My Greatest Ministry

 

It was 15 summers ago that the Lord spoke: “There goes the greatest ministry you will ever do.”

I had already served three wonderful churches in “associate” positions (Hayward, Livermore, and Hemet, CA). God was in the process of calling me to my first pastorate in Winslow, AZ. After also serving in Phoenix, AZ, I’ve just begun serving the Lord and His people in my third pastorate in Ann Arbor, MI. It is an awesome calling to serve the Lord as a minister. I have felt God’s pleasure in each ministry setting, and He has faithfully and abundantly blessed the work.

Nevertheless, my ministry through the Lord’s church has not been, nor

Desiree, Aaron, me, Drew, and Dave

ever will be, my “greatest ministry.” God’s made that very clear 15 summers ago.

Our identical twin sons, Aaron and Joshua, were leaving for college that day. As their cars pulled away from our house, and even as my wife and I wept with both joy and sadness, the Lord spoke: “There goes the greatest ministry you will ever do.”

The memories come flooding back as I write in the cool of this early morning. The windows are open and the sights and sounds are incredible. The birds are nibbling at the feeder outside the window just 15 feet away.

In the background I can hear the stirrings as our oldest son and his family begins to rise and get ready to leave. They arrived last week, making the long drive from Fort Worth, TX. It’s been so incredible to spend time with Aaron, his wife (Heather), and their children (Dave, Drew, and Desi).

Most of all, I’m just grateful to God. My wife and I poured our very hearts into our sons in those “growing up” years. Lynne began praying for their future wives when the boys were only a few years old. (God truly answered the consistent prayers of a mother, because both Heather and Robin are awesome wives and moms who love the Lord.)

I never was a perfect dad. I’ve always been too “picky.” I had to work hard to learn how to first control my temper, and then rid myself of that temper. Truly, I made a lot of mistakes along the way.

But, somehow God worked in a mighty way despite my imperfections. God did a great work through me (and Lynne), and I sit here this morning just incredibly humbled.

Our sons are men of God. They have been and always will be my “greatest ministry.”