And Mizpah. . .

And Mizpah. . .

Pastor Bresee wishes farewell to his readers

Floyd Bresee, Ph.D., is a former secretary of the General Conference Ministerial Association, and continues to pastor and preach in Oregon, where he and his wife, Ellen, live in retirement.

New experiences are both fun and frightening. I learned it was both fun and frightening to fall in love and marry. It was fun and frightening to hold each of our four babies for the first time. It was solemnly fun and frightening to feel the hands of ministerial ordination on my head and shoulders. And now that 65 has come and Ellen and I have decided to retire as of August 31, we 're hoping it's going to be fun, but right now it's just a wee bit frightening.

I've sat down here to prepare my last Pastor's Pastor. The writing has proved to be a relentless monthly assignment these past seven years. But I'll miss it.

It's time I shared a chapter from my personal life. Seven years ago I sat in a waiting room outside the surgery where my wife was having a tumor removed. We had been warned it was almost certainly cancerous, but hoped the malignancy had not gone further. When the doctor finally walked out, his face was long, for his news was bad. The cancer had spread. He had followed it as far as he dared, uncovering 27 lymph nodes—all cancerous.

A section of the hospital had been shut off for remodeling and was temporarily vacant. I ducked behind the barrier to be alone. I paced the empty floor as the tears stung my eyes. Why? Why her? All she ever wanted was to be a blessing to her husband, her family, and her precious Shepherdess ladies!

I can't say God ever gave me a good answer. But He has already given us seven more years together. Ellen prayed that she might live long enough to support me through the remaining years of my work. That wish God has granted. For 43 years now, she's followed me around wherever our work has led, moving some 20 times during the first 15 years of our marriage. Now I'm going to follow her around for a while.

Surgery, radiation treatments, and chemotherapy seemed to stop the cancer for a time, but a year ago it returned, and she's back on chemotherapy. Courageously, she has continued her work. Her spirits are good, but we'd like some free time together while it's still available.

For the present, we intend to retire at our little place in the Rocky Mountains, near Denver, Colorado, and Porter Hospital. Two of our children live in the area. We hope our contribution is not completely ended. My health is good, and I'm buying a new computer before heading for the hills. I'll still help the Ministerial Association and our ministers in whatever tasks I may be assigned.

With rejoicing

I leave ministerial with both rejoicing and regret. Regret that my contribution was not greater, rejoicing over these things our wonderful staff has accomplished together:

Old programs are continuing. Ministry magazine and the PREACH program to serve non-SDA clergy are both thriving despite budget cuts.

New programs are succeeding. Continuing education for ministers has be come a reality in every division. Our ministerial supply center placed approximately $300,000 worth of soul-winning tools in pastors' hands during 1991. We have begun a program to coordinate the training of local elders. Approximately 70 percent of our conferences/missions around the world now have Shepherdess chapters to support and train ministers' spouses.

Soul-winning is prospering. All of us together have helped the church baptize more than 2 million new members during the five years of Harvest 90. We're well on our way toward 3 million during the first five years of Global Mission.

With regret

I leave with the regret that my career did not continue to see the work finished and our Lord come. I regret that we in the Adventist ministry have not received a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit in latter rain power.

Every now and then somebody comes with a calculator or computer and presents apparently irrefutable, mathematical proof that the work won't ever be finished. People are being born too fast. The work is going too slow. These skeptics may know their math, but they don't know their Bibles. The Bible says God's work will be finished: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 4:6). Only the latter rain outpouring of God's Holy Spirit will lead to finishing His work.

When the giant Hoover Dam was completed, engineers predicted it would take 40 years to fill up huge Lake Mead behind it. But the lake was full and over flowing in just five years. Which engineer goofed? What went wrong? Nothing, really. It's just that the five years immediately after completion of the dam were years of heavy rainfall. They had failed to count on the extra rainfall.

When your work goes slowly, when you long for the key to successful minis try, please don't fail to count on the extra rainfall. May you live, not only to do Christ's work, but to receive the power of His Spirit to finish it.

"And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another" (Gen. 31:49).


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Floyd Bresee, Ph.D., is a former secretary of the General Conference Ministerial Association, and continues to pastor and preach in Oregon, where he and his wife, Ellen, live in retirement.

August 1992

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