I am constantly amazed at how often I’m asked to minister
directly with the pastors who attend such workshops. I feel entirely inadequate
to teach these men of God and yet somehow they feel they’ve learned something
when we’ve finished together. I have increasingly come to realize how much
these men love God and how much they long to know him more. So many topics for
discussion are taboo for pastors and we typically begin by discussing the
importance of confidentiality…particularly for their wives. We discuss the
issue of feeling alone and the value of solidarity (and thus the importance of
confidentiality). We discuss the higher standard these couples are or ought to
be held to. We talk about the role of pastors’ wives in the church and so many
other issues. Typically a time of question and answer reveals similar concerns
among the various groups with whom I’ve spent time and somehow they feel comfortable
exposing their vulnerabilities to me as we pray together for the wisdom of God.
