Life and ministry experience is a cycle of paradox, juxtaposition, and contrast. There are valleys but there are mountaintops. While there are trials, there are also triumphs. While there is bad news, there is also good news. There is adversity but there is victory. There are times of perplexity but there also times of tranquility. There are positive and negatives.
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| Greg's Photo taken at Kep, Cambodia |
The church is not exempted from going through periods of mountaintops and valleys. It has gone through trials and triumphs. The church has not overcome all adversaries. The perplexing times are not over. There are hurts but hopes are high.
Regardless of the situation, life and ministry must go on. The challenges are huge and the needs are many. The task is great but the vision is clear. The larger the vision the greater the need for teamwork.
Tough leadership decision has to be made and ministry must go on. Leadership is tougher than we think. One leadership problem that I observed is that we try to manage people instead of leading them. "Manage things. Lead people" is a quote I have in my file.
While we struggle to solve conflicts, lost people slip into eternal darkness. God's purpose for reaching out to the lost world is sacrificed upon the altar of our internal church conflict. Our act of generosity is placed on the altar of stewardship making our giving limited in the facade of being a good steward of God's resources.
