Plane 🛫Pulpit 🛫People

Happy New Year to all!

I would like to take a few minutes to share a desire and burden that I personally have for the New Year. As a family, we typically choose an action word that we reference throughout each year. Over the years, the words that stand out are: Willing, Intentional, Faithful, and Understanding. In 2024, it was “precision.” We sought not just to do things or events for the sake of running them, but to ensure they were done with purpose and intentionality. Through the word “precision,” our aim was not perfection—as we all know that is unattainable-but seek to do things well.

An area where I aimed to improve and apply this word was in my preaching. I wanted to see growth in my preaching approach, delivery, and with further clarity. I aimed for more “precision in the pulpit” as the year went on. As the year progressed we began asking ourselves, “Do we really need to do that, or would it just be nice to do that?” We made some significant family decisions throughout 2024 based on the word “precision.”

Truthfully, I have read many A.W. Tozer books that speak of his profound ministry. His writings have been a great blessing to me. However, Tozer’s wife only wrote one sentence in comparison. She once wrote, “I didn’t know my husband until he retired from the ministry.” That hit home. Our American culture promotes busy schedules, and typically, we take pride in just being and looking busy. Often, it is our family members who suffer. So, in keeping “precision” at the forefront, we decided that it would be best for me to step down from a middle management role at work to be more present with the family and intentional in ministry.

Often, whether at church or at home, I felt like I could never be present because I was thinking of “the next thing” or watching the clock in order to race to the next item on the schedule. My employer was gracious enough to understand, and they helped me transition out of the management role to be more present and intentional within our family and ministry. This is an ongoing transition, and I am thrilled to have more time with the family and within ministry to study, prepare, connect, and pray. The charge continues forward with precision.

For this new year, as a family, we have jointly chosen the word “Focus.” When discussing this, the conversation around the dinner table went something like this:

Dad: “So who has a word that would be a good focus point?”

Mom: “I like the word ‘Focus.’”

Bennett: “We need to be focused on a lot.”

Asher: Silence….

Mom: “Asher, get back to the table and ‘focus’ on finishing your dinner.”

Ev: “I need water.”

Bennett: -Mentioned something about baseball-

Dad: “Can we ‘focus’ on which word we will commit to in 2025?”

Mom: “FOCUS!”

Dad: “Okay, ‘Focus’ it is. Let’s apply it…”

So now that you have had a virtual front-row seat at our dinner table, you may be able to relate. In this day and age, so much distracts us! At times, there is a great need to focus!

In 2025, as a family, we aim to be focused on the tasks at hand, ministry, outreach, encouragement, education (for the kids), family ministry, and most importantly, growth in Christ, all as He leads, guides, directs, and calls. 

With this framework, I would like to share a burden that I have personally, and as the director of PTG.

Planes are “cool”; they are fast and can be “workhorses.” In many ways, they are a time machine that not only saves people travel time but, as a mentor of mine often says, “plane’s redeem the time” as mentioned in the New Testament. I am regularly in the cockpit of an airplane. That could be a Piper, a Pilatus, or even a Boeing or Airbus when supporting the airlines. After 10 years in the aircraft maintenance industry and flying as a private pilot, I still find cockpits interesting. The “switchology” alone always grabs my attention. The technology is impressive from year to year. Never mind the takeoff thrust that some of these airframe and powerplant combos produce…

With the above stated and the impressiveness that aircraft present, I want us in 2025 to readjust our “focus” away from what is (earthly) impressive to what is (spiritually) true, important, and truly needed. I have been burdened with the thought of moving from the “plane to the pulpit” in my own life since I was 16 years old (I am just now realizing that was 16 years ago). I truly believe the Lord has called me to Pastoral Ministry, and maybe someday that reality may be full-time here in the state of Maine. That obviously would involve a pulpit ministry. However, although that being a call and element of focus, the latter step as listed in the title of this blog post reaches the core… people! Throughout this past year’s season of ministry I have really grown to realize how important it is to be together and open God’s Word as a family or group. This has been a fruitful time of ministry as we have seen people grow in their faith with Christ, conquer difficult seasons by relying on the Lord’s strength, and faith based steps in their walk, while navigating large and small decisions in their lives. I have really grown to appreciate the fact that ministry needs to go beyond the plane and beyond the pulpit. Now, ministry can and will happen in a plane or pulpit with the correct focus—delivery of the Word to the people. This is our goal and mindset of Propelling the Gospel Missions Inc.

In 2025, let’s adjust our focus toward others and seek to deliver the good news of Christ to them, with intention, focus, and direct purpose—sharing that God loves them and desires that they be joined with Him for eternity amid all the chaos, evil, and destruction. After all, He is our deliverer and Savior, why wouldn’t we share that? When we connect with people, let's do it without the clock in view. Let's connect and focus on connecting around and in focus of the Word of God.

Now, this by no means is dismissing or diminishing the ministry in the pulpit. I love to preach and have the privilege of opening and delivering the Word of God to the people as well as towards myself. In fact, it is my absolute favorite thing to do! The preaching of God’s Word is extremely important. I am only suggesting that instead of “focusing on the plane” or “running the ministry” (whatever that looks like for us all), we instead focus on intentionally connecting with people, preach with clarity and intentionality—leading and pointing them to Christ and the Cross. If the aspect of the ministry never moves from the focus of the plane and what the plane is capable of—to the ministering and encouragement of people, then ministry is not happening. Airplanes are a great tool, preaching is the heralding, and connecting is the pleading and “trench work.” I would like to encourage us all in 2025 to intentionally and with determination, focus on ministering, encouraging, edifying, serving, and sharing the Gospel with others. As Romans 13 reminds us, we are closer today to the return of Christ than we were when we first accepted (Rom 13:11-14). So in our context, our goal is that when we fly or preach—the end goal is the same—to openly and boldly with intent share the Gospel. Let’s get after it!

Let’s focus on flying the plane, focus on preaching the Word, and focus on people this year.

“Plane🛫Pulpit🛫People”

Will you join our team in prayer over these items?

• Local Churches in New England.

• Pastors remain refreshed and encouraged.

• PTG Events in 2025 and the hearts of those attending.

• We all remain focused on the spread of the Gospel of Christ in the areas we operate and dwell.

• The potential and possibility of PTG taking on its first funded missionary in 2026.

Striving Together for the Faith of the Gospel,

-AK