I rarely post things that do not relate directly to our ministry and what the Lord is doing in our lives; however, this subject in a measure relates greatly to any ministry and every Christian's life. I hope you don't mind me being a little personal tonight: My father has been pastoring eighteen years at the same church. Quite an accomplishment for any pastor in any ministry, especially when the average pastor's tenure is 21 months nationwide! You do not stay somewhere this long without being misunderstood, misrepresented, and even outright lied about! I praise the Lord that through the thick and thin, he has stuck it out! It is a great testimony to the grace of God! I recently was speaking to someone about my father and the ministry, my friend asked me, "What do you admire the most about your father"? Without hesitation I said, "My father is not a perfect man, but my father is a man of great integrity." I began to think about that, just because you may have a great REPUTATION does not mean that you have INTEGRITY! You see, your reputation is what people THINK about you; your integrity is what GOD KNOWS about you! The last fourteen months have been the most difficult that I have ever seen my father go through. People who have benefited from his life and ministry, their homes are together today as a result of his love and counsel, their children are saved today because of the ministry of our church, their lives enhanced spiritually; turn and attack and say things that are harmful to the work of God, the man of God, and the NAME of God! It is difficult to watch your pastor, mentor, friend, and father be attacked by people of low or no integrity, but it is a great blessing to see that through every bit or it, he has maintained his integrity! Praise God! Thank God that there are men, just like my father, who have great integrity. Let us not concern ourselves more with what men think, than with what God knows! By the way, if you live a life of integrity, you will have a good day at the Judgement Seat of Christ; if your life is solely dependent upon the opinions of others, you may need to do some house cleaning! May God help each of us to determine that we will be a people of integrity! Thanks for letting be brag on the Lord and a little on my dad tonight!
Love you Dad!
John
II Cor.4:7
Titus and Grandaddy!