I am thrilled that God has allowed our lives to be joined for this past period of time; That in that time we have been able to grow in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and our outreach to others that God has entrusted to us.
As God has seen fit for you to now launch into your own unique ministry, I wanted to leave you with some advice on things I have learned in ministering for him to help you be prepared for this new chapter in life.
First be faithful to God’s word and love being in it, not just in preparation for you time of teaching, but also in personal one on one time with Him. The times when you have someone to pastor and mentor you will grow less and less and you must allow God to touch your heart and life pastorally in that personal one on one time.
Be faithful to that Word. Be careful to teach it as God recorded it and not how you would want it to be. Be careful to not project into it things that are not there, even when you wish they were.
Remember and protect your family. Your ministry to them is essential. They will need your love and protection as they, your wife and children, will become easy targets for those who wish to do harm to your ministry. Attacking them is easier than a frontal attack on you. Cherish your wife and seek her counsel. God has given her a gift to see roadblocks that you are blind too. She will help navigate the rough waters that blow in. She will realize, before you do, when a personal course correction is needed. Cherish her as God’s gift to you.
Surround yourself with Godly men that can help you with the heavy lifting just as I had in you. Pour most of your personal ministry time into them and charge them to do the same with others in your group. Out of this group of men will be the ones that God raises up to develop new areas of ministry or even your replacement, so God can move you on to other areas of ministry for Him.
Don’t expect a lot of personal praise to come your way. Most of your efforts will go unnoticed by those you are reaching. Remember that your efforts are not for your own glory and satisfaction, but for God’s. Take satisfaction, knowing that each and every effort you put for for God is seen by God and will be used by Him for His purposes.
Know that as long as I am here on earth I am available to you. Find another one of you and enjoy watching him grow until he is ready to be launched into his own separate area of ministry. Take joy in the celebration of that launch as I am now doing in your launch.
Chuck Hambling
Ft Myers, FL
