I vividly recall the excitement I felt when first applying to ministry positions upon graduating from seminary.  I decided that (besides Wyoming) I was open to wherever God might call me.  I eagerly began my search, but I quickly became discouraged.  It seemed as if almost every position said:  two-five years experienced required.  Should I just apply anyway and explain that I had other industry experience (I previously worked in the business sector prior to switching careers)?  Did my internship experience count?  How does one gain experience if they have to have experience to get the job in the first place? It seems that nothing can really be substituted for experience.  For that reason alone, I will always be grateful for my first church that took a chance on an inexperienced pastor (right out of seminary) and allowed me to gain that valuable first couple years (and more) of experience. Experience, whether we like to acknowledge it or not, has a direct relation to faith.  As … [Read more...]

I have found myself complaining far too often lately, so I am pausing to notice the bright spots in ministry. It is the greatest privilege to engage in ministry with others, and to be ministered to by others.  Here are some of my most recent bright spots: How are you doing?  As a congregation, we lost a great servant of Jesus Christ this past year. We were all grieving together, but of course, as the pastor I was counseling many.  Imagine my surprise at receiving one small text from a member of my congregation that asked four simple words: “How are you doing?”  Even though, by the grace of God, I was managing well, I cannot tell you how cared for I felt in that moment when I read that text.  I just assumed when I opened it, it would include another “to do,” but instead this person ministered to me in the powerful method of grief sharing, reminding me what a blessing it is to have another person care about you even when they too are grieving. I love Jesus!  Children are great … [Read more...]

My church recently lost a great man. Actually, I can confidently say that not just our church, but our community lost a great man. As we wrapped up sharing memories of him during coffee hour on Sunday, a few friends (around my age) stood wondering with each other.  We talked about why we looked up to him so much. It was because he communicated with everyone in their preferred communication style (he bought a smartphone so he could text with the “younger” people). It was because he was so consistent. He was the same gentle, loving soul with his family, church family and friends – even on a bad day – and because he genuinely wanted the best for everyone.  “It makes you ask yourself, what kind of person am I?” one of us asked.  And then we joked about how possibly he just had some extra God pieces inside of him from the very beginning. Was he a saintly kid too?  Or did he have to work at it all the time to be able to reflect God’s image with his life? Which is it?  We wondered.  Do … [Read more...]

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lordwas not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  (1 Kings 19:11b-12) One of my pastoral mentors had a chair where he met with God each morning.  I know others who have a window seat in their house or a corner in a booth in a coffee shop.  Sometimes it is not a place, but a time.  Many meet with God in the morning through prayer or in the evening before they fall asleep.  “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,” says Jeremiah 29:13. “It’s human nature to park in the same space every time,” a co-worker informed me one morning when I parked in “his spot.”  I joked, “Then, I guess I’m not human.” I like to pick a new seat at every staff meeting. if I were sitting in the congregation in … [Read more...]