You Are Not Alone

From the insightful pen of my friend, Pastor Virgil Stokes:

"I thank God that I am not alone in this world. I am hopelessly unqualified to survive without help. Last week I was in Panama City. While there, I rented a car and drove to various destinations. Left to my own devices, the only place I know how to find is Pastor Vicente’s house and that is only if I start from the airport. Fortunately, Vicente was with me everywhere else I had to go. We are a team. I let him know that I was totally lost, so he had to let me know what lane to get in and warn me ahead of time if I needed to turn. We negotiated many fascinating situations. Going over one bridge, we came to a traffic circle. Vicente warned that I needed to turn right at the third opportunity. He let me know that drivers from the first 2 entrances would be barging in, and then at the last minute I should watch my left side, as others would be swerving in front of me to make the same turn I was going for. He described the situation very accurately, and with great fear, trembling, and angelic intervention we negotiated the turn - vehicles parting before us just like the sea in Exodus. Arriving downtown, we drove down a relatively calm 2-way street. “Turn left here,” he said. I did so, then was admonished, “Stay to the left, stay to the left. This street you drive on the left.” “Oh, a one-way, I suppose.” “No. For this one block, all traffic drives on the left.” To confirm this I looked up and noted oncoming traffic passing to my right. Question: Did I miss a sign. Answer: No. This is the only drive-to-the-left street in Panama. It lasts only one block, and there is no sign. You just have to know. Thank God for a friend in the car who knows!

"As we proceed through life and ministry, we need a friend who knows - one who can foresee difficulties and warn us of odd situations coming up. As ministers, we know some things about the Word. We may have some training or background in business, or administration, or whatever. Doing the daily work of ministry, however, requires more than knowing some information, or even than having great skills and talents. Real life is full of interesting problems and pitfalls, not just unforeseen, but unforeseeable. For this reason, our education must include the opportunity to get some real experience, to get dirty, to make mistakes, and to hear God in the trenches. Every real-life project has adjustments to be made on the move. We need to know how to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit who is always with us. He knows the plans and devices of our enemy. He goes before us in both time and space to spy out the landscape and warn us if the road changes. Our job is to stay alert, keep our ears open, and trust the direction we receive. If I had to give one word of advice to those starting out in ministry it would have to be, 'You are not alone. Don’t try to do it alone. Learn to slow down and pay attention to the oh-so-quiet direction of the Spirit in your heart.'”

Scripture Reading: Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:11-12 NKJV)

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Said: People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,but when the darkness sets in,their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.

"In the midst of every situation, be it the crush of apparent failure, the condemnation of friends, or just good old self-flagellation and self-centered fear, we have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Hearing and obeying God separate success from failure, deliverance from disaster, and joy from despair. We are not alone."

Good Word, brother!

Who Is Your Support

For those of us in ministry it can be a lonely walk. Sometimes we feel like we are all alone, we are the modern day Elijah on the mountainside. We feel alone, isolated, and in fear of our future. But! ... like Elijah, we often have no clue about those who are faithfully walking out the call of God on their lives and bringing the plan of God to fruition. We need friends of like precious faith, people who understand where we are coming from, those who share our passion and conviction. But where are they?

The Bible is clear, "He who would have friends must show himself friendly." (Prov. 18:24a) Who are your friends? Who do you have that you can trust to talk to you frankly and openly? Who can you turn to when things aren't going the way you think they should? You need friends.

We are counseled not to get too close to those we serve, think about that for a minute. We may be part of a ministerial fellowship, but how often do we actually spend time with those "friends," how close are we to them, really? We need someone we can get together with over coffee, share breakfast with at the drop of a hat, or go for a walk with to just get things off our chest.

Pastors are notorious for running off with their secretaries, but why are we surprised? We isolate them in ivory towers, put pressure on their families and hold them to unrealistic expectations. They turn to someone they feel they can talk to, a secretary, choir director, or other staff member who has shown they care and listen to their hurting heart. Before they realize, they are in a boat that is being tossed, turned and going down. The thing that was supposed to be their "salvation" becomes their destruction. The pain of isolation turns into the pain of destruction. And it all could have been avoided if they just had a real friend.

My best friend in ministry is a wonderful man of God named Jerry Rogers. He is a real friend. He can listen to my whining and tell me what a baby I am. He cries with me in my suffering, laughs with me in my joy, and celebrates my victories. I know he is praying for me in my trials. And you can be sure, I'm not going to run off to the Bahamas with him! He is my friend, and that is worth more than anything I own or dream of possessing. His support has saved my life; that is a bit extreme, but it is because of Jerry that I am still in ministry.

Who do you have? Who can God speak through to change your life?

At the church I pastored last I broke the rules; I let the men of our church into my life. I let myself be open and honest with them. I chose to let them see that I have problems and how I dealt with them. In turn, I had a church like nothing I have ever experienced before. Our men became the spiritual leaders of their homes, the leaders and teachers in our church, and a strong influence for the Kingdom of God in our community. They have been my friends, my lifeline, my help in time of trouble. We are family, some have found the ties here have become stronger than the blood ties that brought them to earth.

Who do you have; who's your friend?

The Barnabas Project exists to be friends to those in ministry. We reach out to you to champion your success in life, your success in ministry, and your success in fulfilling the plan of God for your life. But we can only do so much. Reach out to someone close by, be a friend, and get someone involved in your life that will help you be what God called you to be. Chose carefully, follow the leading of the Holy Ghost, and maintain your integrity. Success is yours!

Men Make A Difference

For years while I was growing up I thought men didn't go to church unless they had to. Men were not leaders, were not teachers, and did not get involved. How refreshing it is to see men get involved and become what God has called them to be.

Pastors, go after your men. They are looking for someone who will challenge them to rise to what it means to be a real man. Jesus called 12 men to join Him in fulfilling the plan of God. They were real men, hard working and able to make a difference. 11 of those men went on to change the world.

You may need to change the way you do things, and become more of a leader, but it will be worth it. You may need to invest yourself in things you wouldn't normally be interested in, but it will be worth it. You may have to watch a race, shoot a gun, bait a hook, or don a hard hat, but it will be worth it.

God appreciates what it means to be a man, it was He who challenged Job to "quit yourself like a man." Now it is our turn to lead this generation of men into a personal, practical, powerful relationship with the Father.

Stay Ready

I remember being in a sales meeting years ago and hearing Zig Ziglar say, "You are going to spend a lot more time dead than you are alive, make your plans accordingly." It wasn't a Christian meeting, but he was not ashamed to address the issue of our mortality. I want to echo that today, be ready, stay ready, and leave this earth with no regrets.

It seems I have heard of way too many people who have died recently. Dear friends of ours lost their little one year old daughter, My grandmother lost her sister, and today I got word of the loss of another dear friend. I really got sown over the loss of little Lauren. A precious life stolen in the night, it just isn't right. I was less moved by Aunt Sis's passing, after all, she was in her 80's, had lived a full life, and had set under the preaching of the Gospel for her whole life. Today's news, while sad, is not a defeat. My friend Jim was a champion in faith. I watched him beat cancer, not once, but twice. He was alive and vibrant, active in his church, and an unapologetic witness for our Lord. I will miss having breakfast with him, will miss his encouragement, and will likely long for his childlike hunger for the things of God. I know he is with Jesus, without a doubt, and I know that he has achieved what his heart desired.

Jim and I were talking recently about how utterly lost he was, and how clueless he was about his condition. I remember him lighting up over the revelation of the reality, Jesus loved Jim personally, completely, and just as he was. He would go on literally for hours about how that love has manifest over the years. Whether it was a tangible manifestation of the presence of God in worship, the grace and mercy that brought him healing, or just the supernatural insight into a passage of Scripture, Jim knew God loved him. He was so grateful that God had speared his life until he came to know Christ. He said, "I know one thing, I am going to stay ready to meet Him," and he did.

As we go through our busy days, stay ready.

WHEW!

Been a little busy, did you notice?

We continue to make strides toward our relocation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As of our last trip to the OBX we visited the Nags Head Church (http://nagsheadchurch.com) where we had the chance to celebrate the presence of God, were encouraged in the Word, and found ourselves feeling quite at home. To me, finding a church home is more important than finding a house, and I think we have found a place we would like to plumb the depths of.

We did find a house! It is a beautiful English cottage nestled in amongst the dunes of Duck. It is a short walk to the Currituck Sound and just 1,000 yards from the Atlantic beach. While we are excited about the house, it will take God acting to get us into it. Please pray.

We have turned over our church to the new pastors, Rick and Sandy. We will work side-by-side with them until our departure, and we are excited about what their leadership will bring to the future of this congregation. Check them out at (http://www.faithprevails.org) If you are close by, drop in!

We continue to reach out to local pastors, missionaries, and friends in ministry. If you know someone who needs a friend, could use a little encouragement, or you'd just like to see blessed, drop us a line and we'll touch base with them.