Most of you know I’ve been absent most of July since my wife had a stroke.  But I’m slowly getting back into life and ministry.

This post is twofold: an update on Jan and a comment on the state of affairs in our country.

Jan is progressing more slowly than the therapists would like, but she is talking more and beginning to make a sentence now and then. Yesterday she actually picked up the spoon and fed herself once.  That’s a start.  She is holding her cup now and drinking on her own. But she is still bedridden.

I’m at the point of trying to find my way forward with life.  Everything I read says I have to put a life together for myself. Not an easy feat when you live with a stroke victim, who I doubt will ever be able to come home.

Now to the state of affairs in our country. Two words sum it up: childish mess.

So now is a good time for some of you to either re-read or purchase our book, Ministry in Hard Times, published by Abingdon.  It will provide you a way forward in turbulent times like we are going through.

Here are the contents:

1. Living in a Wildcard World
2. Strategic Dreaming Trumps Hard Times
3. Now’s the Time to Return to the Basics
4. The Hard Times Budget Formula
5. Budget Items You Always Cut in Hard Times
6. Overcoming the Beast
7. Budget Items You Always Increase in Hard Times: Worship and Children’s Ministry
8. Budget Items You Always Increase in Hard Times: Evangelism and Marketing
9. Budget Items You Always Increase in Hard Times: Continuing Education and Servant Ministries
10. Budget Items You Always Increase in Hard Times: Small Groups and Spiritual Formation
11. Leadership in a Wildcard World
12. It’s a Waste of Time If…..

Question: How have you adapted your ministry to hard circumstances? Share your experiences in the Comments section below.

You Might Also Like:

• Living with or Ministering to a Stroke Victim
• Hard Times Are a Leader’s Training School Paradise
• Doing Church in Tough Times