Ministry

I read this last night in "A Guide to Prayer for All God's People," originally from "Together in Solitude" by Douglas Steere. It was good for me.

"Ministers of the gospel have many occupational hazards and diseases and these have frequently been diagnosed with telling power. But all too seldom have the ministers been reminded of the unmatched spiritual opportunity that has been almost uniquely lavished on them by God, namely the opportunity of being confronted hour after hour with human problems that are utterly beyond their own strength to unravel, and which drive them back to listen for, and to draw upon a deeper wisdom and strength than they are able in themselves to supply. How often are ministers drawn back into the supernatural life of God, back into what Tauler calls 'suffering in God' by their own weakness and the sheer abysmal personal needs of those who call on them for help?"

Deal Me In

I’ve come to find that churches are the worst places to clean and organize. The reason for this is because nobody ever throws anything away, and the reason nobody ever throws anything away is because nobody owns the stuff at a church, and nobody feels that they have the authority to get rid of it. So, things that haven’t been used in 20 years in a church get put into a box and tucked away into a corner closet because you never know, somebody might use that stuff someday. I and a few other folks at the church have been trying to clean the place up and get things better organized, and we’ve found boxes and boxes of files, decorations, and all kinds of other weird stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day since the 80’s. Don’t tell anybody, but much of that stuff has finally found its proper place in the dumpster.

Above is a picture of my favorite discovery so far. I know what you’re thinking…that is the sweetest deck of Jesus playing cards I’ve ever seen. That’s exactly what I thought when uncovered several packs of these babies. I was ready to call up the boys and have a sanctified game of Texas Hold’em right there in the church. I hoped in this deck that the King, Queen, and Jack have been replaced by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I hear a Holy Flush is the new highest hand you could have in poker.

To my dismay, the above cards weren’t actually playing cards. The other side is totally blank. I have no idea what they were used for. I’m thinking about drawing in all the appropriate numbers and symbols and making my self the sweetest deck of cards ever.

Grace

I can’t help but feel overwhelmingly blessed lately. There are so many things in my life that bring such joy, and I know that all of these things are graces given by the Father. In no way do I deserve the life and blessings that I have been given. I have an amazing wife who is one of the most loving and genuine people I know. I have a beautiful daughter who makes me laugh and fills my heart with joy. I have a church that reminds me daily of God’s love and challenges me to be a better man. I have the privilege of serving Christ’s body as my occupation and vocation. I have been forgiven and am loved by God. I have been blessed so much, and sometimes I’m not even sure why. This is grace.

Rookie Mistake

So far I’ve done two weddings since being in Eagle and will be doing a third soon. I’ve really enjoyed this aspect of ministry. I didn’t know any of the couples before they came to me and asked me to do their weddings, but I require that each of them go through at least six pre-marital counseling sessions before the wedding, and I’ve gotten to know all of them through the counseling time. Even though most people my age don’t go to church, they still want to get married in a church for whatever reason. So, I see weddings as a great opportunity to witness to and influence young couples who are beginning their lives together and I sense that God has used the times of couseling to help them spiritually and to help them prepare for marriage.
With that said, I made a big-time rookie mistake as a pastor. I set my wedding calendar long before I checked my football calendar. I have a wedding on October 18th at 3pm. We live about 15 miles from East Lansing, the home of the Michigan State Spartans. My beloved Ohio State Buckeyes will visit East Lansing an average of once every three years, and guess what….they’re here October 18th at 3:30pm and I have tickets to the game!!! I’m still trying to convince the couple that they really don’t want to get married….but, it hasn’t worked. Would it be wrong if I conducted a two minute ceremony in my Buckeye's jersey to try to make the game?

Grace in the Midst of Conflict

Ministry certainly has its share of situations that can become frustrating. Being in the public eye and being a leader of an organization has opened me up to criticism and conflict, neither of which is enjoyable. I’m finding that when I am faced with criticism or conflict, I can quickly become combative....rather than stopping, praying, and doing my best to show grace to those who are critical or bitter, I often quickly strike back. I argue with them, try to convince them that they are wrong, but most of the time I’m not very successful.

God is beginning to show me another way. I recently read an account of Mother Teresa in a book about her ministry entitled “Faith and Compassion.” The author recounts a situation in which Mother Teresa is faced with an angry crowd of lepers whom her sisters have been trying to serve:

“The crowd that surrounded Mother Teresa at Seemapuri on a hot summer afternoon in 1993 was angry and resentful. They were full of complaints, which they hurled at her in rapid succession. Was Mother Teresa aware how bad the dal (souped lentils, a staple ingredient of the diet) tasted? She would never be able to eat it herself, said one. But she had just had it for lunch, and it was fine, she replied. Don’t eat it again he retorted, or you’ll fall ill. We are not allowed to smoke in the dormitories, objected another. “Try not to smoke at all,” said Mother with a smile, “or, if you must, step onto the verandah.” Look at my hand, said a third, it’s been bleeding and the Sisters have not done anything about it. “We’ll show it the doctor in a little while,” replied Mother, and the man lapsed into a somewhat satisfied silence. Look at my shoes, remonstrated another, the rehabilitation unit had made them so badly that they hurt. “We’ll get them to fit you into another pair,” she said. It continued in this vein for 20 minutes or so, until everyone seemed to have had their say. To each she replied calmly and gently. Finally, silence descended. As she prepared to move away, they rose and, one by one, came to touch her feet. She restrained as many as she could, for she doesn’t encourage this practice….it is, however, a battle she invariably loses, for in India this is a custom that signifies respect for an elder, and is a daily, commonplace occurrence. As they turned away, Mother Teresa said to me, “Each of them has suffered so much pain and humiliation. Once in a while their bitterness overcomes them. Sometimes the Sisters have a very difficult time calming them. Yet when we ask our young Sisters who would like to go and work with the lepers, every hand is up.”

What a gracious spirit! Mother was not unreasonable in the way she responded, but her capacity to reason was not what won over her critics. It was her patience, gentleness, and goodness that turned the situation around from an environment of conflict and criticism to one of grace and gratitude.

Ministry Update

I don’t want to get into too many details about life and ministry in Eagle, but I did want to give y’all a general overview on how things have been going in my first six or seven weeks here. So, here are a few updates and thoughts:
1. I’m feeling more and more confident that God has called us to serve here. Ministry certainly has its challenges, and I’ve been busier this past month than at any other point in my life. But, the business has been good. I’m working hard, but I’ve really enjoyed the work. I take this to be a sign that I’m pretty well suited/gifted for this ministry. I still have many times when I feel like the challenges are pretty big and I’m not sure what I should do next, but I’m actually enjoying the challenges and feel inspired to attempt to overcome them.
2. I’ve been spending a lot of time just building relationships. I’ve realized that in ministry I must overcome my fear of taking the initiative to call people, visit them, and begin to build relationships with them. When I served in MN, I know that I became too standoffish. I’ve been trying to call and visit a lot of people here, and the more I do it, the more I see how essential this aspect of my ministry is. In fact, it can seem so important that I can easily understand how some ministers end up neglecting their families, prayer lives, preparation time, and study time in order to spend all of their time “out there” trying to participate in Christ’s incarnational ministry among people. I know that I must continue to take the initiative to call, visit, and connect with people, but I also must guard against neglecting other essential aspects of life and ministry.
3. God has been giving us hope. Everything is not perfect, but I really believe that God is working and leading us. He is helping me to see things not as they currently are, but as he desires them to be. I am seeing that people and church structures are flawed, but he is reminding me that his Spirit is at work building and expanding his kingdom through Christ’s transformational grace. Everyday I am reminded of his grace. His grace is giving me great hope.

Our Big Move

For all of you who haven’t heard, we will be moving to Michigan in mid-September. I have been assigned to pastor the Eagle Wesley Chapel which is located about fifteen miles west of Lansing. Besides the fact that we’re being called to Michigan (which I believe is a reflection of God’s ironic sense of humor), Jill and I are excited and nervous as we prepare to move. We’re excited because we sense that God is calling us and believe that he will stretch our faith and use us for his ministry. We’re nervous because we are stepping into the unknown and don’t know what lies ahead.

As we prepare to move, I’ve been thinking about the final words of the Great Commission, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And surely I am with you always, to very ends of the age” (Matt 28:19-20). In these words I remember that we are not called to build our own ministry. We are called to be a part of the ministry that belongs to Christ. I am not called to change people through my own wit and ability. I am called to be witness to the resurrection and a mediator of God’s grace. I am also reminded that we do not go alone, but Christ goes with us. This is a very comforting reminder.

The Call to Ministery

Jill and I just finished watching a mini-series documentary called “God or the Girl” that we borrowed from the library (it’s produced by A&E Television in case you’re interested in looking it up). It follows four young Catholic men as they wrestle with the decision to enter seminary and join the priesthood. I highly recommend it for all my seminary brothers out there. I could relate to the men as they try to discern God’s will for their lives. What I couldn’t relate to was the fact that if they entered seminary they were also committing to the celibate life.

My favorite guy in the story is a charismatic young fellow named Dan from Columbus, Ohio (he’s the long haired guy second from the left in the picture above). As part of his discernment process, Dan and his friends build an 80 pound cross, and Dan carries it 22 grueling miles across the city. It takes him two days to complete his journey, and the suffering he endures helps him focus on his calling and on Christ’s suffering. I think the coolest thing about Dan’s exhausting expedition is that his friends walk with him the whole way, reading Scripture to him and praying for him. They ended up sleeping in a field overnight using logs as pillows. Now that’s true friendship! It reminded me that the call to ministry is not a call to be loan gun. Following God is best done in community, and ministry is most effective when multiple people are carrying the load.

My Pastor, The Rock Star

We’ve been attending a really big church since we moved here last summer, and it’s been a good experience for us. We’ve been able to see some of the pros and cons of the mega-church culture firsthand. The most negative aspect for us has been our inability to connect to a smaller and more personal community within the church. It’s difficult to get to know people in a church of over 8,000 in attendance. I don’t want to blame this all on the stereotypical “mega-church” problem. They really do try hard to get people connected. Part of our inability to connect is due to the limited amount of time we will be staying in Lexington and our realization that most relationships we have here will be temporary. We could have done a lot more to get to know people in the church, but we’ve failed to make much effort. Plus, we have some good friends at the seminary, so we have even less motivation to get connected at church.

For me, the best part of our church has been the ministry of our senior pastor. It’s been an excellent experience watching his ministry over the past year. I have learned so much from him, and I have grown to deeply respect him as a minister and as a person. He’s only about five years older than I am, but I see in him that kind of man that I want to become. He exudes passion and excellence in his ministry, and he does so with a spirit of humility and grace. He is a great leader, but he seems to be more defined by his love for Jesus than his need for power. He has been a great example for me and has revitalized my desire to be in ministry.

The weird thing about this is that I don’t know him, so he feels more like a rock star to me than a pastor. Despite not knowing him, I really do care about the guy. He’s told several stories in his sermons about people attend the church that run into him in the city, and they will do things like come up to him and hug him in the middle of a grocery store, even though he doesn’t know them…..and the strange thing is, I know why they do it! I’ve never loved someone so much whom I’ve never met. I think for the first time I understand how people can become infatuated with famous people. There is something about the celebrity that inspires the fan, and the fan ends up feeling close to the celebrity, without knowing the celebrity.

The public nature of ministry, leads people to think they know the minister better than they really do. This puts a lot of responsibility on the part of the minister, but it also gives him the chance to influence their lives in more ways than he could ever realize. Even when I served at a church with only 225 attendees, I remember feeling strange at times because some people whom I had only met once or twice treated me like I was their long-lost son or their best friend. It always felt odd to me. I didn’t know why they treated me that way, nor did I realize the kind of influence they were allowing me to have in their life. After attending our current church for a year and loving my pastor the way I do, I think I now understand.