Art of the Assistant

The Art of Purity

Art of Knowing What‘s Next (part 2)

In this episode Dan and I will discuss when to go from your current position when God taps you on the shoulder, and what it might cost you to go.  I hope this episode is an encouragement to you as you prayerfully consider "what's next."

The Art of Knowing What‘s Next (part 1)

What’s next is a question many of you probably ask yourself on a regular basis.  You find yourself daydreaming about working for or with certain pastors or ministries.  You long for the day when God opens the door for you to be a “real pastor” so you can be the one casing vision and direction. 

The Art of Spiritual Well Being

It was the day of my dad’s open-heart surgery when I received a prophecy that would come true 12 years later.  The heart surgeon met with my brother and me and described the surgery.  He then said something that I will never forget.  “You boys are next.  There is nothing you can do to avoid it.  You can’t deny the genes you were given.”  He then went on to tell us this story.  “I have a great friend and colleague who is an avid cyclist.  After one of his rides, he wasn’t feeling well.  He demanded I give him a heart cath in light of his family history.  I thought he was crazy!  I did it, and he ended up with bypass surgery.”  

 

After hearing those words I walked away with a choice.  I could either live life however I wanted, enjoy Little Debbies and fried food seeing I was destined to die anyway or try to beat the odds.  I opted for the latter. Did it keep me from a heart attack, no, but it did save my life when my day came.  

 

Spiritually life is the same way.  Paul is much like my Dad’s surgeon when he said, “All that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”  Does that mean we should just live it up any way we want knowing our doomsday is coming?  No, we should work on our spiritual well-being so when it comes we survive and do not get destroyed.  

 

It’s amazing when one goes through a health crisis how many “doctors” and “nutritionalist" are out there wanting to help and offer advice.  Obviously, they believe in their products and procedures, and some might even financially benefit from them!  I recently read a post about a friend whose wife was diagnosed with cancer. After he informed everyone on their decision about treatments he then said something like this: “Understand this is the direction we have decided to go, and any other ideas for us you might have please do not share them.”  

 

I don’t think people mean to come across in a negative way, and I honestly believe they want to help, but when the whole nation chips in with their thoughts and ideas it can be and is overwhelming.  

 

Bottom line is, I need to do what works best for me.  If McDonald's french fries is the only thing I can eat without causing me pain and agony bring on the basket of fries!  If it's blueberries and protein shakes so be it.  If it is an infusion every 8 weeks then I’ll open my schedule up for these appointments.  

 

I must do what works for me and what will give me life and health in the long haul.  

 

When it comes to our spiritual health we tend to do the same thing.  We have attributed God’s blessing to certain ways we have done things.  Due to the results, we tend to promote the method instead of the means.  

 

That is the reason why there are so many books on prayer.  There is no one way.  We can pray like Daniel and see results.  We can pray 2 Chronicles 7:14 every day at 7:14 and see results.  We can pray the prayer of Jabez…well…I’ll stop there.  God does not honor one prayer over another because of the time we pray it, or if we eat The Daniel’s diet or Domino’s pizza after we pray.   

 

The truth is, much like our physical health, what works for us is not the answer for all.  There is no right or wrong way to help yourself spiritually.  There is no secret book or program for you to buy that will bless you or your family in a special way.  There is no pastor or evangelist that can give you the secrets of spiritual success so you never struggle again.  It just does not exist.  

 

So my encouragement to you today is to pray.  Read.  Spend time with your Savior.  There is only one way to know Him (Phil. 3:10) and that is to spend time with Him!  

 

But as assistant pastors one thing I think we lack is an appreciation and realization of exactly how powerful prayer is and necessary for our current ministry.  

 

There are two reasons why prayer is so important at this stage of the game for our assistant pastors.  1) Prayer changes things.  2) Prayer changes you.  

 

As assistants, we tend to put our focus on others and ministry.  We are in a hero mode many times wanting to solve problems, pick up pieces that are left behind, and do all we can to shine.  We are quick to brag on how many hours we work a week, but I have yet to have an assistant brag to me about the number of hours he prays. Do you think God is looking at how you punch the time clock or stop the clock in the prayer closet?

 

It is not until we realize what we can accomplish for God and ourselves by prayer, that we will find breakthroughs in our lives and ministries.  

 

Alright Treg, if there is no secret recipe or divine design, what do I need to do to pray?  First, allow me to give you some practical advice.

 

1.  Find a place to pray.

 

2.  Find a particular time to pray.

 

3.  Have a plan to pray.  

 

Set up a plan!  Here is a sample to get you started.

 

Monday-Missions

Tuesday-Terrific people in my life (friends)

Wednesday-Witness (Pastors local and global)

Thursday-Taken request from Wednesday

Friday- Family (extended, immediate is every day by name).

Saturday-Summit Ridge (my neighborhood)

Sunday-Sermon, the Spirit, and strength to preach the Scripture.  

 

 

 

Making Disciples (Part 2)

Part Two of Making Disciples goes into some very practical ways you can mentor other believers.  Even if you are bi-vocational and have many irons in the fire this is a must for all of us.  Jesus told us just before leaving earth, "Go and make disciples!"  So jump in for some ideas on how you can invest in and impact the next generation.  

The Art of Making Disciples

Discipleship has become a major part of our Christian culture.  There have been books, curriculums, and programs offered in all shapes and sizes to help people disciple others.  Is this what discipleship really is?  What does it mean to disciple?  Are you making disciples?  In this podcast, you will find it is not as difficult as you might think!  

Interview with Evangelist Aaron Coffey

Aaron has traveled as an assistant and now with assistants for over 20 years. Listen in as he shares some great insight from the perspective of an Assistant, Evangelist, and an observer to many church staff situations over the years.   

Art of Dealing with Criticism (Part 2)

Part 2 of dealing with critics gets into some real-life issues.  Dan gets raw with us in regard to criticism pointed at him in his ministry. 

Interview with the Staff of Faith Baptist Church

We had the opportunity to interview Joey Neal and Jeremy Cordova who serve as Assistant Pastors at Faith Baptist Church in Morgantown, WV where Treg Spicer is pastor. They talk about their unique roles in a very active Church and School ministry

Note: We recorded this episode on different equipment. Please excuse some of the audio. 

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The Art of Dealing with Criticism (Part 1)

Criticism is something we all must be prepared for in our misitries.  Very little we do is behind the scenes.  People want to be in the know.  People want to be in the know about you!  No matter what you post, print, or preach, it will be criticized.  You will never be like the former assistant pastor and you will never be as good of an assistant as your pastor was at your age.  

In this podcast we will talk about how to handle criticism, how to handle the critic, and how to handle it when it hits home.  

I trust this will be an encouargement and help.

I do mention a blog in this episdoe.  Here is the link:

https://www.michaeljkruger.com/what-is-spiritual-abuse/