A Heart for Pastors

If you have spent any time doing research, you will quickly learn that pastors and their families need our support and encouragement more now than ever. Godly pastors serve with a passion to lift up Jesus and tend His sheep. I have many great friends who are pastors. We spend so much of our time and energy loving and leading people, we tend to forget that we need to take time to be refreshed. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we have a large capital “S” branded across our chest. With this in mind we begin believing there isn’t anything we can’t do, after all, the Bible says, “I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). We tend to focus more on the first part of this verse, “I can do ALL things…” and we stop there; read the rest of the verse, “…through Christ who gives me strength.” If the task at hand is “through Christ,” it indicates we are operating according to His will. He will give us the strength to accomplish it. If we are always frazzled, over-worked, frustrated, and weary, can we honestly say we are living our life according to this verse in its proper context?

This question leads me to my passion for ministry. I have a heart for pastors and their families. In my twenty years of pastoring, and as a pastor’s son, I’ve had the experience of serving as a bi-vocational pastor. I’m familiar with having to work an overnight shift on a Saturday night with just enough time after work to go home and shower, get dressed and be at the church to lead the morning service; take an afternoon nap, lead the evening service, and return to my secular job at midnight that night.  I have received several late night emergency calls. I have conducted three funerals in a period of seven days with the preparation of a message and the leading of the weekend services mixed in. There are meetings, phone calls, emails, weddings, outreach, ministry, and don’t forget…loving, leading and caring for my family, which includes my wife and three daughters. You get the picture…

During my years pastoring, I admit, I never took a sufficient break to rest, unwind, and be refreshed. Jesus did. There are many instances recorded in the Bible where He went up the mountain or out into the wilderness, away from all the noise, to pray and spend quality time with His Father.

Last summer God provided a way for me to take a Sabbatical to seek the Lord for His direction at this point and time in my life. While on Sabbatical, my passion to bless and encourage pastors and their families skyrocketed. I spent my Sabbatical in middle Tennessee, one of the most beautiful places on earth. Shepherd’s Fortress Ministries was born during this time. Our Mission is simply “to provide support and encouragement to pastors, pastors’ wives, and their sons and daughters.” My passion is to help provide opportunities for Christ-focused pastors to take time up the mountain to pray and be refreshed.

God is opening many doors of opportunity here in Tennessee. I was invited to attend a Pastors’ Retreat where I met several pastors. At this retreat I met an evangelist who has been faithfully serving in ministry since 1964; it is clearly evident that the joy of the Lord is his strength! He invited me to join him for a weekly Pastors’ Breakfast at a local café. The relationships that are developing out of this are priceless. In a future blog post I will expound on all that God is doing…we have some very exciting things to report and offer our heartfelt praise to the Lord for once details have been finalized!

My goal is not to make a name for myself, my goal is to lift up Jesus and serve His shepherds in a way that glorifies Him and brings encouragement to their hearts. I pray all who read this blog are enriched and drawn closer in their relationship with Jesus!

I would like to invite you to pray and seek the Lord and if He would direct your heart to send a love gift to support this ministry that would be such a blessing!

You may send your donation in one of two ways:
1. You will notice a Paypal Donation button in the upper right portion of this blog. Please click on it and you will be directed to our Paypal account. (You are not required to have a Paypal account to do so.) On some smartphones you may need to scroll down to the bottom and click, "view web version" to access this button.

2. You may send a check made payable to “Shepherd’s Fortress Ministries” and mail it to: P.O. Box 104, Brush Creek, TN 38547-0104

“Shepherd’s Fortress Ministries” is covered under the 501(c) (3) 1620 Group Exemption of “The Fellowship” Irving, TX and governed by a Board of Directors. All gifts are tax deductible.

Thank you all so much for your love and support! Many blessings to you and your family!