Dear Heartland Church

Dear Church Family,

Since I became the Executive Pastor of Heartland Church three years ago I have been blessed with a schedule that somehow has allowed me to balance my "other job," my family life and my work at the Church reasonably well. Not that there haven't been times when I felt overwhelmed -- there certainly have been. But, somehow God has always found a way for me to get it all done.

Lately, though, I have to say that things have gotten a little out of hand. Due to my schedule, Pastor Dave and I had to delay the start of our Wednesday night class series on the "Parables of Jesus" (which I have really been looking forward to) and it now looks like things are not going to let up for a while. In fact, you probably won't see me around the Church much for the next couple of months, which is really heartbreaking for me.

Sunday morning is my favorite part of the week. It is such a huge blessing to serve the Lord -- to work with our staff and our many volunteers to minister to whoever God sends us that particular day. I love catching up with everyone and just having a chance to say "hello." I love meeting our guests, and the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with someone new.

I really don't like to miss any Sunday, so the prospect of potentially missing a couple of months of Sundays is pretty tough to take. But, like everything else, I have to believe that God has a purpose here. And, whatever that purpose might be, it's something that I just need to embrace.

Whenever I complain about my "other job," Pam is always quick to point out that my calling doesn't somehow fade away whenever I leave the church building. In fact, I think Pam would argue that my ministry might even be more significant when I am at my other job than it is when I am at the Church. Think about that for a second. Do you think that might be true of you as well? Could it be that God's calling on your life is more significant while you are at work, or home with your kids, or even hanging out with your friends than when you are serving at the Church? See Luke 15:8 - 10.

Anyway, the next couple of months are likely to be a challenging time for me. If that is how things end up, it will definitely be hard to be away from Pam and the kids and from my church family. But, I am praying that God will use this time for His purpose. I am praying that somehow the trial that I will be going through will glorify God and better prepare me to serve Him in the future. I am praying that in the midst of the long hours and the press of business God will show Himself and allow me to minister to others.

God bless you and keep you,

Pastor John

"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Luke 15:8 - 10.