Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Life is fragile!


Life is fragile. The reality of death is unavoidable. Pastor Kevin and I attended the funeral of a man that neither of us knew today, in support of a friend. Although we did not know the deceased, Pastor Kevin and I did know several in the audience. 

Attending the funeral of someone we did not know actually allowed us to view death in a way that is somewhat rare. Generally, we are officiating the funeral of a church member or family member. Sitting with the congregation of grieving friends and family allowed us to view these "distant" people... up close. They were hurting, and with good reason. 

So often, a minister can get numb to the hurt all around him. It's easy to go through the motions. This doesn't mean that we don't genuinely care about those who are suffering. It's just easy to "blend" into the ministry.  Funerals like today allowed us to show compassion without it being related to our own ministry. 

I'm so excited to be able to mentor Pastor Kevin in this way. This is not the first funeral that he and I have attended together... and unfortunately, I'm sure it wont be the last. Helping people through the toughest time in their life is not an easy thing... and yet we are so honored to do so. Please continue to pray for Pastor Kevin and I as we continue to work for the Lord and the people of Calvary.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Church Planter

I love Tuesdays! Pastor Kevin and I get together for our weekly "mentor" session every Tuesday at 9am. We almost always use this time to discuss 1 chapter of a book of our choice and do some Pastoral visitation or ministry planning. We do this each week until that particular book is read and discussed all the way thru. Most recently we finished "How To Be A Person Of Influence" by John Maxwell.  It was a wonderful 3 months of intense and "influential" training on how to be a person with the capability of influencing others to the glory of God.


This week we began another book. We read and discussed chapter one of "Church Planter" by Darrin Patrick. If the remainder of the book is as informative as the first chapter, this book will prove to be instrumental in helping Pastor Kevin and I fulfill God's vision of he and Kelli planting a church for the glory of God some day.


Please pray for us as we continue to be "Pastors on page".  If you have any questions about Pastor Kevin's vision to plant a church some day. Please don't hestitate to ask. This is a wonderful journey to be on for the Kingdom of God. Our prayer is that you will join us!  Click the link below to view our site.


http://onpage2.blogspot.com/


Pastor Mike Carmody