The Sword and the Stone

Every Pastor is in a season of waiting. Waiting for the vision God shares, being part of a movement of Holy Spirit, encountering His presence then sharing with the staff how to move forward with these experiences. How to move, how to grow, how to share, and how to wait. These are all attributes of waiting. It's not a wish-to, but a hope that latches onto to a promise that God gave you. Stagnation during these times of waiting is detrimental. Consider Jesus sharing the parable of the talents. Either invest your money or place it in the bank to grow interest. But to do nothing is unacceptable. When called to be a pastor you know that God has chosen you. He has the Word for you to grow in, to share and to move in. Then you must stay prepared for that to take place. It is exciting to be part of a movement of God. To see a vision take place. However, what happens when the vision you received does not come into fruition? What about when you fail and not just a little, but you tank it? What about those pastors that have been called by God, but due to extenuating circumstances, are unable to fulfill God's destiny? It could be due to resignation, church split, being fired, spouse dying, even retirement. There is a myriad of reasons. What happens to those Pastors who are no longer on a church staff? To those who have stepped away from ministry for a season (or longer) but are attending a church regularly? They perceive the services with the same acumen as the restaurateur assess another restaurant. The former Pastors may see the church like that Senior Pastor or Staff Pastor. To delve deeper, what about the spouse who served faithfully alongside their mate and best friend? What happens to that person when their spouse – their pastor – is no longer working as a "person of the cloth"? This book is for those pastors. Those men and woman of God who have heard the calling to preach the good news to all creation. To the men and women who understand the verse out of James 3

Imagine entering a castle in a thick wooded forest. As you enter it's filled with historical architecture. The paintings and décor give you the impression this castle is centuries old. After getting your bearings and advancing in the door, the only sound you hear is a distance clanging of metals. The curious sound gets louder as you close in on the room. The sound doesn't frighten you, however it intrigues you and pulls you closer to its origin. As you open the door you see a man, a blacksmith perhaps. The room is about 15 feet wide with a stone well in the middle of the room filled to the top with crystal clear water. There is a lamp hanging from the ceiling that gives light to the entire room. You can hear the man praying with every blow onto the steel anvil. His words are determined and powerful. The voice is filled with emotion and pain. With every blow the man prays harder and deeper, after a few dips in the well he wipes the tears from his eyes. The crick of the door has this man turn and look at you. As your eyes meet you gasp for breath and feel numb, you notice the item he is working on is an amazing and luminous sword. He pulls the sword to his brow and the reflection from the light blinds you for a moment it's so illuminating. You regain your breath and muster the words "HOW." You're lost because the man, the blacksmith is you. He says are you are ready to dip the sword into the stone well. This book "The Sword and the Stone represents the intrigue of conversation and education when our favorite topics are presented. Every person when hearing the name of what they are passionate about is alerted with eyes of fascination and prepared to share their knowledge and wisdom on the topic. The question is when the polished sword rises in front of you, are you passionate to grab hold of that quest and follow your heart to its destination. In this book, the tattered and polished swords are pastors. Men and women of God who have accepted the calling to minister, to pastor, to preach, to evangelize as a full-time profession. This book is for every pastor who has stepped away from ministry for a time, to re-evaluate themselves, re-define themselves and seek God perhaps for approval or recognition that the calling was real. There are moments (even years) as you read what is to follow of frustration as the calling feels like it has been broken in half or is so distant it seems unattainable again. This time of waiting perhaps has hardened your heart or made you feel unworthy. Maybe this time of waiting has pierced a sleeping giant inside of you wondering if you will ever be called Pastor again. You will read stories of Pastors who have been tattered and broken, some who are finding identity and others who are polished and prepared to go back into ministry. We have developed a ministry called POW (Pastors On Watch). This ministry enables Pastors (not on staff) to use their gifts and talents once they have found healing and worth! My challenge for you as you read this, is to make it personal. Don't just think about your pastor, or the pastor you remember from 10 years ago who fell into sin. Allow Holy Spirit to dip you in the water, refine you and prepare you for the race that is ahead. We have one life to live, live it with faith, live it with hope and in all things live your life with love.

The Sword and the Stone This book is for every pastor who has stepped away from ministry for a time, to re-evaluate themselves, re-define themselves and seek God perhaps for approval or recognition that the calling was real. There are moments (even years) as you read what is to follow: The calling feels like it has been broken in half or is so distant that it seems unattainable. This time of waiting may have hardened your heart, or perhaps has pierced a sleeping giant inside of you. You will read stories of Pastors and their spouses who have been tattered and broken, some who are finding their identity and others who are polished and prepared to go back into ministry. My challenge is for you to seek the Holy Spirit and be dipped in the water, to refine you and prepare you for the battle that is ahead. Stand firm Pastors! About the Author Bob leads a ministry called Pastors On Watch (POW) out of Huntsville, Al. For the past 26 years he has served as Pastor and Elder. Prior to full time ministry, he served our country in the military. He and his wife Tami live in Huntsville where they own their own business. They have two children who are married to their best friends and have an amazing granddaughter.