Pastor urges editors to plan leisure

By Tony W. Cartledge

BR Editor

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - State Baptist editors should learn to recognize when they need to take a break, a prominent pastor said.

Jim Henry, pastor of First Baptist Church, Orlando, spoke twice to editors during a gathering of state Baptist executives and editors meeting in Fort Lauderdale Feb. 15-18.

Basing his initial comments on "the feeding of the 5,000" in Mark 6, Henry talked about "Living beyond your circumstances."

"Jesus is aware of our circumstances," Henry said, just as He knew the disciples were tired and needed a break. We get tired and need to come apart, especially as we get older, and learn to enter a "ministry of leisure," he said.

A ministry of leisure must be earned, but learning to get away refreshes people to do their job better when they return, he said.

"Nobody in seminary ever taught me and no pastor ever mentored me" to take time away, Henry said, noting that his wife finally persuaded him that it was important. Henry said he "hit the wall" in 1983 due to excessive job demands, and recognized the need for a sabbatical. It took a month just to wind down and relax, he said. Finally, a day came when he sat on the porch of a mountain cabin and spent an entire afternoon watching ants disassemble a wasp's carcass. "I realized I had never taken the time to watch God at work," he said.

Henry now tells younger staff to plan their leisure just like they plan anything else.

Jesus understands that circumstances change, Henry said, as when thousands of people sought Jesus, who had compassion on them and realized they were hungry. "Jesus cares about our circumstances," Henry said, and wants to help us - but He also puts us in circumstances where we need to help ourselves. The disciples thought there was no way to feed the crowds, but Jesus used the opportunity as an object lesson to teach the disciples that just as God fed the Israelites in the wilderness, He could provide nourishment in the present.

Jesus often works through other people, Henry said, such as the little boy who contributed the loaves and fish. "There will be times when God will use other people in our circumstance to assist us in it and through it," he said. The help may come from unexpected places or people, but that's a part of God's serendipity, he added.

Whatever our circumstance, we should learn to give it back to God, Henry said, and learn to be blessed by trusting Him for what happens. As we do, we will be blessed, not only by the results, but also by the leftovers. After leading the disciples to assist in blessing others, Jesus blessed the disciples with a basket of leftovers each.

"No matter what you face in life, if you give it to Jesus, he will always have some leftovers for you," Henry said. "If it matters to you, it matters to him."

Henry also talked about the challenges of prayer and belief. Speaking from the story of Jesus' healing of a child who suffered from epilepsy and demon possession (Mark 9:14-29), Henry noted that the father and the disciples struggled with issues of belief and prayer.

"Come to Jesus with your doubts," Henry said. "Don't just lie there with the other paralyzed people." If there were no room for doubt, there would be no room for us, Henry said. Like Thomas, we can bring our "question marks" and put them on the table.

Afterward, the disciples asked Jesus why they had been unable to cast out the demon.

There are two kinds of faith, Henry said: little faith and great faith. Having something in hand and believing God provided it is little faith; not having what one needs but trusting God to provide it is great faith, he said. Both the father and the disciples had little faith, but Jesus challenged them to have greater faith.

Jesus' response to the father: "everything is possible to him who believes" (Mk. 9:23), is one of the most abused verses in the Bible, Henry said. Faith is important, but does not guarantee that God will do what we want Him to do: He may want to handle it in a different way. The disciples seem to have had faith in a formula, rather than God, Henry said. Jesus told the disciples that prayer was necessary, implying that they had failed to pray.

Henry talked about praying before two rounds of a speaking tournament in high school, but trusting his ability rather than praying before the third round, where he was voted down and on the verge of elimination. "I went to the men's room and repented," Henry said, asking God to help him do his best in the final round. Whether he won or not was not as important as that he learned a lesson, he said.

Polls say 87 percent of people say they believe God answers prayer, but far fewer actually pray, Henry said. Prayer, like e-mail, is a two-way communication: God speaks to us, and expects us to speak to Him, he added.

Henry said he had learned several things about prayer:

1) Schedule prayer. Having a regular time for prayer is not just ritualistic, but shows discipline. Like an athlete who schedules regular workouts, believers should plan to pray, he said. Both Daniel and the Psalmist prayed three times per day, and we should also schedule times for prayer, Henry said.

2) Pray sincerely. Being honest with God is important. "Just talk to God," he said, and look for opportunities to pray out loud.

3) Pray persistently. Don't just pray once and quit, but keep asking, seeking, knocking. "Pray stubbornly," Henry said, noting that Paul said, "pray without ceasing." Believers should live with a prayerful attitude, offering brief prayers to seek God's guidance throughout the day. "The more you do that, the more you see God working in your life to build your faith," he said.