# Time For Family and Ministry



## brymaes (Jan 30, 2004)

To all of you pastors and elders out there:

What do you do to have enough time for ministry while making sure that you spend enough time with your families? What specific steps do you take? What about you bi-vocational gentlemen?


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## exscentric (Feb 18, 2004)

Taking specific times for the family and wife is a must and all seems to fall into place in my mind. It is God, wife, kids, ministry as a set of priorities to me. If you don't have time for the last one then maybe it should be cut back or find assistance.

Don't be concerned too much about &quot;quality time&quot; with the kids. They get along on what is given them if you are doing well at all.

Our three look back on growing up years and normally end up talking about how great the days were when we were pioneering a church - they loved the time in that town. I was working full time plus a little and teaching five lessons per week. 

We took one day (Saturday) for family plus we tried to go for a walk in the yard or sit on the porch each evening.

I felt like I was a zombie, :shocked2: but they really enjoyed those days. 

God is able - we aren't!


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## cupotea (Feb 19, 2004)

*Integrity in the Pastorate*

Our integrity in the 'pastorate' is directly linked to our integrity in our 'home.'
&quot;A bishop then must be... one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 
&quot;(for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);&quot;
I Timothy 3:2a,4-5

I have been working in the Master's fields for thirty-eight years now. My oldest child is thirty-two, my youngest is one year old. My oldest daughters (32yrs/30yrs) are both committed Christians, married to fine Christian men. My oldest son (27yrs) is an Associate Pastor in a Baptist Church [SBC] in Texas. 
At home, my 'isha' and I continue to homeschool our remaining seven children. Our 14yr old daughter (a committed Christian) has been persuaded by the Lord that He wishes for her to be a missionary. Our 13yr old son has also received God's call into the ministry.
All this to say, [b:ffbad8b9da]something is working![/b:ffbad8b9da] 
I shall touch on one other area: my personal meditation/study/preparation time. Many years ago, I was asking the same questions you are now expressing from your heart. With study, work, husbandry, parenting, counseling, preaching, teaching, marrying and burying, etc. - how can all this be kept in balance? From reading the puritans, I discovered (1) I wasn't alone and (2) a key to bringing about the balance. I believe it was Philip Henry (father of Matthew Henry) who wrote in his journal one morning, &quot;Have come under much conviction upon rising this morning to the sound of the blacksmith hard at his trade. If he rises early to deal with earthly things of a temporal nature, how much earlier should I not rise to deal with heavenly things of an eternal nature?&quot;
I knew the Scriptures said &quot;Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness&quot; (I Timothy 4:7b) And I knew that &quot;discipline yourself was in the 'middle voice,' something [i:ffbad8b9da]I[/i:ffbad8b9da] had to address on a daily basis. 
Through a period of fasting and prayer, two things happened: (1) the Master should me the poverty of my spirit relative to my 'self-discipline.' As much as I tried, I could not be consistent in getting up early in the morning. (2) my loving Lord gave me the grace to see a passage of Scripture I needed to see. It was Isaiah 50:4
&quot;The Lord God has given Me
the tongue of the learned, 
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
[b:ffbad8b9da]He awakens Me morning by morning,[/b:ffbad8b9da]
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.&quot;

Over 30 yrs ago, God mercifully showed me this truth. I have never used an alarm clock since. I learned when I fell asleep with my heart on God - desiring to meet Him in the morning with the full realization He was waiting on me - my spirit was made sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and I arose early in the morning - quite awake! He has consistently awakened me between 3am-4am for all these years. And on those occasions when I did not rise till 6am or 7am, I did not go into a 'guilt' trip.
My wife and children have seen this 'discipline' all of their lives with me. The knowledge their father is with the Lord in the morning hours while they sleep has made a tremendous impact on their lives. While there are a host of other subjects relative to your questions I could speak to, I believe this is a foundational one. At least, it has been to me and mine.


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## twogunfighter (Feb 19, 2004)

CD 

Thanks for one of the most convicting/challenging posts I have ever read on this board. 

Chuck


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## brymaes (Feb 20, 2004)

[quote:7b9c4776c1][i:7b9c4776c1]Originally posted by CDHopkins[/i:7b9c4776c1]
Our integrity in the 'pastorate' is directly linked to our integrity in our 'home.'
&quot;A bishop then must be... one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 
&quot;(for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);&quot;
I Timothy 3:2a,4-5[/quote:7b9c4776c1]

Thank you for the challenging and inspiring post.

How easily our sinful minds our drawn to what is second best...how necessary it is to keep our focus on Biblical priorities!:wr51:

[Edited on 2/20/2004 by SharperSword]


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