Sweet Spots

Since many of you have read my post several years, you know that I am a chocoholic.  I love that wonderful rich, sweet tasting treat.  However, I want to talk about another sweet today and ask you a question.  Do you have special sweet spot where you have served in ministry?

Over our thirty plus years in ministry, my family has had several sweet spots in ministry.  Each one has its own special memory and always makes us smile and miss the people we have served.  I can honestly say that we even find sweet spots in some of our more difficult ministry locations.  If you would allow me, I would love to share a couple of my favorite sweet spots of ministry.

Our first church out of seminary will always be a favorite.  We were young yet this church filled with godly, country people loved us dearly.  Our oldest son developed a love of nature and even learned to call the cows in from the fields.  When our youngest son was born, he was a “native” Texan and became the church baby.  We watched this small, rural church learn to reach out in its community to reach the lost.  Over the years we have had the opportunity to return to our “roots in ministry” and we are always greeted with open arms.

In one church we served at in Arkansas, we became heavily involved in the community.  Our sons literally grew up in this Northwest Arkansas town.  The church was a center point of activity and served the community.  Football was a way of life as well.  Both of our sons played on the junior high and high school teams and my husband became the play by play radio announcer for the teams.  On Thursday and Friday nights the entire town filled the stadium to support their Bearcats.  It was there in those stands that outreach was done.  When God moved us away to another ministry, many people who had not been in church had found a church home.  Now that is a sweet spot in ministry!

Another place that brings sweet memories was our time in Nashville, Tennessee.  We love everything about Tennessee from the beauty of nature in the surrounding countryside, the big city life, and the friendliness of the people.  We developed some very deep and long-lasting friendships in the church and across the state.  It is where God planted a passion in my heart for ministering to ministers’ wives which I have carried back to Arkansas.  Even though at times the church faced power struggles like most churches, it was and is a church that desires to reach its community for Christ.  Now that is pure sweetness!

Where God has now planted us back in Arkansas is another sweet spot in ministry.  We know without a doubt this is where God needs us.  The senior adults are looking at the future of the church.  We are seeing young families join our congregation because they see the church investing in their children.  A few weeks ago my husband asked that the preschoolers to be brought on stage at the beginning of the morning service.  As these sweet babies marched in, each person in the congregation had huge smiles on their faces.  From my bird’s eye view from the choir loft, I saw excitement in what God is doing in our church at this time in history. Oh yes sisters, this is a special sweet spot in our ministry and I love it!

We all too often look at the down side of ministry.  We focus on the bad and fail to remember the sweetness.  So my dear sisters, do you have a sweet spot in ministry?  If so please share with us.