Today, Pastor Israel Olaore spoke about having a balanced life.  He spoke directly to the pastors.  Here is the formula that he shared.

God first, spouse second, children third, ministry forth, and this will equal a balanced life.

1. God – Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 6:33 – Develop a relationship with God.  Spend time in personal devotion and prayer.  Put God first in all that you do.
2. Spouse – Pay attention to the needs of your spouse.  You are to be one as God designed.  Pray with your spouse daily.  God created sexual intimacy, so create an atmosphere where arguing is at a minimum and connecting with each other is at a maximum.  Spend time with your spouse away from the children.
3. Children – spend time with your children.  Be an example.
   1. If your children have walked away from the things you have taught them, then God will bring them back to Himself.  Children see through us and know when we are genuine.  When you put your ministry or calling above your children, ask for their forgiveness.  God wants us to connect with our children so that they will come to Heaven with us and with Him.
   2. Do not push them into careers of your choice.  Let their talents and gifts become what they are to become.
4. Ministry – Do as you are lead by God.  Minister to the members.  Importantly, teach your members how to do what you do as a pastor.  Teach them how to pray, evangelize, and preach. Church should be a training ground; a place to learn how to share the gospel with others outside of the church.  When this is done effectively, pastors will not burn out and the body of Christ will grow.

What do you think about this formula?  Can this be applied to non pastors as well?  How will adopting this formula change your life?  So often, we focus on ministry and neglect our family.  This is not Biblical and the result is that our families are lost while we work in the vineyard.  What are your thoughts about this?

Today, after mentioning that we are living in a changing world, a motion was made to change the church manual to say that marriage is between two consenting adults. This was seconded. You could hear the ghasps as people held there breath in waiting for the discussion. This was voted down.

The next motion was that marriage is between two adults. This was also voted down, since in some areas it is customary for teens to marry.

How do you define marriage? What stand do you think the church should take?

General Conference – Day 8

Have you ever thought about what being a delegate at General Conference is all about?  Collectively, the delegates are the body that makes decisions for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They review the church manual and decide what changes should be made.  They are not the same committee that has several meetings to come to a decision.  Delegates at General Conference come together daily during the GC Sessions and make decisions that affect you and me.  They sit for long hours and listen to people voice their opinions.  Sometimes, they go to the microphone and share their views as well.  Then, they are asked to vote and they lift a piece of paper in the air signifying their position on a given motion.  This occurs for several hours and runs for many days.  Imagine, one long board meeting.  They don’t get much time to enjoy the concerts and events that we call General Conference.  They get a few breaks where they try to visit the exhibit hall to visit booths and sometimes receive special delegate gifts.

I want to take the time to thank the delegates for their hard work.  Thank you for your time and dedication to the work of furthering this denomination and the work of the Lord.

General Conference – Day 7

At General Conference, there have been daily concerts held at noon and 5 pm.  The concerts have featured Seventh-day Adventist artists from around the world.  Today, there was an accapella group from South Africa who sang with rich tones and tight harmonies.  It is amazing that no matter where in the world we are from, Seventh-day Adventist have a unique sound and are polished in their music.  God be praised.

It was announced that for this General Conference Session, they chose to highlight pastors by featuring them as the speakers for the worship services.  In the past, the speakers chosen usually had position in the church.  This year, those selected were pastors who preach in their local churches.  The church wants to recognize the contributions of the pastors who are out in the vineyard working to win souls for Christ.

Here are a few highlights from the division reports from this evening:

• Euro-Africa Division (EUD) – In Romania – Over 60 prisoners who have been sentenced to life without parole have accepted Jesus Christ and have been baptized.
• Inter-America Division (IAD) – A pastor from Haiti thanked the world church for their response of love after the earthquake that shook and devastated their country.  People from all over the world responded to meet the needs of the people of Haiti.  There is still much work to be done in this country.  Let us continue to lend our support to these efforts.
• In the IAD, 60% of the members are between the ages of 16-35.  There are 3.2 million members in this division.

God is working all around the world.  What have you seen in your local church that reflects that the work is being done in your location?