As I was flying toward New Jersey to begin my ministry with you, I felt led to read Paul’s wonderful epistle to the Philippian church. I love this small gem of a letter and always seem to gain new inspiration whenever I reflect on its message.

Throughout the week, I have been led back to verses 9-11 of the opening chapter. Paul, writing as a regional pastor, reveals the themes of his prayers for a church that was faithfully living out its "partnership" with the apostle, his team and other churches (Phil. 1:5). Here are a few of the applications I have drawn for our journey together.

First, I am humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to be your new Executive Minister/regional pastor. As partners in the gospel, will you join with me in praying for greater knowledge and insight? The issues we face together will require wisdom and it is easy to succumb to the temptation to respond too quickly or without sufficient prayer.

I will need God's gift of discernment in order to guide our churches, pastors and regional staff (who are a great group of people!). I want to remain pure, holy, open to Christ’s direction, and faithful. I desire to glorify God in my life, to dwell in God's grace and give away that grace to others.

Second, Paul’s prayer speaks to the journey needs of our ABCNJ churches. We need to "abound in love" if we are going to be effective witnesses for Christ. This love is not a feeling, but a sincere and abiding devotion to God’s truth and knowledge.

Third, for Paul, truth and knowledge must be wedded to discernment. We all may exhibit a degree of discernment, but Paul is not satisfied with this. To "discern what is best " is not an easy discipline. Sometimes, we settle for a superficial understanding of an issue and do not seek God's voice patiently. In every situation, we must do the homework necessary to truly understand a problem or situation and discover a God honoring solution or response. As your new Executive Minister, part of my ministry is to help churches and pastors develop this ability to discern and thus gain insight. Depth of insight is a great grace from God and we should all yearn for it.

Fourth, in an ideal world, all churches and pastors would naturally seek what is "best" for the part of the Kingdom of God we live in. However, in reality, all manner of distractions, concerns and blind spots conspire to cause us to settle for less than Christ’s truth and wisdom. Further, our fears and insecurities sometimes prevent us from embracing God's truth and love and the fellowship of others. As a regional fellowship of believers, we must open our hearts to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (the Lord of the journey) every time we gather together for worship, fellowship and service. Paul’s prayer calls us to embrace Christ's journey call and devote ourselves to fulfilling God’s will. Christ is our sole focus!

Fifth, Paul's call to be "pure and blameless" is a challenge today’s church must hear and take to heart. In our overly therapeutic age, people tend to see religion as primarily a source of comfort and a means to overcome one’s sense of loneliness and alienation. We want to have our spiritual journeys serve our needs so that we will be happier or more content. Accordingly, we are likely to deny two truths which are important for us to remember: