Life outside the pulpit again

Our ministry, both within and outside the pulpit, is only as strong as our relationships with God and each other. Jason Retherford, a youth minister in Oklahoma, has some encouraging thoughts on the value of loving relationships:

All the worries that swim around my head disappear for a time when I am with the ones I love. It's in this lesson I've learned over and over again, that I am continually reminded of God's desire to have a presence in our lives. For our light and momentary troubles melt away when we spend time in God's presence. He longs for us to spend time with Him, and I can not stress enough the importance of our relationship with Him. For what can we truly give to others if we are not first given to our Lord? In other words, what impact on those we minister to, or come into contact with are we going to have if we aren't spending regular time in prayer and in the Word?

Amen.