It is a great honor and joy to be with you and see some familiar faces and some new faces and thank you so much Dan for your trust and the stewardship.

A quick word about where we're headed in the arc of the three sessions.

In this first one, we want to talk about focus on the heart of Christian ministry and in particular

the amazing promise and pledge and requirement of joy in the ministry.

How we profit our people through joy in the ministry,

which is not an easy topic because there are many things in the course of our ministries that challenge our joy

Not just the last three years and things related to COVID and all that all the time our joy is being challenged in ministry.

And this passage from First Peter, where we'll start, is relevant.

Because he begins with so.

And so connects it to Chapter 4, which is all about suffering.

So elders in the church are working in the context of suffering, of disappoint of challenges of friction in church life.

And I think the way he gets from chapter 4 into chapter 5 is good leadership is so important when there are challenges to the flock, when there is

suffering, when there's conflict, when there's difficulty. And so he moves from suffering to

so as a fellow elder to the elders. And so brothers if you

come in here this morning and you are you are in a season where there are challenges, difficulties.

This has been a thick season of trials.

He just made it in here, the tank's empty.

I pray that God would be pleased in these moments

to restore the joy in your ministry.

The gathering here together with these brothers

would have that effect for us for challenge days.

And if you come in this morning and it's a great season, there aren't

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