How to maintain your family while traveling for ministry.
A young pastor/evangelist wrote me the following letter from a Central American country:
"I am a pastor and frequently hold evangelistic crusades in various countries in Central America. Every time I leave home, my wife turns into a hermit. She spends most days at her mother's house with our two children, watches too much TV and has even stopped going to church until I return. She resents my being away from home! What can I do, short of giving up my true love, which is itinerant evangelism?"
Some preachers, while away from home, have gotten involved in pornography through movies on TV or in extreme cases even in immorality. No wonder Paul's warns us in 1 Corinthians 7, "Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control" (7:5 NLT).
In my 50 years with the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association I have averaged between 30- 50% of the year away from my family. During that time, I have learned some principles on how to maintain a good family life and still fulfill your ministry which calls you away from them. The purpose of this article is to suggest some principles that will help a minister fulfill his calling, while still maintaining a godly family life.
Calling is Crucial. Firstly, it is important that both husband and wife have God's call on their lives. If both husband and wife do not sense that same call, difficulties will be magnified when the evangelist is away from his family. This may lead to resentment, which the writer of Hebrews says is contagious ...
from Christianity Today Magazine
via
