Last Tuesday our food bank served 78 families. The Sunday prior to the food bank I shared with the church we needed over 60 turkeys. I’m blown away that when you put a call out for a need people respond.

A couple of things happened since last week. One of our members was in the post office and found a one hundred dollar bill. He says, “did anyone loose a hundred dollar bill?” A little old lady came up to him and said, “it’s your lucky day.” The member comes to the church office and hands me a hundred dollar bill and says, “use this for the turkeys.”

Another member calls last week and says, “my son knows where to get some turkeys and hams wholesale.” She finds out she can’t get the turkeys, but can get the hams. We needed approximately sixty hams at around 600.00 dollars. The same member says this past Sunday morning that we raised almost enough money from donations from people in the church and living in the community.

Two of the donations were from the chamber of commerce and a hardware store.

This Tuesday we have another food bank. I think things are going to be okay.

Its a special moment when community “literally” comes together to help do God’s ministry.

And people are still bringing turkeys.

nice.

“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”
Karl Barth

ht: Juan

The pastor exhibiting a heart for the people within the context of a small or large church ministry will only help ensure the success, stability, and longevity of the pastor. The requirement for the pastor is to some how master the gift of empowerment in his or her context for ministry. An understanding of the community the pastor has entered, its cultural surroundings, and a historical reference point for the way ministry has been implemented within the life of the church will only lead to a greater understanding for how the pastor is to equip and empower the people of God for kingdom work and to master the gift of empowerment. Vision for how ministry is accomplished and the ministry of sending as outlined in the New Testament is than carried out with purpose.

phew.

Survived the first week of an online experience at fuller for the doctor of ministry program. This online experience is very unique. I’ve never participated in something like this in that as a class we interact through a chat board if you will. The papers I write are uploaded to a “drop box” and if I need to chat with the professors I send them an email through the message system set up in my “virtual” class room. The cool thing is that you can even track your grades for assignments. Very cool. In many ways its a global community of followers of Jesus trying to make a difference in the kingdom of God. This week our readings are from Nouwen’s, “In the Name of Jesus,” and Bonhoeffer’s, “Life Together.”

Community is vital to me. It has always been a desire of my heart to live amongst friends. When I was involved early on in my ministry as a youth worker and as a wannabe collegian I participated on two occasions in a community of friends who lived in community serving a local neighborhood near our church. It was one the most powerful experiences of what community should be as the church. It was an honor to serve Christ, but the honor came from being with friends who were like minded and who desired a more intimate relationship with the Lord. Bonhoeffer’s opening line in his book summarizes the importance of followers of Jesus living together as “friends”, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” Ps. 133:1 In community I find restoration for the soul. Forgiveness and grace. In community I come broken ready for God to change me, and in community I find with friends a desire to go back into the world and into the neighborhoods around us with the same message we found together living in community. Hope. And the cool thing about my call to serve Christ as a pastor??? The church is my community of friends and we together represent to the world what it means to follow Jesus and we get to represent what the kingdom of God here on earth should be and should look like.

Jimmy went home today to be with the Lord. Nothing in seminary really prepares you to confront life and death issues you face in pastoring a church until you actually walk with someone through their pain.

If you’re not paying attention, you might miss the small things in ministry that happen to you as a pastor. They’ll fly by you quicker than a shooting star. These last few weeks have been a roller coaster of sorts in that I’ve been involved with people like J who’ve recently experienced the joy in finding out that her cancer was in remission. I’ve talked and prayed with people like Jimmy who continues to struggle with terminal cancer and somehow still smiles and still knows that God is still somehow faithful when your bones hurt so badly that you ask for the Lord to take you quickly.

Recently, I helped lead a memorial service for a longtime member and friend of the church who helped build the church brick by brick in 1941. A faithful member who gave his heart to community. I’ve seen and witnessed God’s faithfulness by those who don’t have much, who give of their time to the church with their own presence as a gift back to the Lord. I’ve also witnessed God’s provision for the church in every aspect, everything from financial gifts for building projects to gifts of food for the food pantry that we run twice a month that is currently low on food because the county is running short of supplies.

Over the last 48 hours I’ve experienced a kind of community that only happens when you are sitting still. A kind of community that only happens when you are actually paying attention to the God things of ministry. Yesterday I talked on the phone with someone who actually took the time to ask me how I was doing and what I needed prayer for. This afternoon got another phone call from a good guy who wanted to update me on a prayer request he shared recently in church. He again asked a similar question. He also wanted me to know that he really enjoyed what was happening in worship on Sunday mornings and that he was thinking of me today. What floored me was these two guys asked me something that moved me to a point of awe and gratefulness for the opportunity that I’ve been given by God to serve with the people of God in community. I must confess that it’s foreign to hear the words, “pastor, how can I pray for you?”

It was a simple reminder that as a pastor, it’s sometimes ok and even refreshing for others to hear that you might need prayer. It shows those you serve that your in the midst of the same kinds of things that most people face day to day. It shows that you’re human and that you’re not perfect, which to me is ok to admit sometimes as a pastor. As a pastor It’s encouraging to know that those you shepard sometimes recognize that we pastors aren’t super pastors which relieves some of the pressure in needing to be perfect and needing to be able to meet everyones needs, which is a myth to think that any pastor is capable of meeting every single persons need in the congregations they serve. Praise you Lord for the little accolades of life that come along in the form of your simple reminders of your faithfulness.