Family Friday

Lots of my pastor friends talk regularly about how to balance family and ministry as if the two are in conflict. I think that's a mistake, and Kari and I try to not think that way.

My ministry is an extension of my family life, and my family life is an extension of my ministry. They're all a part of the stewardship of life that God has given me. And if God has given me responsibility for all of it, when they're done well they shouldn't be competing.

What I find is that guys who are struggling with competing marriage and ministry are usually not doing one of the two very well. Either their family life is a mess, and they're compensating for it at work, or their work is a mess and they're overcompensating for that somewhere.

Sure, there are times that ministry calls me away from home, and times when home prevents me from doing other ministry. But there doesn't have to be a dichotomy there. Both my job and my family life are a part of my stewardship from God. It's my focus, so the various parts of it don't compete.