MOUNTAINS, MOCHAS, AND MINISTRY

And the Boss said, “You are spending too much time in the office!”

What? Too much time in the office?!  How could that be? Right now on my desk are my lessons for the next 3 weeks of Sunday School, the message I am beginning to plan for “big church” in November, the material for the outreach program that is 3 weeks away, my small group stuff, the plans for our new discipleship ministries team, promo material for the webcast I’m hosting on Saturday, new devotional materials to review, and a to-do list that includes activities for young adults, teen leadership, youth outreach, and so much more! If I don’t spend more time in the office ALL THIS MINISTRY WON’T GET DONE!!  And I rush off to an appointment in a small town 30 minutes away.

As I pull into the parking lot of the coffee shop where we are to meet I receive the dreaded text message. “Pastor, sorry I have to cancel. Something came up.” Now, not only do I find myself 30 minutes from the office where I have a stack of work a mile high, but I find myself with 60 minutes of “wasted time” with nothing to do before my next appointment in this same small town.  I could drive back to the office, but by the time I get there it will be time to return... so I grab a cup of coffee and sit down... forced to take some time to... to... to breathe.

Finding a seat in the corner where I can observe the action and see out the window, the first thing I notice is the people... coming and going, doing their business... grabbing a cup of coffee or a quick sandwich before rushing off to their next appointment. After 30 minutes, an everything bagel and a cup of coffee I finally turn my head to look out the window... and I see it. Wow! What a view.  Just past the little motel across the street and through the trees with their fall leaves... is the mountain.  Not just the mountain, but THE MOUNTAIN.  In about a month it will be white with snow, but now at the beginning of fall just small white patches remain. I begin to reflect on just how firm and faithful THE MOUNTAIN is.

You see? Through the years and through the seasons the mountain remains.  The leaves change... the blanket of snow comes and goes... month to month it looks different... but THE MOUNTAIN remains.  Firm, faithful and true. I could never get used to seeing that mountain. And my mind wanders off to the mountain...

Then all of the sudden with the drop of a mug full of coffee behind the counter, my mind comes crashing back to the reality of the moment. The barista scrambles to clean up the mess and my brief daydream flees. My mind returns to the mountain of work that remains just out of my reach in my office a half hour away... but now I’ve been reminded of the mountain.

I realize the mountain in my life is JESUS... the firm, the faithful, the true.  The mountain in my ministry is NOT all the paperwork and plans piled high on my desk, but Christ’s call to GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES.  What that looks like may change with the seasons... maybe one method now and another method next year, but THE CALL never changes... so in the midst of the changing methods how do I remain faithful to the call? I get out of that office where the piles are high and spend more time in the coffee shop where I can engage others who are making the journey with me... towards THE MOUNTAIN.

Fruitful Daily Habits- Good Intentions vs. Actual Reality

My day begins as the sun rises... I roll out of bed right as the automatic coffee maker finishes brewing my coffee.  Pouring a cup of coffee I sit down with my Bible open and God begins to whisper His words of comfort and challenge into my soul. As I finish up my devotional time I hear my wife begin to stir... I cook breakfast for the 2 of us as she does her morning devotions and we both eat before she goes off to prepare for the day. I wake the kids begin my morning workout. I finish my workout in time to take a quick shower, shave, brush my teeth and get dressed for the day. I get my kids breakfast and pray with them before sending them off to meet the day.  LIFE IS GOOD!

And so are my intentions... But, to be honest, intentions and reality don’t usually match up. I would LOVE for my morning to look like that. I really would! But in our home, that’s not usually the case. A typical morning in my house usually looks a bit more like this:

My day begins as my anxiousness rises... I really can’t lay here anymore! I have to get up or I’ll be late! I roll out of bed as my daughter hits the shower using up the last of the hot water.  I shiver through a cold shower and throw on my clothes, dragging my boys out of bed in the process... Telling them to get dressed I head to the kitchen to fix breakfast. I pull out the cereal and milk and throw some bowls and spoons on the table. I yell from the kitchen, “KIDS! BREAKFAST!”  I scramble to make a cup of coffee and get my stuff together as I pour cereal and slice bananas for my youngest son. I send the kids off to school with a quick, “Goodbye! I love you!” as I throw on my shoes and look for my keys.  I rush out the door on the way to work only to trip over the lunchbox the middle kid forgot... As I pick it up to make the delivery I feel frustrated and stressed... I didn’t get a bite to eat, I haven’t worked out in weeks, my devotional life is lacking and my life reflects it. Something has to change!

Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  

These are my intentions, but in reality sometimes I think I have it all wrong.  How do I get the chaos of my life to fit into that mold? I’ve tried! I’ve reorganized my schedule and pinned it to the wall. I’ve filled out the covenant card and asked my accountability partner to hold me to it. But somehow the scheduled gets filled with other tasks and the covenant fades over time and I find myself once again in the midst of the chaos... Frustrated and stressed I throw in the towel and crumble into my chair... defeated!  

And that’s when God whispers... “It’s the fruit of MY Spirit...If you intend to fit your life into that mold then you have to ALLOW ME TO MOLD YOU. You cannot do it on your own strength. You CAN do it in MY strength.”

So once again... I lay my chaotic schedule aside with a new understanding of who HE is and what HE desires of me... I set my recurring daily alarm a little earlier and as I do, I surrender to His grace that encourages me and invite His Spirit to mold me... and as I do I notice some blossoms begin to bloom out of the chaos of who I was.