Another "New Thing"! Our God does New Things
Wow! It has been months since I have time to write. Since the January post, a lot has been happening. Many things became "new" with the New Year. Since January 1, the many new things have now become old, normal, ordinary. Their newness is gone. Here we are in the month of May. The time change (DST) is now normal. That new mobile device that "just came out" is now used, so many have it and its intrigue is now routines. The new songs and singers are now striving for their new hit.
Another New Thing
Wow! It has been months since I have time to write. Since the January post, a lot has been happening. Many things became "new" with the New Year. Since January 1, the many new things have now become old, normal, ordinary. Their newness is gone. Here we are in the month of May. The time change (DST) is now normal. That new mobile device that "just came out" is now used, so many have it and its intrigue is now routines. The new songs and singers are now striving for their new hit.
God's Word tells us of his perspective of "new". Here are a few:
Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Romans 6:4 “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
A google search of "new songs" came up with this: "Three Psalms start with precisely these words — Psalms 96, 98, and 149 — “sing to the Lord a new song.” As does Isaiah 42:10 (“sing to the Lord a new song”) and Psalm 33:3 (“sing to him a new song”). And Psalm 144:9 adds its voice to the chorus, “I will sing a new song to you, O God.”
Here are more declarations of new:
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
John 3:3 ESV Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (new birth) he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Colossians 3:9-10 ESV Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Romans 12:2 ESV Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
1 Peter 1:3 ESV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Ezekiel 36:26 ESV And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Titus 3:5 ESV He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
Psalm 51:10 ESV Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Revelation 21:5 ESV And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
All of this is to lay the foundation that God is still doing new things today. God is doing a new work in me. Since my last posting, I have been seeking for the Lord's direction and will concerning this ministry. Without going into the details of the process, the Lord gave me a new perspective for this ministry. It is, all pastoral care for pastors should be without cost! With this said, T&C Pastor Coaching is now free for anyone seeking a coach, a listening ear, or someone to filter ministry through.
If you are in need of someone to talk to, someone to listen, someone to reflect ministry with, if God leads you to me, there isn't any cost. As I study the ministry contexts, a couple of items are generally true.
- Pastoring is harder for some than for others.
- Being a pastor is intense for all pastors.
- Pastors need pastors to pastor them. (This is a broad statement, but in its core, it is true.)
- Pastors run out of clarity and need clarity from others.
- God desires to care for his pastor-shepherds.
If you are in need of someone to talk with, contact me. No strings attached! Its confidential. If you know of someone who needs someone to come along side of them in life, share this with them. You being a resources sharer can be the new thing that they need in their life, and it's free!
Next month I will be sharing another "NEW" thing that God is doing in T&C Coaching & Church Revitalization.
The New Thing Pt. 2: God is Listening
In the near 40 years of ministry, there have been so many times when I needed someone to listen to my heart. No pastor is perfect. Our strain is in the desire to be faithful. We desire to be faithful to God as his child, To God has his Servant, To our spouse, To our Children, To our Church, and there may be more. In my last post, I shared that it isn't that ministry is difficult, but rather it is that it is so intense. Years ago pastors had people to talk with and share their heart. I had a great mentor-pastor. His motto was, "I will always be busy, but I will always have time (for you)." I have adopted that for any ministers in my world. We need others, who we can trust, in our lives.
Here are a couple of stats on pastors of change from 2015 to 2022.
In just seven years, pastors reporting ‘Excellence’ in their:
- Spiritual well-being dropped from 37% to 14%
- Physical well-being fell from 24% to 9%
- Mental and emotional health plummeted from 39% to 11%
- Overall quality of life dipped from 42% to 18%
- Level of respect they felt from the community tanked from 22% to 10%
- Level of ‘true friends’ dropped by 50% from 34% to 17% (2)
These statistics are from a while ago, but little has changed. Here is a link to what Barna Research discovered about "resilient pastor" and their traits to ward of these personal dynamics (https://www.barna.com/research/pastor-support-systems/).
The new thing in my wife & mine ministry is that we are now Shepherds with Standing Stone Ministry. This is a unique ministry of pastors for pastors. It has been in existence for over 20 years, yet few of us have heard of it. As shepherds for church leaders, we are available for you. All that we do with you is confidential. Please check out the SSM page: https://standingstoneministry.org
If you desire someone to support you in the intensities of ministries, connect with the ministry. There isn't any cost for you. Others are gifting this resource to pastors, missionaries, church staff, any church leadership.
My friend, if you have been in prayer about your struggles, God has heard you. If you feel alone and pray for someone to just talk with- God has heard you. Pastor, if you sense a destructive atmosphere growing in your home and you've been asking God for help, God has heard you.
God wants to care for his pastors/shepherds. This is a "new thing" indeed. Then again, God is all about new.
(1) David Ross and Rick Blackmon’s “Soul Care for Servants” workshop reported the results of their Fuller Institute of Church Growth research study in 1991 and other surveys in 2005 and 2006.
(2) https://www.wnccumc.org/resourcedetail/5-shocking-realities-about-the-real-state-of-pastor-burnout-17392915.
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