The Safety of the Boat

The world is a hard place - and it usually gets harder when you're following God.  That's unfortunate, but it's the truth.  God calls us to some extraordinary things and other forces work hard to slow us down.  Call it Satan, the world, or as Paul does, principalities.

I grew up in church.  Most Sundays we'd get dressed and head to the First United Methodist Church of Valdosta.  The church had three sections of pews (not a wedding or funeral friendly sanctuary) and our "reserved" seats were on the right side, five rows up from the back.  From there, you could see everything that was going on and you didn't interfere with the old ladies' space or singing.

I remember a lot about that sanctuary.  I remember the embroidered kneeling pads at the altar, the ceiling that looked like they had turned an old ship upside down and made it a building, and the stained glass windows.  Most Sundays my eyes would catch one window in particular - the one facing Patterson Street that, at 11am on a Sunday, the sun would light up, showing a picture of Jesus rescuing Peter from the waves.

I wish I had a picture of that actual window.  It's been a reminder to me of who Christ is to me as a minister.

I think if I were in a similar boat today with several other people, I might be the one to give walking on water a try (chalk that up to naivete).  I've talked about it before - God has created a magnificent world that still needs to be reconciled to him.  He emplores us to step out in faith and do his work in that world and sometimes, that's as extreme as walking on water. 

The beautiful part of faith is that walking on water is possible because we are empowered by Christ - Peter proved it!  Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13).  Men and women throughout history have proven that the impossible is in fact possible, with the help of God.

Right now, with the church having adopted a new vision and set out in a new direction for ministry, I'm feeling a lot more like Peter.  I've been walking on water for about 28 months now, one miracle and leap of faith after another.  I certainly don't get credit for any of that.

I find myself, like Peter, wanting so bad to look back to the safety of the boat.  Remember?  That was Peter's "downfall."  He was unsure of his own ability to follow Christ and began to sink.

The further out I get, the more my spirit cries out for the boat.  The more a shrug off reasonable warnings, the more I hear the voices calling from the boat.  In just these last few weeks, the distractions have been incredible - from staff issues, to low worship attendance, to a flooded church building, to personal identity theft, to church budget strain, to antagonism from certain long-time church members, and back again. 

I've decided that in this denomination I love, there is one weakness to the United Methodist Connection that sometimes hinders ministry.  I could write for days on the benefits to being itenerant - both for the ministers and for the churches - but too often it becomes a safety net, or rather a safety raft.

The ability to cut-and-run is a temptation.  As a church member and staff member of other churches, I've seen it first hand.  When the heat gets too high or the challenges too great, everybody's got a way out.  The minister who feels overwhelmed can move to another church and start over with new circumstances.  The church that feels too challenged by the pastor can ask for him (or her) to move and start over with a new voice in the pulpit and the board meetings.

Does this stunt the growth of the church?  How many have been close to making a difference for God in the church or the community and have turned back to the boat?  How different would the world be if every minister was given a minimum appointment period of, say, 10 years?  Revolving door churches would be forced to consider working toward a vision.  Frequently moving pastors would be required to actually do something with their lives.

Don't share any of this with my bishop though.  While this has its merits, there are some places I wouldn't want to be "stuck" for 10 years.

In the meantime, I'm trying hard, against all odds, to keep my eyes locked on Christ and his purpose for my ministry and my life.  I'm putting one foot in front of the other and resisting the temptation to look back to the boat.  I know that I wouldn't be satisfied with the boat - so I keep moving forward, toward true satisfaction and fulfillment.

Thank God that when Peter sank, Jesus didn't let him drown.  That stained glass window I told you about, it showed Jesus pulling Peter back out again.  Thank God for the gift of grace and the opportunity to live perfect lives without the expectation that we will.

Spring Fever

For all of you who have known me for any amount of time, you know that I have an unquenchable case of spring fever. Every year since I was in elementary school, around the end of March, I have been plagued with an uncontrollable desire to be lazy.

It's been compared to "senioritis", but I've found it to be much more serious and to show up annually, instead of during the last year at a school. It causes lack of motivation, daydreaming, forgetfulness, and low energy. In elementary, middle, and high school, it caused alot of conflict with my mother. In college, it might have caused me a couple of B's or C's when I could have had A's. Now, it causes work around the house to get backed up, sermon preparation on Fridays and sometimes Saturdays, and procrastination on blogging.

This year, my spring fever even has spring fever and it didn't kick in until June and it's lasting through July. I might not finish this post until next week.

This is also a time that I believe our churches suffer from spring fever. Most churches (at least all but the one I'm serving) have lower worship attendance during the summer and finances get tight. Right now, my church, along with several others, is looking at opportunities to reach out to families - especially families fighting the high gas prices and not traveling this summer. However, we're dealing with a lack of motivation that seems to be contagious.

Maybe you're that super person that can't relate at all to being unmotivated to follow through on daily tasks. Maybe you've never had spring fever or senioritis. Or maybe your smiling as you read these words, glad that someone else can relate to how you feel. I don't think it's just misery that loves company, laziness does too.

I could be satisfied watching baseball all summer (did anybody catch Josh Hamilton's 28 home runs in the first round?), mowing the yard every other week, playing with my kids, playing more golf, and working the minimum 40 hours each week until Labor Day, but that doesn't do justice to what God has called me, or the church, to. So how do we fight this?

What tactics do you use to keep yourself on track in seasons like these? If you're a leader in your church, how do you keep others motivated on a day perfect for cloud watching?

Procrastinate a little on whatever you have to do today and take a few minutes to let me know what you think.