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Identifying Priorities

The pressure to succeed by secular standards rather than by biblical guidelines is subtle and often insidious.

Consider the pastor with a priority.

At 8:30 on Tuesday morning he's at his desk, refreshed, motivated, and abounding with energy to tackle what he considers his most pressing problem. His church sits at the edge of a growing medical complex in a southern city with a large ratio of retirees. The potential—yea, the need—for ministering to these people weighs on him. Very little has been done.

Now he sees some light. One gifted leader has volunteered to get involved. A businessman on the board has hinted he would give heavily to support such a ministry. The board itself has endorsed the idea, and dozens of church members have signed "I'm interested in helping" cards. One person added an enthusiastic note to the card.

So with yellow pad in hand, our hero considers his priorities for the week:

1. Call the businessman; have lunch soon. Too bad! He just left for two weeks in Hawaii.

2. Call the board chairman; light a fire under him. The board chairman must wear asbestos pants. He wants ...

March
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