sacrifice
Life has been so hectic lately. I know many of you don’t know this because I 
haven’t really talked about it a lot, but I am working two jobs now. I work during the day at FiftyForward (you can read about it here) and I am working to plant a church (website coming soon!).
I’ve been amazed at how hard working to plant a church, holding down a full-time job, and being a husband is all at the same time. I am pretty sure that before I found myself doing all this, I was certain that working multiple jobs wasn’t that big of a deal. As a kid, it’s what I thought grown-ups did – at least it’s what my parents did.
The truth of the matter is working several jobs isn’t that bad. It just means that I have to sacrifice certain things of less importance so I can concentrate on the things of more importance. But isn’t that what we Christians are to be doing anyway? Here’s what Romans 12:1-2 says.
The things that I have sacrificed lately so I can be a better husband and pastor is:
TV to spend more time with Alyson; time so I can work out and be healthy to continue being with Alyson and the church; social networking to be more present with those around me; car radio to get my phone calls finished by the time I get home to Alyson; and some friendships that were draining me so I can give more to others.
Wow, FiftyForward sounds like a great program. I can’t imagine how busy you are, but I’m glad you are able to do your work in areas that are fulfilling to you. Hopefully that makes you miss the things you have to give up a little less when your time is filled with things that are so rewarding!
My pride has taken a backseat to patience. Very tough
Well our whole married life was a very busy time. Balancing our schedules became difficult at times but by God’s grace, we managed. Joey and I were public school teachers, Joey was minister of music and I always taught adult classes and/or served as Sunday School director, and while we did get compensated for his work at the church that was just a bonus. I never saw our kingdom work as a hassle. In the meantime, we had a son who participated in everything from T-ball in preschool to Soccer and Track and Field in High School. And yes you are right Matthew, it is a matter of priority. We chose a road different from other family for we made it a point to keep God and Church in our lives. That meant sacrificing Sunday afternoon at the lake, sleeping until noon on Sunday, some evening to visit a family experiencing a crisis, Were we a perfect family? I will be the first to say, No we were not, and we are still not. But one thing I can say is that any sacrifice on our part was nothing compared to the sacrifice my savior made for me. I am just glad to be a part of the family of God.
And by the way I thank God for my son, who has dedicated himself to whatever it takes to fill the call God has made in his life. As hard as things seemed to you as a child, and even though you felt we were sacrificing too much, you are the produce of all the circumstances and situation you faced. No sacrifice is too great for our God, but rather than calling it a sacrifice, I prefer calling it priorities. Once we know what is important the others things automatically take second place or no place at all. The worst mistake I made probably was not communicating to you the hows and whys we did the things we did. I am proud of you, my son.
And Joey and Patsy still wont retire. They are not happy unless they are working and they both get right wormy if they are not working for God; down right antz. They both seem happiest when they are working hard for God. The more of a challenge the better they like it. I only mention it, well; because of genetics.