. Dare I say, even in ministry. This can get dicey for any number of reasons, but ultimately, if one's not careful, it can derail what God is trying to accomplish in and through the area of ministry He has placed someone in. Meanwhile, they are missing out because they are focused on going somewhere that God has not opened...or He has, but it's for someone else, at least for now. While difficult, it is okay. It needs to be okay. It needs to be in God's hands, to move the pieces on the board of life, as He sees fit.

Pray for Associate Pastors today...may they be encouraged and strengthened afresh. Pray for a renewed desire and focus to "bloom where they are planted". May they continue to be faithful in their areas of ministry and expertise, trusting in God to open the door specifically for them, at the specific time He has ordained. Pray for restraint against wanting to rush the process and procedures of "what's next"; and a quickening in their ability to wait on God and trust His sovereign move.

-PNC

No pastor has it all together. Not when it comes to their public ministry life. Certainly not when it comes to their private home life. They face challenges. They make mistakes. They figure how to deal with them in light of God 's grace, just like any other believer.

Unlike any other believer, however, they have to sort through life's struggles in view of those who look up to them on a weekly basis, for guidance, assistance and strength in working out their own battles of life and faith.

Certainly, the pulpit is not a job for the timid. People disagree with what is preached; how the church is run and if that weren't enough, how a pastor manages his own household. It shouldn't sound like it should be that way, but if we're honest, we've all seen or heard about a church that does actually work in such a manner. Sadly enough.

As we start a new week of praying for pastors, particularly Seniors, pray for wisdom, not only in church affairs, but with emphasis on their home-front. Pray for marriages to be strengthened. Pray for direction and understanding in the raising, parenting and mentoring of their children. Pray for provision in their finances and physical needs. Pray for the pressure to be perfect to be removed; and replaced with a straight-forward clarity of how God would desire them to manage their homes in a manner pleasing to God rather than the congregation. Pray for strength to remain true to the calling God has placed on their lives as well as to the promises He has placed on their hearts.

=

Comedian Jeff Allen talks about how, in his marriage, he learned  that if his wife wanted something, she'd ask a question. Early on, he wondered,

"Would she ever come to me and say “Pick those up?” Never. Why? Because that would be simple. Direct. And right to the point. And at that moment, I, her husband, would know exactly what she wants from me. I’d be able to process the information and make a rational decision as to whether I could deliver the request. At that moment, we would be communicating at the highest human level. The way God intended it. Through LANGUAGE." - Jeff Allen  But no...instead she asks "Are those yours?"

Communication is easy to fumble. In marriage. In the classroom. Among friends. And as we've all experienced, on social media. Perhaps, the most dangerous...misunderstandings amidst the church. Granted, some of it is easy to correct. Much of it, probably not eternally-relevant. However, that shouldn't cause us to be lax in guarding against miscommunication in matters that are eternally-relevant. Such as what takes place in ministry. Such as what is spoken from the pulpit. Careful and wise should we be with words, as Scripture advises.

Pray, this Sunday, that church services would be efficient and effective in their communication. May misunderstandings be few, if not non-existent. Pray that what's spoken in classes and church cafes, conversations in the lobby and the sermon from the pulpit would encourage the believer, strengthen the body of Christ, reinforce the building of faith and draw people closer to God. Pray, that regardless of oratory skill and finesse, the Holy Spirit would transcend the speaker, touch the heart of the hearer; to the one who has an ear, may the hear what God has for them with no room for error. Simple. Direct. Relevant.

-PNC

It's amazing what happens when you realized you've been blessed and then the opportunity comes you way, that you recognize you can pass your blessing on to someone else in some way.

It's having an awareness of what form "a cup of cold water" could manifest itself in the life of someone in need. Are the people of God watching for opportunities to meet a need in the life of those around them to bless them from their place of blessing? One by one, it makes a difference, which ultimately should be in honor of God and for His glory.

Pray that as the church engages the community, that their will be increased awareness of peoples needs. Pray for a increased desire in the lives of the church to meet and fulfill those needs in tangible ways. Pray that our blessings would be the "cup of cold water" that refreshes and renew others. Pray that such opportunities point others to Christ with a great understanding of who He is and what He shared in hopes that all may experience His blessing.

- PNC