Ministry – Page 2 – The Doug Ellingsworth Blog

More Prayer, Please!

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on November 13, 2015

A few months ago, doctors told a lady in our church that she had cancer. Her family and friends, obviously, were devastated. A follow-up visit was scheduled to gain more specific information about her condition. Folks agreed to gather at the church and pray for her the night before she was to report for that appointment.

Most of the crowd who came to pray that evening were younger – say, less than 40 years old. The sick woman has a brother who has children that age. Although he attends a Pentecostal church a few miles away, he came to our church that night to help pray for his sister.

Family/Leadership/Living/Ministry

The Bible Doesn’t Set Standards

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on October 30, 2015

The only thing more irritating than listening to a bunch of kids bicker is listening to a bunch of adults argue. How people can stand to listen to or watch those talk shows where each person tries to scream louder than the others is beyond me. If there is any intelligence involved, it’s lost in all the noise. Like my Uncle Floyd used to say, “Them folks ain’t got enough intellectuals to know how stupid they sound.”

Last week, I was listening to a few men debate whether churches should teach against using tobacco or drinking alcohol as a biblical standard or a man-made standard. From what I gathered, if the Bible prohibited something, then you could teach it as a biblical standard. But if the Bible did not specifically address a thing and you wanted to teach against it, you had to acknowledge that it was a man-made standard that God wasn’t necessarily obligated to acknowledge. I also discerned that by standard these fellows meant a rule that church members were expected to obey if they wanted to get to Heaven.

So, if the Bible says a specific thing, like stealing, is wrong, than you can teach against it – specifically and by name. But where the Bible says things like “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,” you aren’t allowed to make a list of things that those words might describe or you will be guilty of teaching man-made standards.

Family/Leadership/Ministry

Men and Their Feelings, Part Two

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on October 21, 2015

Alright, back to where we left off last week. I was arguing that men do not have a feminine side. Remember?

The only emotion a man is allowed to own is anger. All other emotions, we’ve decided, belong to the females of the human race, and are completely inappropriate for men to display. He can’t cry, seem afraid, be insecure, appear hopeful, or acknowledge any of the feelings that God put inside him to help him appropriately navigate the challenges of life. Instead, he’s told a real man gets through life needing nothing from no one.

And we wonder why he punches the wall when he loses his job . . . or his kids get on his nerves . . . or his wife buys that purse . . . or the car breaks down . . . or just about any other time his life seems out of his control.

Great men in the Bible weren’t afraid to express what was in their hearts. They weren’t a bunch of sniffy-nosed hand wringers, but they understood that there were times when those around them needed to know what only they could express.

Leadership/Ministry

When We All Get To Heaven

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on October 12, 2015

Do you ever wonder how things work in Heaven? Will we all stand in line to receive our rewards and crowns? Or will they all be wrapped up nice and neat and placed on our bunk just like our badges and tee shirts are when we first get to summer camp?

If we have to stand in line, do you get to pick who you stand next to? I mean, I try real hard to do lots of things well, but there are some men and women whose dedication and commitment put me to shame. I’d feel real unworthy standing next to them.

We are losing our World War II veterans to the tune of almost one thousand each day. These heroes who endured so much, yet demanded so little, act as if their selflessness was no big deal. Each one that passes takes with him a legacy of commitment that is uncommon in my generation. They seldom talk about their experiences, and act as if the sacrifices they made for others was no big deal.

Family/Leadership/Ministry

Hey! Your Kid’s Brain Needs You.

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on September 18, 2015

My oldest daughter, a school teacher, brought this research to my attention a few years ago. The subject was stirred again recently in a discussion with a pastor’s wife.

The human brain, particularly the part that connects actions with consequences and influences impulsive behavior, is not fully developed until we are in our early twenties. (You can read a short article about it here, but there is plenty of research out there if you want to check it out.)

What that means is that your child may not be doing goofy things just because he is a rebellious teenager, but it could be because his brain won’t let him see the pain he’ll suffer if his plan doesn’t work. Things that are “no brainers” to us, are not so clearly defined in the minds of our kids.

Add to that the information that girls usually develop a little faster than boys and you can see why moms and dads are always wondering why Johnny can’t be as good as his big sister was when she was that age. That also explains why his insurance rates stay higher longer than his sister’s did.

But it also means something else.

Living/Ministry

An Unlikely Treasure

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on September 10, 2015

Unlikely treasures. I’ve got a few.

Like an old tin pirate’s toy chest with a rounded top. Not every pastor with an AARP card can boast of having one in his office, but mine sits under the window across from my desk. I can still recall the day in 1965 when my parents bought it at the old White Front store in Sacramento, California. Leaving the store, I cried because they didn’t buy me the Bible I’d seen there. Dad turned the car around and went back inside for that white Bible with the gold zipper. Yeah, I still have it, too. First Bible I ever owned. And the only white one.

I’ve got some unlikely treasures.

Family/Leadership/Living/Ministry

So, Want To Know How We Got Here?

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on August 26, 2015

I’m not asking how we got to that nice little village in the picture. It is obvious we got there by bicycle.

What I’m inquiring about is how we got to where men wear skirts, children choose their own gender, everybody uses the same bathroom, and we’re supposed to think that’s all cool.

We aren’t there, you say? You don’t see this where you live? A writer from London mentioned that while attending a fashion show in New York a few weeks ago. This is how she ends the article: “Laugh at the idea of (men wearing) a thigh-high split dress at your peril. You could be wearing it soon – if not this winter, perhaps the next.” It’s here. And it will only get worse.

So, how did we get here?

Living/Ministry

The Proper Response To Trouble

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on August 12, 2015

In my journey to become a crisis chaplain, the first lesson I recall being taught was to never minimize someone’s loss. As you gaze though your neighbor’s window, the death of her little poodle or the pink slip included in his last paycheck may appear to you as minor inconveniences, but to those experiencing them, they can be devastating.

What motivated Hannah to desperately beg for a child when, as part of the “deal,” she was so willing to give him away (I Samuel 1)? I know that she was placing him into the hands of the priests and little Samuel would be dedicated to serving the Lord, but Hannah would still be separated from him. It almost seems that she was praying for the experience of bearing a child instead of the joy of having a child to share life with.

Family/Leadership/Ministry

From A Dad To His Pastor

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on July 17, 2015

I hope, Pastor, that you will not feel that I am being disrespectful by sending you this note. The truth is, if I didn’t have confidence and trust in your life and ministry, I wouldn’t bother to say anything. But because I do trust you, and because the Bible makes it plain that I need a pastor, I feel compelled to write.

My family is my dearest possession. Regardless of what I might accomplish with my life, if I fail to help them develop a strong bond with the God who made them, I’d consider myself a failure. Placing them in your spiritual care is not something that I’ve done without great thought and much prayer.

While I have confidence in your ministry, I’ve also had confidence in other ministers that I now see embracing behaviors that they once said were wrong. I’m not talking about a little adjustment here and there, but radical lifestyle changes.

Family/Ministry

When Dreams Die. Or Do They?

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on July 9, 2015

In the Summer of 1999, a young man, just finished with high school and looking forward to his college career, attended a youth service with some of his friends. In the middle of his sermon, the preacher suddenly stopped and said,”There is a young man here, already planning to go to college, that God is calling you to give up your plans and dreams and go to Bible college and serve Him.”

The boy did have plans and dreams. He loved working with computers, and after finishing college, that would be his life’s work.

But he felt the tug and call that evening. After a lengthy time of prayer around the altar, he went home and told his mother and pastor that God wanted him to go to Bible college.

College started in just two weeks. But in those two weeks, the young man was able to get admitted to Bible school, find the money to move a few hundred miles, and get all settled in. Although he was giving up his lifelong dream of pursuing a computer science degree, he was happy with his decision and was excited about his future.

Category: Ministry