Remember!!

My heart is aching tonight as I type this blog. I was out of town for a few days and came home to read the news papers from the weekend. In Saturday's paper was a story on the plight of pastors; high profile pastors in particular.

It seems that Juanita Bynum and her estranged husband, Thomas Weeks III, of Global Destiny Church, had an altercation in a hotel parking lot. According to Bynum's account, Weeks allegedly, "knocked her down...and then kicked and stomped her until a hotel employee came to her rescue."

Also, on the same day, pastors Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church, have announced to their congregation that they are getting a divorce. It is reported that this divorce is amicable and comes after years of counseling.

I am sensitive to this issue because I am a PK (no not a Promise Keeper, I mean Preachers Kid). My parents divorced when I was in the 5th grade. I also know a good handful of pastors who have meet a similar fate or are struggling to same their marriage as I write this.

Sometimes I get the feeling that those who enter into full-time ministry as an occupation are automatically fitted with a bulls-eye attached to their marriage and family. I think this is especially true if you are "successful" in the ministry God has called you to. I am troubled by this since I am seeking to enter into the pastoral ministry myself and am currently working on my masters degree. I wonder what awaits me and my family as we go forward into the ministry God has called us to. Still it is a huge wake-up call for me to be vigilant in putting my family ahead of my "ministry".

Which, I suppose, leads me to the point of this blog entry. Let me ask you a question. Do you faithfully pray for your pastor? Is his family someone you can lift up to God in intercession for God's favor and protection? If not, will you take a minute to do so. A small investment in prayer for your pastor could save your church a lot of heartache. It could also help it thrive!!

Please, remember your pastor.