The Little Things Make The Difference pt. 2

I'm committed more than ever to love my wife extravagantly and to be a great dad to my kids. I am highly committed to not put the ministry before my family. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I'm not using my family as a crutch not to work hard. I work extremely hard. I don't believe in being lazy or having lazy people on my team. I'm a big believer in going the extra mile. I invest a lot of time and energy into People's Church, but I will not let People's Church destroy the family that God has so graciously blessed me with. If I take care of my family, I really believe God will take care of HIS church. Here are some things I do to put my family first:

1. Besides my weekly Community Group and my monthly meeting with the board, I rarely have evening appointments. I normally eat dinner with my family 5 to 6 nights a week.

2. I guard my off days so that I can spend time hanging out with my family.

3. I am not accepting many outside speaking engagements so that I can invest in my family. Plus, I hate being away from my kids and ESPECIALLY MY WIFE!

4. I'm going to speak between 35 to 42 times a year at People's Church and have other qualified communicators share the speaking load with me. This not only helps me to be a more effective husband and dad, but it also makes me a more effective pastor and communicator. I also need time to be refreshed, to plan and to dream about the future.

5. I take my wife on a date night every other week. I take my kids and wife on a family date night once a week. I'm taking my wife on three getaways without the kids in 2008.

6. My family and I take a few weeks vacation to enjoy each other and to recoup from the grind of ministry.

All of the above are little things, but THE LITTLE THINGS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!