Way back in 1989 I went to my first Pastor’s Prayer Summit at Cannon Beach, Oregon. It was a major life changing event in my life and in my ministry. I made seven goals in regard to prayer that I have never turned back from pursuing in my life. We haven’t had the summit for the last three years because of COVID so I was really looking forward to this year and attending.

I am at the summit now and we just finished our first day that started at noon. It is fun fellowshipping with pastor friends some who I haven’t seen for several years. A lot of my friends have retired and aren’t here and there are quite a few younger guys who I don’t yet know.

I am planning on doing a lot of reflective thinking about who I am, my values, my disciplines, and my priorities. I am going over my life goals, and my ministry goals thinking about what is realistic in light of my age, energy, health, and mental desire. Sometimes my passion and positive thinking goes past reality and I frustrate myself.

The great thing about a couple of days away from my normal life saturating my time with prayer, great worship, Bible reading, scripture memory, and meditation is that I seem to be more in tune with God’s voice and will for my life.

I also am tremendously re-energized while I am here, and I recommit to some dreams and goals that I had given up on. I look forward to running with endurance the race God has given me to run, and then coming back next year and getting filled up and are-energized again.

The first time I came to the summit way back in 1989 I was fried and was planning on leaving the ministry. When I left I had re-committed my life to ministry and promised God that I would pastor as long as I could think and knew that Genesis was the first book in the Bible and that Revelation was last.