For Health

Well, this post is ironic. I began writing this almost a week ago and in the midst of trying to finish it up and get it posted, I got sick and couldn’t get things together to get it done. Over the past week, my personal and devotional readings have reminded me of the need and importance of spiritual and physical rest. So this is a timely post, if for nothing else, as a personal reminder of the importance for rest and health. Now, on the the post I started last week.

As I woke up this morning and stumbled my way to the coffee machine, I happened to check my social media. I don’t really like to do that before sitting down and having my quiet time with Jesus in the morning, but I did. I came across this story about a pastor and mental health advocate, Jarrid Wilson, who had committed suicide on Monday, September 9th. Jarred was only 30 years old, Husband to Julianne and the father of 2 little boys. He served on staff at Harvest Christian Fellowship, a megachurch in Riverside, California. You can read that article here. Both mental health and physical health are two “touchy” subjects within the church that both, in my opinion, need to be better understood. While this is not necessarily a writing about mental health specifically, what you are about to read does deal directly with the health of those who serve in large and small churches across America. No one in church leadership is exempt from health issues, both physical and mental, which many times (although not always) end up paired together hand in hand. However, because we have a passion in “whole-listic” health, my wife and I believe we are on the right path and have been given a few tools to help deal with both sides of those “health coins”, especially for those in ministry. I am deeply saddened for the loss of a “passionate preacher” like Jarrid, but there are still so many more out there that are facing similar personal health issues that could hinder them from serving Christ to their fullest potential. We will continue to lift up Jarrid’s loved ones in prayer who are left behind to pick up the pieces in the wake of his death.

In the next few moments, I want to fill you in on a bit of research that has been done on both the mental and the physical health of pastors in America. Again, I speak of both because many times they can feed off of one another. According to Network (https://network.crcna.org/disability-concerns/clergy-mental-health), the number of pastors diagnosed with clinical depression was double the national average, 45% sought advice from their family doctor regarding stress and anxiety issues and nearly one-fourth (23%) of pastors acknowledge they have personally struggled with a mental illness and half of those pastors say the illness has been diagnosed. While your pastor may be a great communicator, friend, spiritual mentor or even a great husband/wife, health issues are real!

Now there is still the topic of physical health that pastors deal with on a day to day basis. In a recent study that focused on United Methodist pastors from a LifeWay.com article entitled Pastors Face A Growing Health Crisis “United Methodist pastors involved in the studies have higher cholesterol, higher rates of asthma, and more hypertension than other Americans, according to the researchers. The cause appears to be obesity. Forty-one percent of United Methodist pastors are obese… compared to 29 percent of all Americans. And it’s not just Methodists who are overweight. The health risks for pastors are the same in most denominations.” The article goes on to say, “There really is an obesity epidemic among clergy. When you talk to the people who provide insurance for clergy in other denominations, they all say the same things.” Obesity isn’t the only risk factor for pastors. Stress, depression, and financial worries also take their toll.

Did you catch that first statistic? 41% of United Methodist pastors are obese. 41%! In the Nazarene denomination that I am serving, I would echo that number. While that number is surprising, the number of pastors that deal with other health issues are also alarming. Another study of South Carolinian African Methodist Episcopal pastors, “A majority of pastors were overweight or obese (93%) with hypertension (68%); half had two or more chronic health conditions, 35% had high cholesterol, 30% arthritis, and 20% diabetes. On average, pastors had a waist circumference that put them at an increased risk for disease.” How do we combat those statistics? How do we in ministry keep from becoming another number in a study? Most of us preach, speak, teach about the spiritual wellbeing of our congregation or flock but feel like if we talk about health matters we fear that we may step on peoples toes. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” I truly believe our temples include not only the heart and mind, but also the physical mind and physical body! But, if our bodies are to be the temple where the Lord is to dwell, used for His kingdom and for us to be His hands and feet, shouldn’t we encourage each other to maintain that temple?

In 2013, Tiffany and I learned about a company that has literally changed our lives. At this point, you’re probably thinking that this is where this becomes an advertisement or commercial. It is not. Please continue reading as I explain. This is yet another tool that is part of the greater story AND this is how we see God working to help restore pastors and their families physically as well as partially fund the vision of Restoration Farm. The company is Shaklee. The corporation was founded by Dr. Forrest Shaklee in 1956 and is the Number One Natural Nutrition Company in the United States. Dr. Shaklee experienced the “power of nature” in his own life, and wanted to share that power of “God’s pharmacy” (God’s created nature) with others. That “others” included us some 60 years later. As we began taking their products in 2013, we noticed some major positive health differences in our family. Please understand, in 2013 I was a youth pastor of a medium/small church, I was the only one earning an income as my wife was a stay-at-home mom to our boys. Money wasn’t something that we had much extra of, but we knew that (for our health sake) we had to do something. Although there are many ways the health of our family was transformed, here is my wife’s personal health testimony ….

I was sick. So very, very sick and I was crying out to Jesus desperately for an answer. I was a mom of two just trying to survive each day and fake my way through so I wouldn’t concern everyone. During AutoImmune, Neurological and cardiovascular testing I was not living what I would consider a “quality life”. Rheumatic Fever as a teenager set my body into a spiral that has been quite the journey of recovering from and one that I still continue to walk. 
Over the many years of this journey, along with His incredible hand, the Lord has blessed me with so many tools in my belt to begin turning my body & mind around. Between a couple incredible doctors, a nutritionist and the gift of amazing supplementation my life has become more and more of that “quality life” I’ve been striving for. 
I had tried a gamut of different kinds of therapy, medicines and even thorough supplementation. When I was introduced to Shaklee I heard one of their mottos “Changing brands can change your life”. My thoughts were “yea right”. So I set out to prove yet another system wrong… only this time, I was proved wrong. Within two weeks I started to notice little differences and as time went on, more and more differences. After a year or so of implementing these supplements into my day, during one of my doctors visits she looked at me and said “you’re a walking miracle my friend and you should be in a wheelchair”. 
While I am not claiming that this brand “healed anything” or “took away these diseases” or that I have a “magic answer”, I am proclaiming that changing brands literally did change my life and the way my body now functions. I truly believe that by incorporating into my day the many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and proteins that God intended us to ingest through our food has allowed my body to function the way He originally intended. Getting all of these vital nutrients in food alone is impossible when you look at the fact that eating one apple 100 years ago would be equal to having to eat 50 apples today.
Do I still struggle with my health now and then? Yes… both physically, mentally, emotionally  and sometimes even spiritually. If I didn’t, I would already be walking with my Jesus. But I am so thankful for the tool of this company and products the Lord has blessed us with and I can say it excites me to know how He is using my story and this gift of Shaklee to help transform lives over and over and over again. 
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2

So, how does this fit in on the vision of Restoration Farm? As I mentioned before, we see this as an avenue that God will use to help fund the ministry. As my wife continues to build her business through Shaklee, there is an income involved. We have a desire and calling to use that income to bless those who will come through Restoration Farm. Because we also have a vision to see the health of every pastor we come in contact with improve through natural nutrition, one portion of the vision of Restoration Farm is to provide some of the vitamins, supplements or other nutrition lines that Shaklee has to offer at a discount or even free of charge to those who we will minister to. Does this come as a cost to us? Yes. But, the gift of Shaklee is so important to us that we want to benefit others by allowing them the opportunity to experience the products themselves.

We have had several people asking how they could help to make Restoration Farm a reality soon. Honestly, beginning by taking care of your own health and taking part in Shaklee now will help make Restoration Farm a reality. Even if you already supplement, think about just changing brands. If you love the science and would like to know more about why “changing brands can change your life” check out https://shaklee.tv/the-science-behind-the-landmark . Concerning the care of your health or the health of your pastor and their family, you can visit http://www.inspiringrestoration.com and check out all that we have to offer. Share that site with your friends and family.

The truth about Restoration Farm and the reality of what we see God doing really revolves around providing a place for restoration to begin. If we can offer a night (or several nights) for a pastor and their family to retreat, we want to do that. If we can offer a place of retreat combined with a way to benefit their physical wellness, we most definitely want to do that. We believe that a pastor’s physical and mental well being can benefit from a place like Restoration Farm and so will their congregation.

Lord, there are many pastors that are under attack. Even now, I am not physically 100% but I want to lift up those brothers and sisters who are feeling the weight and pressure of the enemy wanting nothing more than see them give up and throw in the towel. God, this vision is nothing short of amazing and we want to see the numbers of pastors and church leaders who are giving up to decrease while the number of thriving pastors increases. Help us to be a source of your increase. Help Restoration Farm to be something that sources health, wellness and… restoration. May this dream be a reality for YOUR glory! Amen.


Committed

There are several words that I can think of to describe pastors. But topping the list would have to be the word committed. I know that if you have been in church for any length of time you may have encountered a pastor who didn’t seem very committed or just wasn’t committed at all. There are reasons for both of those that I will explain later. Just to be clear, I am referring to the dictionary’s definition that says: “bound or obligated to a person or thing, as by pledge or assurance; devoted”. To make double sure you understand, I am NOT talking about the definition that says: “placed in confinement (as in a mental institution)”. However, I’m sure that you have met a pastor that may seem like they belong in a mental institution… and I’ll also explain the reasons for that as well.

When I turned 5 or 6 years old, my parents had a birthday party for me. There were several kids from church and a few from the neighborhood that came. During the party I remember the house phone ringing and my dad going in to answer it. On the other end of the phone was a member of the church telling my dad that their loved one had a health issue and it looked like they weren’t going to make it but just a few more hours. My dad excused himself from the party and went to be with the family. He returned home a few hours later and the person hadn’t passed away. Actually, they didn’t pass away for quite some time. When this happened (and still to this day) I do not fault my father for leaving the party. He was pastoring a church where there was no other pastor(s) on staff. My mom was the church secretary and it was up to him to make sure that the congregation was cared for. He told this story to someone not long ago and said that if he had it to do over again, he would have just told the family to call him when they had finally died! I don’t think he would have actually said that but I believe that now he can look at certain situations through the lens of his experience and he knows how and when to respond. Nonetheless, he has always been committed to the congregation that was under his care.

Proverbs chapter 16 verse 3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” This passage is such a challenge and is equally hard to live out. So many times, as a pastor, you need to have a plan for the future. The church has a calendar and the more full the calendar, the more successful the church seems to be. But, in Thom Rainer’s book, Simple Church he sheds light on how untrue that myth is. See, many pastors live a life where if they are seen not doing something, leading something, visiting someone, praying with someone, getting coffee, lunch or dinner with someone, being at the church every time the doors are open, preparing for a preaching series, leading a mens bible study, leading a small group or even being at a birthday party or anniversary of your second cousins third child, they aren’t a good pastor. The expectations of pastors is a tall order. In the busyness of life, pastors take Proverbs 16:3 and live it in reverse. They are often forced to establish the plans and then commit those to the Lord in hopes that He will bless it. It’s a tough way to live that is different than any other vocation.

My sister is a nurse and I have many friends who work in the medical field. They are a committed group of people. They are committed to making their patients comfortable while they are at the hospital and they are committed to making sure the patient has the shortest stay in the hospital as possible. But, once the patient leaves the hospital, their level of commitment for that patient is done. You can find a lot of teachers who are committed. Many of them are only committed to their students during school hours. Few of them continue the commitment to the student’s learning after school hours are done. There are even fewer (if any) that are committed to their students learning during summer break. But not for pastors. Pastors have a deep commitment to their people from first breath to final breath. From the celebration of marriage to walking (sometimes) with that same couple through divorce. While many pastors have a “day off” very few pastors actually get to enjoy a true day off and even fewer have more than 1 “day off” a week. While you and your family plan a weekend getaway, Pastors are planning their Sunday service(s). Even though pastors get vacation time, many of them feel guilty for being away from their church over a Sunday morning.

To explain why many pastors don’t seem committed or just aren’t committed could be due to burnout. Burnout happens to many different people in different work situations. According to the Mayo Clinic, job burnout is a type of job stress in which you might feel physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. You might also question your career choice and the value of your contribution at work.  The top 10 occupations with high burnout rates are: Physician, Nurse, Social Worker, Teacher, School Principal, Attorney, Police Officer, Public Accountant, Fast Food and Retail. For some of you, this may be hard to understand or believe but many times a pastor has to wear the “hats” of many of the above-mentioned occupations in a day or a weeks time. So, if a pastor needs to prepare a message for Sunday and be the “social worker” or “teacher” for someone in his/her congregation, it wears them thin. Not to mention the many pastors who are bi-vocational and have to work through and wear the many hats of a pastor on top of their full time job. If these kinds of expectations happen day after day and week after week, you can understand how it could drive a pastor to become mentally unstable and fit the 2nd definition of the word committed.

How does Restoration Farm fit into this portion of a pastor’s life? Our desire is to prepare a place where a pastor and their family can come and get away from the pressures, stresses and demands of ministry. We have a heart for those pastors who are feeling overwhelmed, over worked and need time away. We know that the ministry of Restoration Farm will be a place where many find healing and restoration. There are other places out there that are doing a similar work but the cost of just one night at their facility could be as much as $250 for a family of 4. As a pastors son and now a pastor myself, I know that we couldn’t afford something like that when I was a kid and honestly can’t afford something like that now. Our desire is not to burden a pastors pocketbook as well as their mental capacity to figure out where the funds are going to come from to stay at Restoration Farm. We believe that God will set things in motion for this to be a free or minimal charge for someone in need. We also desire for the family to walk into the facility and be “wowed” while taking a sigh of relief. We know that God has blessed both Tiffany and I with the gift of this burden and to bless other pastors the way our families were at one time or another blessed. We both have a strong desire and commitment to see this happen. Much of what you are reading is the way that Tiffany and I are pursuing to follow after Proverbs 16:3. We want to commit this idea of Restoration Farm to Him and His Glory and let Him establish our plans. We understand that if we get this turned around in any way, it becomes about us and not about Him. We desire for Him to get the Glory, for His shepherds to continue to lead their flock and for their wellbeing to preach the Gospel.

Father God, I lift up those brothers and sisters who are struggling to serve you today. There are many who are going through their week and they are wondering if they have what it takes to make it to Sunday. They feel inadequate. They feel stressed and overworked. They sense that they are not as committed as they once were. I pray that you would go to them even now and give them the strength to make it through another week. I also pray that as you are continuing to form the vision of Restoration Farm in our hearts and minds that you would prepare the way for this to become a reality soon. Many are in need of personal restoration so that they can have personal time to be fed by you. Would you keep Tiffany and I committed to your call to lead Restoration Farm from a dream to the reality you want it to be. Keep us strong and help us to serve you and those who serve you well. Amen.

Results

When I was in middle school, I remember the science teacher handing out information on science fair projects. One particular year, the day the information was handed out, I was in a hurry to get started. I brought the info home, gave it to my mom and told her that we needed to go to the store so that we could get supplies to get the project done! She asked to see the paper I brought home and noticed that the due date wasn’t for 3 more months. But, we started the project within the next few days. That particular project took me to the state science fair “competition”. My project was on the ‘viscosity of motor oil’ to see if synthetic oil was worth the cost and to see if it lived up to the “hype” of the commercials on TV. It took me several weeks to get the testing down so that the results had comparable information. I remember thinking that this was the dumbest thing to do for the science fair. I knew that one of my friends was going to have some sort of volcano or a test to see which stain remover worked the best or even the test to see what the best method to transport an egg without it cracking would be. But no body (and I mean no body) brought in a 1/4″ plate of steel, several quarts of different motor oil, a propane torch and a piston to set up in front of their cardboard display! My science teacher (and the other judges) were impressed. Not by what I brought in, but by the testing and my results. I won the fair in our school and was sent to some sort of regional science fair and then went on to the state science fair. At the state science fair, I finished in 2nd place.

As I grew up, I was drawn to jobs that I could see the results of my labor. I worked on a farm from the 7th grade until after I graduated high school. Just about everything I did on the farm rendered immediate results. From cutting weeds out of soybean fields, turning over the ground with a disc or a plow, bush-hogging field edges and waterways to combining a field of wheat, corn or soybeans, you could see immediate results. After that I worked with a paint contractor. Every single job I did with him there were immediate results. I even started my own home renovation business before going to college and results were seen every single day. When I began school, results were shown in a different way. Tests were given to show the work you had done outside of the classroom. Projects were handed out and sometimes I would be placed in a group for a project. If you (or someone in your group) didn’t do the share of work for the project, you could tell. The group could tell and the professor could tell. I remember one class that the professor began with a simple question. “Someone tell me what your assigned reading covered last night.” Not one of us in the class had done the reading and no one answered the question. The results of our lack of reading were obvious. His response was classic. He slammed his book on the desk, stood up and pointed his finger at each of us and said, “If you all don’t put in the required work for this class, there’s no sense in me trying to teach today. But mark my words, there will be a test during our next class time and you better be ready!” After that, he walked out of class. We were stunned that 1) no one had done the reading and 2) that now we were going to have to make double sure we did the assigned reading from that day forward.

As I entered into ministry as a youth pastor, results changed again. There were no tests. There were no walls that got painted or patched on a daily basis. There weren’t even fields of dirt or grain to work. But ministry is still driven by results. As a pastor, the results are numeric. You feel the pull of the financial numbers being where they should and the number of full or empty seats week after week. Then there’s the number of people who attend or don’t attend bible studies, small groups, midweek activities, youth group, children’s ministries or any other ministries that are in place at a particular church. What most average church going people don’t understand is that, as a pastor, we report those numbers to our superior leaders. It’s a system of accountability that’s based on numbers to show results. As a kid, my father would have to go through a review. I was unaware as to how the review process worked at that time. I was informed recently that the way this process used to be conducted in the Nazarene Church was that the District Superintendent (his superior leader) would come in and hold an all church meeting and vote. In that moment, the church would vote to keep or let the lead pastor go. Talk about added stress to a pastors life! (I’m sure some pastor somewhere invested in Pepto-Bismol or Maalox due to those meetings…) Most of those votes that were cast were based on the results (or lack thereof) of the pastor in leadership of the church. Now, thankfully, those meetings aren’t held the same way. There is still a review process but it is handled more from the church leadership board rather than a whole church membership vote.

In the business world, results are needed, demanded and counted in different ways to check the effectiveness of a product or person. But far too often, in ministry the results that matter to the Kingdom of God aren’t realized until years later. Many times you never see what kind of Kingdom impact you are having until you resign and are getting ready to leave one church to go to another. While in that moment you are happy to see that all the work you did is finally bearing fruit, you realize that you may never be able to see the fruit grow to its harvest potential. The job of a pastor is tough. I think that I have gotten to a point in my ministry where I have realized and accepted that I may never see the full results of the work that I am putting in. And, in a weird way, I’m ok with it.

How does all this work in to the dream of Restoration Farm? While I know that I am a results driven person with a hard work ethic, I also know that what we will be doing with Restoration Farm we may never see results. I mean zero. Think about this. The idea of Restoration Farm is to bring pastors and their families in who are hurting or just need time away, minister to them in the short time they are on our property and then send them back to their church, community or place of ministry only to never visually see how God will use us in their Kingdom work. You would think that this would be a difficult thing for me seeing as I am results driven person. Here’s “the deal” that I have come to accept with this idea of ministry… it is not about me. It must never become about me. Even the role in the current church I am serving in now isn’t about me! The thing that drives me toward a ministry like this is knowing how much of a needed thing it is. I know that that there are pastors out there that will benefit in their local context of ministry by having a place that will not burden them financially to come to and be better when they leave. Here are some more results from a study that I keep on my desktop as a solid reminder of the need for Restoration Farm: 97% of pastors have been betrayed, falsely accused or hurt from their “trusted” friends. 70% of pastors battle depression. 7,000 churches close each year. 1,500 pastors quit each month. 80% of pastors feel discouraged. 94% of pastors families feel the pressure of ministry. 78% of pastors have no close friends. 90% of pastors report working 55-75 hours per week.

If you are reading this and you’re not in ministry, I challenge you to stop now and pray for your pastor. If you are a pastor and you’re reading this, just know I am praying with and for you.

Lord, this is a big dream. It is bigger than me. It’s bigger than my family. It’s bigger than what we could ever dream of it to be. This is a God-sized dream and only you can fulfill it! Help us to never think that we can do it. Help me to always rely on you to see Restoration Farm become a physical place of healing for pastors and their families. Lord, help the results of Restoration Farm to be so far reaching that when we see you face to face, the Kingdom of Heaven will be flooded with those pastors and people that benefited because of it. Lord, it’s not about me and it can never be about me. I ask you to stay in the forefront of this dream to make it a reality in your time. Thank you for giving the dream to us and we pray that this ministry would benefit thousands for your Kingdom. May the results only bring glory to you, Amen.

Covered In Prayer

As a kid, I distinctly remember coming into the living room or coming downstairs early in the morning to find my dad, on his knees in front of the recliner, praying. There was nothing odd about it. As I grew up and had to get up earlier for school or work, I would walk into the same situation early in the morning. My father continues to model that lifestyle today. I firmly believe that one of the things he lives out is Psalms 5:3, “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” I have heard stories about Tiffany’s father, Don, who will wake up early and begin his day with prayer as well. In the relatively short time that I have known Don, I have witnessed him up early (and sometimes late) sitting in his chair, with his prayer shaw over his shoulders lifting up his wife, daughter, sons, grandchildren and even us “in-laws”. Having that lifestyle of prayer modeled to us as kids and as adults is truly invaluable. There are not a whole lot of people that I have met that just absolutely love getting up early. Mostly because they stay up too late… but most people just don’t enjoy it. However, there’s something to it.

Since transitioning out of youth ministry into an administrative role, I have been challenged to wake up early, have my quiet time and pray. My alarm goes off at 5:15am and I do my best to be up. Some days are easier than others. But, in the quietness of the morning, there aren’t any distractions. My 2 boys aren’t up yet, my brain isn’t in a hurry to focus on anything else and I don’t have the pressures of the day to worry about just yet. Psalm 90:14 says, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” I think that’s just what He does. If we seek Him early, the priorities of the rest of the day are already ordered and fall in place after Him. He satisfies us early in the morning if we’ll just spend the time with Him. I have learned that putting anything else before this time with Him only puts God in 2nd place. If I put Him in 2nd place, everything else is just out of whack all day.

For some reason, it is hard to get people together to pray. I have worked with my father on several different occasions to try to organize specific times of prayer where people can come together and pray for a specific theme or focus. The number of people that show up to our monthly prayer time averages around less than 10% of the total congregation. Less than 10%… In a Barna study, he says that “Americans believe that prayer works. 6 out of 10 adults (56% say they are “absolutely certain” that prayer really makes a difference in their lives. An additional 1 out of 4 adults (23%) are “somewhat certain.” Overall, this is 8 out of 10 people who remain at least partially persuaded that prayer has the power to affect their lives in a real way. Interestingly, one out of five people who pray perceive prayer to be a gamble. They contended that they have no assurance or confidence in the power of prayer to make a difference, but they are hopeful it will work on their behalf. ” He goes on to say that, “For most people, prayer is not a prolonged activity. The average amount of time adults spend in prayer is about 5 minutes. Overall, the study discovered that 1 out of 14 people (7%) who pray claim their average prayer time lasts between 15 and 30 minutes: another 6% stated that they usually prayed for more than 30 minutes each time they pray.” ~ Absolute Confusion, George Barna.

So, 8 out of 10 people say that prayer can change their lives but only 1 out of 14 people spend about 5 minutes doing something that can change their life. Does that shock you, challenge you or make you think about your prayer life? Where do you fit on those numbers? The process of being called to do something like Restoration Farm has definitely challenged and strengthened my prayer life. My time in the morning is split between lifting up my family and lifting up the burden of Restoration Farm and those who need the benefits of what God will do through it.

The bottom line is that prayer is important. The time we spend praying is important. As a matter of fact, in order to get anything done that God is challenging you to do takes a lot of prayer and conversation with Him. Remember what Jesus says in John 15:5 says? He reminds us that “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Remaining in Him happens through prayer. If we begin to believe the lie that we can do Kingdom things under our own power, we begin to stray away from Him. The ultimate result in that ends with nothing.

At Restoration Farm, we want to bear fruit. The fruit we hope to bear will come a little different than most conventional ways to see fruit grow. We want pastors to be able to continue to serve Christ to the best of their God-given abilities and bear fruit in their local churches. We are praying now that Restoration Farm will be the place that brings healing, reconciliation and restoration to lives, ministries, families and congregations. We believe that making sure Restoration Farm is covered in praying BEFORE there is a physical building or property; it will be like waking up in the early morning to start our day off with prayer. This can only result in “remaining in Him” as the days progress. Praying now will help us to stay on target with what Christ wants for Restoration Farm in the future.

So, what does this mean for you? How can you help? We need a group… no, a team of prayer warriors who will join us in doing the only thing we know how to do in this time. We don’t know what the physical next step will be but we know that there won’t be one without prayer. We need you to pray for God-sized doors to open up so that this dream will become a reality. We need you to pray for our family. Pray that God would help all of us to “remain in Him” as He continues to call us to greater things. Pray that finances would be set in place before the need arises. Pray for the lives that will be changed through pastors and families that will come through Restoration Farm. Pray for all that and the many unknown things that will come up along the way. Will you join our team of prayer warriors?

Lord, thank you! Thank you for prayer and the ability to speak directly with a God who hears us, knows us, loves us and cares for us. Thank you for being there, always. You know the desires of our hearts. Help Tiffany and I to always remain in you. You are the source that we need to seek in the now and the days ahead. Help us to put you first. Help our hearts and minds to be one with yours in prayer. Continue to call us and lead us when things seem crazy. Help us to keep our eyes on you as we seek to follow your call and serve others. Help our minds to be focused on your Kingdom and how you desire Restoration Farm to bear fruit and to be a place that helps pastors further your Kingdom in their local church! Keep reminding us that we’re crazy if we don’t follow the dream you’ve given us. We don’t know how you’re going to establish Restoration Farm, but we know you will! Amen!

A Stand of Aspen

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a friend of mine who lived in Grand Canyon Village, Arizona. He was the guidance counselor for the Grand Canyon Unified School District. He and his wife had moved from Ohio to Arizona after he graduated with his masters degree to start the job of being a school counselor. He and I were close friends. He and his wife were some of my youth ministry leaders on Wednesday nights and they taught our Junior High Sunday School class. When they left our church, I felt like I had lost my best friend and brother. About a year into their stay in Arizona, he called me with some disturbing news. In short, he told me that his wife had left him. After we hung up the phone, I talked with my wife and felt compelled to go out and stay with him for a while and I booked my trip. Much of the trip was just spent talking about what happened. I did my best to just be a listening ear and to do what I could to walk with my friend through this tough situation. We prayed together… a lot, laughed a lot and just spent some time together. On one of the last days I was there, he asked me if I’d like to go on a hike. He and some of his friends planned a hike through the Coconino National Forrest outside of Flagstaff. I didn’t know what I was in for. A few days before we walked down into the Grand Canyon, but this was different.

As we started our hike, the weather was pleasant and warm. As we made our way up, we had to stop a few different times to layer up. It wasn’t too long until we made it past the timber line and there was absolutely zero vegetation and the air was more thin than I was used to breathing. The view was amazing. As we made it to the top of the mountain, some 12,000 feet above sea level, we noticed there was a storm moving in. We quickly took some pictures (for proof that we made it!) and began the 10 mile decent. It’s crazy what you notice on the way down that you didn’t see going up. As we neared the foothills, I looked out into a clearing and saw a beautiful stand of Aspen trees. I never noticed them when we started. The stand was very tall and thick. The way they were growing looked as if someone had planted them there in the specific location making sure the trees has some boundaries.

Several years went by and I was talking with a dendrologist (someone who has an in depth knowledge of trees) about specific trees. He mentioned that Aspen trees grow through root sprouts or “suckers”. Basically, their root system sprouts a new tree… or clumps of trees. These trees grow from one another creating a very “tightly woven” root structure. This root structure gives added strength to the relatively soft trunk of the tree. Because of their root system, they are rarely uprooted due to wind or storms. However, if a forrest fire moves through, their root system is able to help them reproduce new growth rather than solely relying on seeds to be formed and dropped from a standing tree so that it can be planted to sprout and grow.

As I began to look into how the Aspen trees grow, I noticed that they don’t have a long lifespan compared to other trees. According to the U.S. Forrest Service, “Aspen are medium-sized deciduous trees, commonly 20 to 80 feet in height, and 3 to 18 inches diameter. Trees more than 80 feet tall and larger than 24 inches diameter are occasionally found… Aspen trees usually do not live more than 150 years, though they may persist more than 200 years.” When you compare that to an oak tree that can live some 300-600 years and have the potential to grow to 9 feet in width, the Aspen really isn’t all that impressive in it’s visible size. But its root system is special.

I can’t help but think about pastors in ministry and relate them to the stand of Aspen I saw when I visited Arizona. The average tenure of a pastor in the United States is anywhere from 5-7 years. Many pastors don’t feel like they are connected with a “root system”. In a 2018 study from Pastoral Care Inc. they noted that 27% of pastors report not having anyone to turn to for help in a crisis situation. 70% of pastors do not have someone they consider to be a close friend. 84% of pastors desire to have close fellowship with someone they can trust and confide with. 66% of churches have no lay counseling support. And, 1 out of every 10 pastors will actually retire as a pastor.

In my lifetime as a pastors son, a youth pastor and now being on staff with my father, I have realized that these numbers are somewhat shockingly true. There have been times even for me where I just wanted someone I could talk to, confide in, be honest with and just share my heart. But the reality is that most of the people I would do that with are the people in which I am ministering to/with in the church I am/was serving. And, when you bear your heart with the people you serve, you run the risk of scaring them, cause them to leave the church or you simply tie the noose that is tailored to your own neck.

I believe that what God is doing in my heart and how He wants to establish Restoration Farm, is simply, to establish a root system for the men and women in ministry. I believe that when we work together to support one another, the whole Church and the Kingdom of God wins. If the root system is healthy and linked, the whole “stand” of Pastors is healthy, cared for and supported. Part of the dream that God has given us is to connect pastors to other pastors, retired pastors, counselors and missionaries who have served or are serving in a similar role. Each pastor involved starts to build a root system that nourishes and strengthens the other so that when a “fire” or “storm” blows through, it is harder for the other to give up, “die” or be overcome by their circumstance. Our dream is to use Restoration Farm as the common ground to bring pastors together for healing, support, conversation, counseling and building relationships that keep pastors following their call. I also believe that Satan wants nothing more than the opposite of what I have listed above. Will it be easy? No. Will it come without struggle? Definitely not. Is it necessary? Undoubtedly! Just look at the statistics.

You may be wondering what happened to my friend and his wife. I am extremely happy to say that God has done an amazing work and a miracle in their lives. They got back together several months after I spent time with him. They realized the best thing for their marriage was to move away from Arizona. He got a new position in Texas and since moving there they have gotten involved in serving at their local church, they have 3 kids and God is blessing their marriage! God is good!

God, as I sit and think about the many times that it would have been easy for me to give up and go a different direction, I am so glad I didn’t. You have had your hand on my life in a real way and I cannot deny your grace and mercy. But today, Lord, there are pastors out there who do not have a support system like I had. They have no one to talk to or confide in and they feel like they are alone. They feel like they are doing the best they can and it doesn’t seem like it’s enough. I pray that they find your strength in their weakness. I pray that as you continue to lay out the vision and dream of Restoration Farm in mine and Tiffany’s hearts, you make a way for it to become a reality. I have no idea how you will do it, but I know you will. I know your people will be better served if their pastors have a way to become more like a stand of Aspen, rooted together in You. Thank you for this dream. Thank you for giving us this vision. May it be used to strengthen and build your Kingdom. Amen

A Safe Place

When I was about 8 or 9 years old, my dad was a pastor outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. From my perspective, as a kid, this was a great church. Still to this day I have some pretty vivid memories of the people, the church building, the street the church was located on and even the parsonage that we lived in. Looking back, the church seemed healthy. There were some good people who cared about our family.

While living there for several years, I began to develop friends. I played on a baseball team. Our kids ministry was pretty good on Sundays and there were several families with kids my age. One day, a friend from church invited me over to spend the night on a Friday and my parents agreed. The family had been attending our church for some time and seemed to be a good family. Their son was my age and his younger sibling was just a few months old. It was towards the end of the school year and the weather was starting to warm up. I remember it being warm enough to be on the play set in their back yard until it got dark. They had a newer home that was well kept and nicely decorated inside and out. After we had dinner that night, I had washed up and was ready for bed. Right before bed, my friend and I had made our way to the kitchen for a snack. While we were downstairs, his parents were upstairs putting the baby to bed.

All of the sudden, I heard a loud noise upstairs. (** As I write this and recall those memories, I can feel my heart beat begin to accelerate and my stress level begin to rise.) We ran upstairs to see what was going on. When we made it to the top of the stairs and turned to go into the baby’s room, I remember seeing the mom, holding the baby and getting shoved through the air. She landed on the baby’s crib, smashing it to pieces. I was freaked out! I froze. I then saw a “Little Tikes” plastic hammer flying through the air toward her. Luckily it missed her and hit the wall. It penetrated the drywall and stuck. As my friend and I ran downstairs, I heard his mom yell out, “Call 911!!!”. When we got to the bottom of the stairs we headed into the kitchen. He grabbed the phone, hanging from the wall and called 911. As soon as he started to answer the operator, his dad made it to the kitchen and ripped the phone off the wall throwing it into the dining room and ran back upstairs. We were so scared! The next few moments were a complete blur for me. But, I remember hiding in their coffee table. The coffee table was a bigger, bulky table that had sliding doors on either end that you could store things. I slid the doors open and crawled inside. I don’t know how long I was in there, but I didn’t come out until I heard the voice of a police officer calling my name. Someone notified my parents and they were outside waiting with the police and EMT’s. I was escorted out to the safety of my parents car and we went home.

I don’t remember talking with my parents about that night after it happened. I don’t remember “debriefing” it at all. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember ever seeing my friend again. But the memories of that night, some 30 years ago, are still vivid in my mind.

In that moment of being freaked out and scared, I needed a safe place to get away. That bulky coffee table was it. It was the only place that an 8 or 9 year old could think to hide to get away from what was going on. For pastors and their families, there aren’t too many places like that for them. No, I’m not talking about a bulky coffee table or even a bunker dug into the ground somewhere. I’m talking about a place where a family can get away from the situation they find themselves in and be a family. Sometimes pastors families need to “debrief” the things going on in their lives. Sometimes pastors need a person “on the outside” of their ministry that they can talk and relate to. They need someone who they can confide in and listen to them. As a matter of fact, so does the family.

I believe that is why the Holy Spirit gave the dream of Restoration Farm to my wife and I. We desire for a safe place for pastors and their families to go when the need may arise. We don’t want it to be a last resort. We want it to be something that those who are in ministry can utilize any time. We want a safe place. We have a dream for this to be a place where people can come to and find restoration in the midst of serving the Lord and the people they are called to. Ministry isn’t easy. It has it’s good days and tough days, just like any other job. But sometimes, when pastors go on vacation, they really can’t get away and relax and find that safe place that won’t cost them an arm and a leg. We believe Restoration Farm will be that “safe place” for many.

Lord, today I pray for those families that you will use us to impact. Restoration Farm is bigger than the Dennis family. The impact that it has the potential to make is only realized in light of Your Kingdom. Help Tiffany and I to be faithful to this call that you are leading us to. We have a desire to follow Your lead and go where You will send us. Lord, we lift up those pastors who need a place like this right now. Strengthen and encourage them even now as they serve You. Continue to help Tiffany and I to be faithful to see Your vision through. Amen

The First Of Many

Just breathe…

 “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.” –Hudson Taylor

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. I’m not exactly sure what each post will look and sound like at this point. But, what I do know is that my family and I are on a journey. The journey is to follow as close to Christ as we can and stay in step with Him. We have heard His call and we are following. It’s going to be a wild ride! All my life I have been in ministry. I am a pastors son. I grew up in a pastors home. I have seen what ministry (good and bad) does to parents who are teammates. I went to school to study ministry. I married a pastors daughter… (yup, our 2 boys are doomed!) I was a youth pastor for 16 years and now serve as the administrative pastor at the church where my father is our lead pastor. It’s in my blood. It’s in my heart. Ministry runs deep. So, to say that my wife and I have a heart for pastors doesn’t really say it well enough. Tiffany and I will celebrate our 16th anniversary in 2 days. Around about the time we celebrated our 13th anniversary, God laid something big on our hearts. He wants us to start a ministry for ministers. We don’t have everything nailed down. We don’t have unlimited resources at our disposal. We don’t know what the next step will be. But what we do know is this, “when God involves you in his activity, the assignment will have God-sized dimensions to it.” (Henry Blackaby) We know that the way that we are serving Him now will be completely different in the future. Restoration Farm will be a place of wholistic restoration for a pastor, their spouse and their family. Whether they are going through a moral failure, family struggles or just need some time away, Restoration Farm will be that place. We know first-hand that pastors don’t get paid nearly enough for the time they put in and, in most cases, they can’t afford a family vacation. We have seen how the one place where people should receive Grace (the church) sometimes can become a place where Grace isn’t extended… even to their leaders. We want to be a conduit of Grace and the place and ministry we have a desire to start will be just that.

Does this mean that we are leaving our current place of ministry? No. We will faithfully serve Him wherever He leads us for as long as He has us there. That’s the way it is and has always been in my ministry. Our desire is only to follow in His Footsteps.

So, where do we go from here? That is a great question. I met with someone yesterday to discuss our dream. The first bit of advice he gave me was to surround myself with prayer warriors. If you would like to join Tiffany and I in prayer, we beg you to do so. If you decide to pray for us, please let us know! We know that without prayer, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The second piece of advice he gave me was, “cast big nets”. God’s dreams for us are bigger than we can imagine and casting bigger nets only leads us to His bigger dreams. But, as for now, we will pray, listen, follow and just breathe…

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Who am I?

My name is Paul. I am a man who does his best to follow Christ and His leading. I am married to Tiffany. She is an unbelievable teammate and I can’t imagine doing life with anyone else. We have 2 boys, Vaden and Truett. They are as different as their hair color and both of them give us countless reasons to get out of bed, laugh, get upset and also give us ways to see our Heavenly Father through them each day.

My intention for this blog is to bring you on our journey. We have received a call from God and have chosen to answer that call to go wherever He leads us.

This blog is for anyone to read. But, to fully understand what may be said, I encourage you (if you haven’t) to accept Jesus as your personal savior. To be able to understand what phrases like, “called by God”, or “following His leading” or even “being obedient to His will”, I don’t know if you would be able to fully understand those terms without having a personal relationship with Christ. If you have questions on how to do that, let me know. I’d be happy to lead you through that.