2025 인터넷 사역 한국으로 다섯째날을 뒤돌아보면서 하나님께 감사드리는 이유: 1. 하늘에 계신 우리 하나님 아버지께서 우리 자녀들을 어느 누구보다 사랑하고 계시기에 2. 하나님이 사랑하시는 어린아이들과 주님의 사랑으로 즐겁게 교제할 수 있었기에 3. 비록 돈은 좀 많이 뜯겼지만 사랑하는 아이들과 장난치고 팔씨름하고 농담하고 웃고 사진도 같이 찍고 포용까지 하였기에 ㅎ 4. 주님께서 사랑의 추억을 또 만들어 주셨기에 5. 사랑하는 멘토 목사님 부부에게 귀하고 크고 찐한 사랑을 받아서 6. 비록 1년에 한번씩 밖에 직접 만나 볼수밖에 없지만 성령님께서 주님 안에서 사랑의 마음을 조금이나마 서로에게 표현할 수 있게 해주셔서 7. 비록 그 사랑의 표현을 겸손히 감사하는 마음으로 받지 못할 수도 있다 할지라도 그 사랑의 마음만은 찐하게 감사하기에 8. 평생 처음으로 인터넷 사역 한국으로를 감당하면서 달리기 100미터를 10초에 뛴 것 같은 느낌이 들정도였지만 추격자를 따 돌리는데 성공한 도망자가 된 것 같았기에 ㅎㅎ 9. 우리 각 가정에 고충들이 있다 할지라도 주님께서 도와주셔서 화목케하고 계시기에 10. 보고 또 보고 싶은 사랑의 사랑하는 사람들로 인해 마음이 더욱더 부자가 되었기에. 하하.
"What My Dad Taught Me About Successful Ministry
For the entirety of my life until last year, my father served as a pastor in small churches in the Northeast. I watched him lead through the worship wars of the 1990s, through 9/11, and through the COVID-19 pandemic. After 41 years in the pastorate, he retired.
Over the summer, my mom, my brothers, and our families gathered to celebrate. It was an intimate gathering at the family camp we attended each summer since I was a boy. We also compiled a video of people from the three churches he served. Each story was unique, but I was struck by a common message. People talked about a pastor who was also a friend—someone who made them laugh, provided godly help, and walked with them through their dark and difficult days.
As I watched my dad tearfully receive those words of thanksgiving, I considered his view of success. In him, I’ve seen a way of doing ministry that strengthens the soul and builds endurance for . It involves a healthy view of rest, humble love, and a faithful walk with God.
Healthy Rest
describes the rest we enter because of Christ’s finished work on the cross. Verse 10 says, “Whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
Rest is tricky, but throughout my dad’s career, he made sure to take days off. He used his vacation time and took sabbaticals when they were available. This required trusting God with his work enough to confidently walk away from it for a day, a week, or even three months. It took humility to know he wasn’t so important that the ministry wouldn’t continue without him.
A benefit of this view of rest was my dad’s presence in our family life. We spent days off together. Family vacations were a yearly tradition, and Dad was at all my major life events; I never remember feeling like his work at the church was more important than our family.
Insufficient trust and humility can lead to overworked, tired, and . Jesus tells us the Sabbath was made for man (). We’d be wise to listen and enjoy the gift. Sabbath may not make sense in today’s economy, but stepping away from our work will only make it better.
Humble Love
My dad loves people. He’s a faithful shepherd who would disciple anyone willing to follow him as he followed Christ (). Whenever I asked my dad how work was, he’d have a story about someone growing in his faith or coming to know Jesus. The people he met at church, around town, at the hospital, or in homeless shelters meant more to him than attendance, programs, or money.
The people my dad met at church, around town, at the hospital, or in homeless shelters meant more to him than attendance, programs, or money.
It wasn’t just his love for people that stood out—it was his humility toward them. He considered others’ needs more than his own. He patiently led people and congregations through the long, slow work of discipleship. He never viewed them as a means to an end.
How often have we known or been the type of leader who sought personal gain? Are we obsessed with networking, , or finding fulfillment in church growth? When we are, our lack of humility can tempt us to lose patience with those we lead. But when we humble ourselves before God and others, we find the freedom to love and lead without expecting something in return.
Faithful Walk
I have vivid childhood memories of waking up to find my dad sitting in silence and solitude with his Bible and a cup of coffee. He was consistent in his walk with God, and he led others from an overflow of the Spirit’s work in his life. His devotion has become even clearer to me in the last year. In retirement, nothing has changed. I see it, and his grandkids see it. When we’re in the same house, he’s still the first person awake with his Bible and coffee. Dad may have retired from ministry, but his walk with God continues.
I’ve learned the hard way that my walk with God matters more than my work for him, and I can’t do the latter without the former.
I often do my work for God, not with him. My study, prayer, and spiritual practices are more connected to my ministry than I’d like to admit. I’ve learned the hard way that my walk with God matters more than my work for him, and I can’t do the latter without the former. We work with God by abiding in the Vine, dependent on the Spirit to grow his fruit in us (; ).
How do we measure success? Results are often the barometer of success in churches because they’re easier to measure. But God measures by faithfulness rather than results (). As I saw in my dad, he asks us to finish the race, not win it."
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