Reflections on 8 Years of Ministry

Today, marks the 8-year anniversary of my first day of ministry at Crestway Baptist Church. In some ways it seems as though I have been here forever! And, in other ways it seems as though I just got here yesterday.

This also marks the 8-year (plus a week or so) anniversary of my return to Birmingham and to minister at Valley View Baptist Church.

I am grateful the Lord brought me to Crestway and to Valley View, and for the brothers and sisters in Christ with whom I am honored to minister alongside.

I add the following to give God the glory for the myriad ways He has allowed, and continues to allow, me to serve Him.

In the past four years I have been blessed by opportunities to:

• minister alongside faithful saints at both churches;
• pray with and for countless people;
• counsel women struggling with a myriad of spiritual and emotional issues;
• hold the hands of and said “till we meet again” to faithful Christ-followers as they took their last breath here on earth, left their earthly body behind to spend eternity in heaven with their Savior and Lord;
• learn “at the feet” of godly women and men how to not only apply God’s Word to my life, but how to teach others biblical truths and applications of those truths.
• teach a wonderful (albeit idiosyncratic) group of senior adult ladies in Sunday school;
• teach women’s Bible studies;
• serve alongside a team of Christ-following women and men who seek to help those struggling with addictions and their families;
• disciple women in the States and all over the world;
• see the Lord’s blessing as opportunities to have my writing published have increased;
• have the incredible honor of co-writing with two of my dear brothers, mentors, and ministry partners;
• speak and teach at women’s conferences;
• be a part of several Christian writers groups where I am encouraged and challenged to improve my writing skills.
• play piano for worship services, weddings, funerals, conferences, and programs at retirement homes;
• edit and review several manuscripts for other authors;
• make many new friends;
• and many, many more that space won’t allow and aging memory prohibits!

Help me thank the Lord for the ministry opportunities He brings into my life. And, please remember to pray that I would be a faithful messenger of God and be quick to share the Gospel with everyone whom He brings across my path!!

Won’t it be fun to see what the Lord has in store over the next 8 years?

Scroll up to the meme. Jonathan Edwards is said to have prayed, “O God, stamp eternity on my eyeballs.” The idea here is that the Lord will “brand” eternity on our eyeballs so that every thought, situation, occurrence through the lens of their eternal consequence.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

I pray the Lord will be pleased to enable me to view everything through the lens of its eternal consequence, and therefore be propelled to glorify Him in and through everything and to share the Good News with all those whom He brings across my path.