P.AllanI began blogging back in March 2014.  Driven to retirement after 44 years of pastoring by primary lateral sclerosis, my mind longed to continue in ministry while my body fought against it.  I dreamed of writing a book, but that intimidated me.  A blog seemed the best bet.

So, after praying for guidance, I began.  “If nobody reads it,” I reasoned, “at least I’ll be somewhat creatively capturing my thoughts in printed form.”  Soon, however, I realized, “If nobody reads what I write, what’s the point?”

I devised a plan:  I would subscribe members of the church I formerly pastored.  Surely they would be okay with that.  And, if not, they could easily unsubscribe.  (Yes, that’s the sneaky way some of you ended up receiving my blog. )

For a month or more, daily visitors languished in the single digits.  Well, at least a few were reading.  So I plugged along, enjoying the study and the writing, and praying readership would grow.  I didn’t aim for a “mega-blog.”  That was (is) way beyond me.  But I really did want to speak God’s Word into the lives of as many people as possible.  In short, I hoped to continue my preaching ministry through a writing ministry.

My motivation wasn’t entirely selfless.  As an “older-old” (now 72) and mostly shut-in,  I very much needed a continuing sense of significance.  Not ego.  A sense that my life still counted for the sake of the Gospel.  I wasn’t ready to curl up on the couch with potato chips watching TV through glazed-over eyes.  I wanted to serve, to contribute.

I always pastored small churches over 44 years.  The first (in Atco, N.J.) had been without a pastor for nine months when I arrived.  A handful of older people hanging on, but when Lois and I left three years later, the church had grown to 40-50 people, a sizeable young people’s group among them.

We left because I had been asked to plant a church in northern New Jersey.  We named it The Living Church, and it was the most “alive” church I’d ever known.  From zero, we grew to about 120 at its peak after nearly 17 years of ministry.  Not a magazine-feature number, but a broad age-range and multi-ethnic members made it a most exciting community of believers.

Next we spent 24 years in Florida.  What began as a dying church of older folks (Port Richey Community Church) became a church of all ages, though small—as many as about 90 people at one time, but mostly around 50-60.  We sold an old building and built new (something I said I never would do!) and SonRise Community Church (our new name) grew into a Christ-centered family with exciting prospects for the future.

But my illness left me behind.  As I said, I longed to continue in significant ministry.  But would it be significant?

Well, as of today, theoldpreacher.com has 651 subscribers!  According to my statistics, people are reading from about 2/3 of the United States and more than 20 countries around the world.  (Obviously these are English-speaking readers, because the best I could do even in high school Spanish was a “D”!)  Far more people are reading my words about God’s word (his word is what’s important) than ever heard me preach over 44 years combined!

I’m not telling you this to boast.  Like the apostle Paul, my only boast is in the Lord.  This is his doing.  The glory, the praise, the applause all goes to him.

I am so grateful to still be able to serve.  I praise him that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).  My body may be “wasting away”, but God hasn’t taken back his gracious gifts!

And I thank him for you, dear reader.  That you make the time to read what I’ve written about our Lord.  That you allow the Holy Spirit to cause his word to come alive in your life.  That I have a small part in the person you are becoming for your greatest good and God’s greatest glory.  I don’t even know most of you.  But I so much appreciate you.  You don’t know how you’ve blessed me by subscribing and reading.  You are God’s gift to me at this time in my life.  Thank you.

I don’t want to make more of this than warranted.  I’m sure you have others who speak God’s word into your life to a greater extent than I.  I’m content to be supplemental.  To serve where the Lord has put me.

So I pray to be faithful.  I pray to be fruitful.  And I thank you for the blessed encouragement you are to me.  I pray you will receive the greater blessing.  So that through our “connection”, God may be most glorified, the name of Jesus exalted, and the Holy Spirit’s presence enjoyed and made visible in our lives as we follow our Lord together.