Big Stuff

As I look back on the last few months it occurs to me how blessed I have been.  Of course, money has been tight and the family has had to struggle some to make ends meet, but it hasn't been horrible.  On the plus side has been the experience I'm accumulating.  I have learned, first hand, what the job market is like.  I am able to continue work in the far northwest community of South Bend.  As a substitute teacher I have the opportunity to enter into the school system here in Niles from which I gained an incredible esteem for our teachers.  I get to keep up my preaching skills by working as an itinerate preacher and this week I was privileged to officiate a funeral for a man I never knew.  Great experiences!

I have not been as committed to writing during this time as I would have liked.  All of these experiences, especially my community work in South Bend, can provide some guidance to clergy.  I just need to commit to writing it. That's the next goal.

The big stuff that is going on just hit me this past week.  I'm going to be responsible (with help) for a worshiping community in Elkhart.  What I think most people overlook is that each day we take on these huge responsibilities.  I am taking official leadership of a group, but each day we have the responsibility to be Christian leaders.  Every interaction that we have provides an opening into the life of another person and we can facilitate God's passage through that opening.

It's awe-inspiring to consider that God has appointed you to be an emmisary to the world, to those with whom you come in contact.  Your words and actions have the potential to bring life and light into the world.  From this perspective, every day is an awesome chance to do that big stuff.  Every day is a kingdom building victory and opportunity to do what God would have you do.  That's big stuff.

Keeping things straight

The last few weeks have been pretty crazy.  I've been preaching a lot of places so I have to deal with different orders of worship and different worship styles about every other week.  I'm also working on finishing up some INSPIRE Grant stuff in South Bend and TAP is also requiring time from me.  Finally, there is the substitute teaching.  Taken all together, this is a good bunch of work and it's hard to keep it all straight.  In fact, I was just thinking that I didn't have a demanding afternoon so I could take a nap...until it occurred to me that I have to do an order of worship for this Sunday and there's the paperwork for the NRC. 

For me, when there are demands like this that are sort of scattered I find it hard to maintain my spiritual disciplines.  I find that I am doing a lot more praying in the car and, while I know God hears those prayers, I also know my attention is divided.  So, I'm not praying like I should be.  I hadn't spoken to Chuck for several weeks and I finally called him last night to keep him up to date on my life so he can be supportive.  I am doing my little Bible study every morning, but that is so little that I hardly count it as a discipline.  It's not healthy to get caught up doing all these things and putting all these concerns first before my relationship with God, but it's something we all do.  Honestly.  We all struggle with the routine of spiritual discipline and usually give it short shrift. 

I have found that there are an awful lot of opportunities to do ministry.  I could easily fill my day with doing ministry work.  I think this is what Luther had in mind when he wrote about how people are called to a vocation and in the midst of that vocation we proclaim the risen Lord.  Just in the process of living life in community we are surrounded by the neighbors we are to love.  The pity is when that opportunity is allowed to pass.  The shame is when we don't use our God-given gifts to build God's kingdom.  We are the poorer when we fail to grasp what's right in front of us.  I wonder what the world would look like if we tried to live by Jesus' model.