Growth Intellectually
Romans 12:2
Ministry Expectations and Personal Experience
- Emphasis on never being disappointed when coming to the Lord
- Introduction to the series title: "How to keep the elephants off your air hose."
Biblical Illustration: Elijah and His Servant
- Story of Elijah at Dothan (2 Kings 6:16-17)
- Importance of spiritual vision and perspective
- Comparison of Elijah's servant's limited vision to modern Christian struggles
Addressing Problems and Perspectives
- Discussion on the nature of problems in life and ministry
- The necessity of seeing problems through a spiritual lens
- The difference between efficiency (doing things right) and effectiveness (doing the right things)
Objectives in Ministry
- Personal and Spiritual Integrity
- Importance of character and personal transformation
- Marital Intimacy
- Building a marriage not centered solely around children
- Maintaining a strong relationship with one's spouse
- Parental Responsibility
- Impact of a strong marriage on children
- Personal anecdote about the importance of family
- Professional Competency
- Balancing ministry and personal life
- Establishing and maintaining priorities
Priorities and Application
- Setting clear objectives and priorities in life and ministry
- Willingness to pay the price for achieving these goals
Scheduling and Discipline
- Importance of time management in achieving objectives
- Example of insufficient study time among pastors
- Biblical references to time management
- Ephesians 5:15-16
- Psalm 90:12
Discipline and Evaluation
- Definition and importance of self-discipline (Galatians 5:22-23)
- Evaluating one's performance in ministry
- Three questions for evaluation:
- What are my strengths?
- What are my weaknesses?
- What do I want to change?
- Personal anecdotes about the value of disciplined and evaluated experience
Conclusion
- Encouragement to grow and develop in personal and spiritual life
- Emphasis on the importance of quality over quantity in ministry
Examination of Life Areas
- Intellectual: Engage the mind
- Social: Relationships with others
- Emotional: Addressing emotional health
- Physical: Importance of physical well-being
- Ministerial: Probing the quality of ministry
- Spiritual: Evaluating spiritual life
Final Thoughts and Prayer
- The importance of walking by faith
- Prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and transformation through truth
*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.
About the Contributors
Howard G. Hendricks
Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, known simply as “Prof,” directly or indirectly touched millions of lives in the evangelical community and beyond. For more than sixty years Prof served on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught more than ten thousand students. He served as the chairman of the Center for Christian Leadership for over twenty years. He also ministered in person in more than eighty countries. Through speaking engagements, radio, tapes, films, the sixteen books he authored and coauthored, countless journal and popular-market articles, his service on numerous boards, and his work as a chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1984), his reach was and is worldwide.
His legacy, in partnership with Jeanne, his wife of more than sixty-five years, includes four children and six grandchildren. Holding large audiences enthralled at venues such as Billy Graham’s conference center or Promise Keepers’ stadium rallies, Prof would confide, “It’s wonderful to be here with you, but I have a group of delicious students waiting for me back at the seminary.”
Contributors
