Feb 22, 2018
by Pastor Dave Stall
When I agreed to serve as conference president this year, it was on the condition that it would be a family experience. This was NOT going to be a season where extra ministry and travel would take me away from my family. Every trip would include my wife or the entire family. We have stuck with that plan and the experience has been great! Just in the last few years, I have learned how to minister to my family first, and engage my family in ministry to others. This is in contrast to the “you stay here and have a good life while dad goes out to save the world” model of my earlier years.
Why did it take so many years for me to figure this out? How was my wife so patient and loving through all of those years? I’m not sure, but better now than never! For years, I talked about being a husband and father. Talk didn’t help anyone. It was time for LESS TALK and MORE ACTION in my own family. Maybe some of you can relate. Maybe some of you have gotten off track, or have never known the right track. Maybe it’s time to figure this out.
Since I got serious and started loving my family well a few years back, the return on that investment has been amazing! The love and blessing that I receive back from my wife and kids often overwhelms me. Nothing has ever brought me greater joy than the loving relationship I have with them. But, I didn’t receive that love until I did the work to give that love.
Jennifer and I have been married for just about 18 years. Our oldest child is 15, the youngest is 2, and we have a few in between. Marriage and family life are better than ever! It’s never too soon and never too late to get it right.
