Encouragement - a kind of lifeline

October was Pastor Appreciation month, which I think might have been made up by the Greeting Card industry.  But that's a different story.

I got a couple of cards, some cookies, and a few hugs.  And I loved them all.

I also have a drawer behind my workspace which has a file full of cards that have encouraged me through the years.  I do not pull it out often, but on occasion stick my head down there and poke around a little bit.  I do that because there are times when being a pastor is hard and I need some encouragement.  Not that other people in other positions don't need encouragement too, but I'll get to that more in just a second.

So for all church goers, how about a quick note or email of encouragement to the staff member of your choice?  For all Heritage Park family, please don't take this as a plea from me for more inbox material or an ego-stroke.  If you're a member of Heritage Park, please pick out one of our awesome other ministers and send them a note.

And finally, how about a note or word of encouragement to others in your life?  A coworker, a spouse, a kid, a parent, a grocery checker, a Sunday School teacher, or someone else?  And don't simply be positive, although that's good.  Instead, I challenge you to encourage them in the Lord, meaning you point them to Him in some way.  Other people in other walks of life certainly need the same kind of lifeline because their lives get hard from time to time too.  How many notes, conversations, texts, or emails do they get that do the exact opposite of encouragement, especially of encouragement in the Lord?

Try it and see what happens!