Jan

30

The Most Important Thing

Post Category: Authenticity, Church Planting, Family 

I was thinking yesterday about all the things I need to do. I have months of work ahead of me getting ready to plant a church. There’s pages of paperwork I need to fill out for our incorporation and non-profit status. I have tens of thousands of dollars I need to raise and a team of dedicated volunteers to build.

But do you know what the most important thing I should be doing right now? I’ll give you a hint. It has to do with this picture right here.

Dad, Chloe & Emily

The most important thing in the world for me isn’t the church, my job (or lack thereof), or whomever I try to impress on this blog. When I stand before God his first question isn’t going to be how good of a job did I do Pastoring a church. My first responsibility before God is how good of a job did I do being a loving husband and father. To borrow a quote from Craig Groeschel,

“Love your wife more than you love the church. The church is Jesus’ bride, not yours.” (from 40 Lessons from a 40-year-old Pastor)

Another one of my mentors has told this,

Spend time with your wife and kids. If you lose a church you can always start another one but you can never replace your family.

Do I have a lot to do? Absolutely. But I’d like to think that the most important thing I did yesterday was chasing my girls around the house and giving my wife a hug.

Comments

No Responses to “The Most Important Thing”

  1. Jason on January 30th, 2008 8:52 am

    Yes! That’s exactly what was on my heart.

    Let’s never forget that.

    Jason’s last blog post..What’s in a Name?

  2. erica on January 30th, 2008 10:00 pm

    Thank you so much for this post! I wish every pastor around the world would read it and take it to heart. I have seen so many wives and kids wounded “in the name of the church.” One of the most beautiful things in the world is to see a dad loving his kids.

    erica’s last blog post..photo shoot

  3. Nathan on January 31st, 2008 12:55 am

    My wife and I are praying about planting a church in the next year or so. Any advice. Any books to read? Anything?

    Cheers.

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