An Aside on the Assault.

This week I've been writing so, so much.  

And every time I write, I have discovered that there is even more to say.  So much more that needs to be said--and increasingly more that needs to be done.  I have more posts that will be coming.  Maybe not with the same (daily) frequency, but there is plenty more that is left to be said on this enormous subject.

Let me be clear:  I'm just a girl who has married a minister.  My college degree didn't come from a religious institution.  My knowledge is limited to life experience and the experiences of those in my husband's field of work.  I don't have all the answers, I might not have any of the answers.  But I know a light needs to be shed on this subject.

When these posts began rolling around in my heart, I thought that perhaps these issues that our ministers face were a localized issue.  Imagine my surprise and heartache when I received messages from all over the country about the same pain.  From different regions, from different denominations, from different walks, and from different situations.  I have had friends and acquaintances and strangers share and respond to these words.  And they echoed the need for change, they echoed the need for strength, and every last one of them have indicated a great need for healing in our churches and for our ministry families.

These words aren't my words.  Yes, they are ones that I've written and published, but I'm merely the messenger speaking on the behalf of the men and the women in the trenches.  I've prayed constantly that these posts were things that needed to be said, but that the Lord would use them for good.  I haven't written any of these words from a place of resentment or anger or for personal gain.  But, as I stated in an earlier post, as a way to speak to, and for, those who cannot always speak for themselves.

There is something sinister seeping into our churches and taking ahold of the hearts of the congregation.  There is something that is reaching into our darkest parts and grabbing hold--and we're having a hard time shaking it loose.  I don't know exactly what it is for your particular church or for you, but I do know where, or more specifically whom, it's coming from.

Don't forget that the battle has already been won.  

You must pray for your church.  You must pray for your ministers.  You must pray for your congregation and your community.  You must pray for the children that will be carrying this battle long after we have passed.  Pray for a healing at your church and in your congregation.  Pray for direction and momentum.  Pray for strength.  And, if you feel like things are going well, get on your knees right now and pray that pride and complacency will flee from your congregation and from your heart.

This is no time to sit back and let the cards fall where they will.  This is a time and a generation that needs hope.  Look at any news channel--the news is rarely good, and it's only getting worse by the minute.  We need to point the world towards the Answer they are looking for, rather than huddling up and keeping it all to ourselves.

Stand firm, church.  

To be continued. . .