When I Was A Kid....

Hello Emmanuel,

School is closed.  I don’t understand it.  So much is wrong with this picture…

First, I look outside and I barely see any snow.  It isn’t even cold snow.  It’s luke-warm.  A half a degree warmer and it would be all rain.  When I was a kid, snow was cold.  It was rock-hard ice that fell from the sky.  We had to carry band-aids with us when it snowed to cover up the scratches caused by the snowflakes.  This isn’t snow.  It’s really a bit embarrassing.  My kids should be embarrassed. 

Secondly, the automated one-call system is borderline evil.  Not only do the kids get to sleep in, but I have to wake up to answer the 3 phones that ring because the school system wants parents to NOT sleep in.  And when I’m awake, I’m awake.  When I was a kid, I had to get out of bed, walk across a cold floor and turn on a thing called a radio to see what was going on.  My parents didn’t have to wake up to come tell me that school was closed. 

So I sit here at 6:27 AM when I should be sleeping.  Instead, I’m typing this article, taking advantage of the opportunity to vent, but also to reminisce about how my generation is so much tougher.

But isn’t that the way it is supposed to go?  Don’t we always think that kids have it easier than we did?  Unfortunately, what we don’t think about is what kids have to deal with today that we didn’t.  For example, privacy is at a premium.  With social media as it is, your life is much more accessible.  And rumors fly around in a matter of seconds, not hours.  The pressure to perform might be a bit different too.  We want to make our kids the next multi-millionaire football or baseball or basketball player (and I thought that when Pete Rose signed that $100,000 contract, he was rich).  Kids play one sport year around and are pushed more to excel.  And I won’t even begin to talk about the changes in college education.  Spending 25% of your working life to just pay back student loans seems to put into question the validity of many college degrees.

The truth is that life is never easy.  Progress only brings different stressors, not less.  There is, however, a common reality:  God is still God.  This is what we should teach our kids (and many adults too).  The debate on who had it tougher isn’t the right way to spend our energy.  The right way is to communicate the presence of the Divine in our lives…..

 because without Him, life is tougher for everyone.

I’m going back to bed…. (and banging on my kids’ doors along the way)

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Peer Learning

Hello Emmanuel,

How willing are you to learn?

I’m in 3 cluster groups—a small group of pastors that spend time sharing with each other the trials, tribulations and celebrations of this job we call Ordained Ministry.  The 3 groups are very different from one another.  One group is getting coached by a pastor from the Baltimore, Maryland area.  We meet every month and go through a set list of questions designed to guide us to be better pastors for our respective churches.  Another group is a group that I lead--a group of area pastors that get together to discuss Ministry Plans (yes, I share the circle chart with EVERYONE).  And a third group is a District-wide group of cluster leaders that discuss leadership development issues among clergy.

How willing are you to learn?

Being a part of a peer group is not easy for me.  For it to be worth my time, I need to talk about what I’m not good at and listen to how I can get better.  I need to admit out loud that I have areas of my job that are flawed.  I have to consider that someone else in the group might know more than I do and listen to what they have to say without getting defensive. 

The truth is that pastors have egos.  They spend 98% of their time being in charge of a congregation’s spiritual journey.  They become well-rounded, too, by delving into money issues, property issues, worship issues, multi-media issues and educational issues and so on.  They get used to being the decision-maker or teacher on most occasions.

……thus the difficulty of sitting in a circle of peers and learning.  How willing are you to learn?

In the end, I always like peer group learning (though 3 groups might be a bit much).  I like it because I know that being humble is paramount to being a good leader (Jesus said so).  I like it because it is the moments when I am reminded that I am not on an island alone in my struggles.  I like it because I get new ideas or get helped reforming old ideas.  I like it because I also get to make friends and be in community beyond the scope of the local church. 

How willing are you to learn?  Peer learning isn’t just for pastors.  Emmanuel has many areas of ministry designed to be places of learning (worship, Sunday school, bible study, small groups, etc).  Or maybe your peer learning happens at your job too.  In whatever context it may be, I encourage you to be willing to learn from those around you.

And if you aren’t willing to learn, then consider that the church may not be for you.  Jesus didn’t come to save the righteous.  He came to save the lost.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Finding God's Smiles

Hello Emmanuel,

Well, the weekend is over.  It’s a weekend that the family has been looking forward to for almost a year… or a decade.  Our oldest daughter, Leah, married her high school sweetheart, Zach, after dating for almost 10 years.  Lots of details went into the planning.  It went great, if I do say so myself.  It rivaled even the best of weddings that I’ve seen over the years.  No one passed out.  The best man didn’t forget the rings.  The pastor didn’t get the names wrong (whew!).  And the bride’s mom didn’t give the pastor a hard time.

What are you planning for?

Think about it.  Most wedding ceremonies are around 30 minutes.  At most, a service might last 1 or 2 hours.  Still, the planning that goes into one is measured in months or years.  Would anyone consider that this is a bit over-the-top?  It could go unsaid that some evidently put more time planning the ceremony than they do planning the marriage.  Some of the most beautiful ceremonies could be had to celebrate a marriage that dissolves within a few years.  In my mind, something isn’t right with this.

What are you planning for?

There are aspects of life that God says is more important than others.  Do your priorities match God’s?  Weddings are important in God’s mind, but marriages or infinitely more important.  Funerals are important in God’s mind, but living is much more important.  Having church is important to God.  Being the Church is much more important to God.  Feeding the hungry is important to God.  Feeding the soul is more important.  Having clean clothes for your kids is important.  Having healthy relationships are more important.

What are you planning for?

I think that some just don’t know how to plan for the important things.  Maybe it is because they were never taught how.  Or maybe there is too much fear behind the planning—that if things go wrong it will hurt too much.  I encourage you to plan for the things that are important to God.  I won’t promise you that life will be better, but I will promise you that the substance of life becomes more meaningful.  And when things go well, it will be thicker and richer and more fulfilling. 

Blessings in life are found in places where God’s smiles are also found.  Go look for God’s smiles.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe