Quick Post

It has been awhile since I've had a chance to post here, major disappointment for all those faithful readers . . . ha ha ha, there are so many of you I'm sure. Anyway, things at the church have been hectic this summer, out one of activity into another which has led me to really question and critique the value of each one, that's something I'll be weighing in the future.

One of the real blessings of working for a church is being able to constantly be involved in ministries/projects/efforts that help people out. Sometimes I wonder if my true calling wasn't to social work or social services because I seem to feel most at home in the rundown Delaware Hotel listening to yet another life story of yet another down and out (most recently I was privy to a guy who was smoking pot and drinking beer with a couple he just me there). Earlier this summer we got to paint eight houses and make a small impact on eight different families through our teenagers involvement there. This past week we had our Vacation Bible School where Indiana Jones went on a search for the lost staff of Moses - getting the opportunity to share in teaching our young people here at Alum Creek the Bible. Sunday we leave for Cedar Rapids, Iowa where we'll be working with people there to help clean out flooded homes left from last month's storms.

Whenever I get frustrated about working in full-time ministry (and believe me, there is plenty to be frustrated about), the thing that keeps me positive and assured of my calling is opportunities like these - which doesn't even take into account the many hours along the way of getting to disciple and teach teenagers and young people. Full-time ministry really is a calling and a blessing to all of us that have been called. It is enigmatic to be sure, not fully understood by anyone unless they've been there; it is unusual and does not fit into any traditional vocational mold, fatiguing in different kinds of ways - spiritually, emotionally, mentally, in additional to physically.

I would never suggest or even lean towards the fact that full-time ministry is more important than any other profession, or that it is any more difficult or challenging. The truth of the matter is, the vast majority of full-time ministers in our country have been nurtured more than most and few probably realize that. However, because it is so often to understand and appreciate, it is probably most often under-appreciated just how hard we work, just how tired we get, and just how frustrating it can be. Everyone seems to want to get in pissing contests in regards to their work - I probably was there early on, but I have become content with where I am, my work ethic, and my job. I understand where God has called me to, and what he has called me to do. There are weeks that I fulfilling nearly to the extent which God intends, but far more often, I leave the work woefully short. My only hope and confidence is that God's grace lives in the gaps. He doesn't need me to get his work done. Truth be told, God is at work everywhere and within everyone.

And that's all I have to say about that . . .