My friend, Terri, recently posted that she would like to start a massage ministry to women. Could anything be more appealing? Okay, so there are some folks who don't like to be touched, but the vast majority of us love such "hands-on" ministry. She is exploring the notion of helping to relieve women's physical pain and suffering as a door to ministering to their spiritual needs.
It got me to thinking. What ministries might God have for me in the future? Right now I feel I have two front-burner ministries: teaching elementary students is my bigger front-burner ministry. Caring for babies in the church nursery once a month is the other, smaller, less frequent, front-burner ministry.
As for back-burner ministries, I'm not sure. I ran into an old friend Saturday who is the director of the Greater Baltimore Crisis Pregnancy Center. A kinder woman than Alice is hard to find. Will God call me back there as a counselor? Another thing I'd like to do one summer is host a neighborhood Bible study for women. Perhaps Kelly will tell you of the wonderful fruit she has seen from the one she's been hosting? Sarah, my sweet girl, came home from a school "assignment" at a local nursing home where she was talking with a lady suffering from dementia, who repeated herself quite often, a common mixture of funny and sad. Sarah wants to go back and it's something I'd like to do, too.
How about you? What are your front-burner ministries at present, and what back-burner ministries has God put on your mind for the future?
3 comments:
Front burner-Teaching Sunday school, ministering to specific younger girls that I have a burnden for, and this summer working with the kids at beachmont, teaching them about my savior.
Back Burner-I went to Sarah's Hope this week-A women and children shelter and served dinner. It was amazing. the office building for that place is 10 minutes from my house-I would love to be able to volunteer there for 1-2 hours a week once I get my license.
Ummm. Massage is good!
My front burner ministries are being a Wife, Mom, Grandma, Daughter and friend.
As our two married daughters now have families of their own, I find I am mothering/mentoring in new ways with the added blessing of being Grammy! The Grammy thing is new. We have been blessed with 6 grandchildren in 3 years by two daughters and their husbands! (One daughter had twins!) Our 19 yr old (adopted) daughter is still living at home and it seems very front AND back burner-ish as we parent her differently according to some learning difficulties which seem to prevent “normal” progression.
My ministry seems to have “Availability” as a theme. Availability to my husband. Availability to Christine as we help her with next steps. Availability to encourage young Moms, mostly my daughters, and to build relationship, share Jesus etc. with the grandchildren. Availability to our parents who live close by.
I’ve also recently been convicted and “exercised” anew about the ministry of prayer. I confess lack of discipline in prayer as my expectation defines, but as the Lord brings needs to mind, I am practicing praying immediately instead of waiting for “The Quiet Prayer Time” that may not happen daily, though that is a goal.
As far as “back-burner” ministries! Wow! In the last 7 years some changes in my life (MS being a primary change) have caused me (forced me) to re-evaluate, slow down and wait for God to show me how He would use me instead of running ahead to fill gaps I perceived! I’ve never been good at waiting, but I’m s-l-o-w-l-y learning, I hope!
You asked! And you got it!
Front burner is keeping my family responsibilities front and center, and then the ministry responsibilities I share with my hubby - which looks like it's about to blossom into including more one-on-one mentoring with some younger women - as well as sharing the the Sunday teaching schedule at church, (which includes one Sunday a month that is solely my 'baby' to come up with an 'interactive' time for what we call our "Kids & Coffee Night" - basically a regulary service except the message portion is geared mainly at the kids and we involve the adults in aiming the teaching to their level. Quite a challenge!) - is also front burner at the moment.
Back burner is writing. I have one children's curriculum on prayer about a third-to-half way done, and a second book is stirring, that will include my husband as a contributor. We got it bubbling within, it's just a matter of getting some time to actually get it all out and in a coherent manner! Definitely back-burner at the moment. (Though because I'm excited about it, it keeps wanting to jump to a front burner and gobble up all my time. I must fight to keep it back for the time being. Maybe in the summer when I'm not schooling...)
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