It has now been 3 months since retiring from full time Christian ministry after over 30 years. I have usually recoiled when asked how “retirement” is or what I’m doing in “retirement.”  This is because I am not really fully retired as in drawing social security and not having to work again. I am a long way from being able to do that if I ever do. So, after having enjoyed a few months of the joy of having nothing pressing against me that I had to do, now it’s time to begin the next chapter of my life, work and ministry.  So what is my plan?  I’m looking forward to finding some kind of work to do that’s maybe different from anything I’ve done. I have some ideas, but at this point I’m not sure what that will be.  I am also going to pursue preaching for churches that might need interim ministers or just a fill-in. This is what I most want to be doing–being of help and encouragement to churches. I might take a while for this to happen, but after I secure a regular job that will be my main pursuit. 

The other thing I want to do a lot more of is writing here on my site. I will begin writing more in the very near future.  As I have spent several months reflecting, praying, reading, and studying I believe that the Lord would have me to write on a variety of subjects which might seem random and unrelated but are not. My goal will be to hopefully clear up some things which I believe have become extremely muddled in the church these days. For some time I have had ideas and thoughts that I have felt compelled to write about, but I have resisted. I’m not sure why I have resisted, but lately have been convicted that maybe I’ve been “squelching the Holy Spirit.”  So, I’ll be trying to bring some kind of clarity from a biblical and Christian perspective to the many things that make up life in this world and in our nation at this moment in time.

I’ll just say that probably some of what I’ll be sharing is somewhat complicated with some people disagreeing with my thoughts. And that is okay. Yet, after being a pastor for over 30 years with a sometimes debilitating habit of trying to read everything I can on a wide variety of subjects I am confident enough to share my opinions and convictions. Some of it will come from a place of just exasperation and frustration, and my “spiritual gift” of sarcasm might be too readily apparent. But I will try my best to write and share my thoughts in a way that is irenic, encouraging, and humble. Yet, I won’t pull any punches. 

This will be a work in progress and I cannot say how long it will be before I begin posting more stuff. But I want to encourage you to read what I write with an open mind. I will also be retooling the way my site looks to accommodate the other facet of my post ministry ministry–preaching availability for churches in need. But I’m looking forward to this next phase of my life and ministry and I hope that you’ll share it with me through this. Please feel free to email me with comments or questions or even some healthy disagreement.  My email address is: cjhiggins16@icloud.com

Peace