MINISTRY

PIANO PRAYERS, MISSIONARY, JACOB’S FIRE AND AMANDA’S CUPS

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The tide of ministry has been high this week. Sunday I preached my 50th message in our series on Revelation. Truthfully it is probably more like the 60th or 70th sermon in the series, but it is entitled “Jesus Doing Life Pt. 2 Pt. 50.”

We were stuck in chapters 2,3 and 4 for quite a while and I was using decimal points (2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and so on) for that particular point in the series. It has been a wonderful study and I am looking forward to its conclusion on Sept. 29th (which it just hit me would have been my mother’s 88th birthday).

HERE IS THE SERVICE FROM SUNDAY.

Sunday preaching always leaves me ready for a nap. This series has left me feeling particularly drained. Maybe it’s just the content but I am finding I need to rest deeply on Sunday afternoon, and it is good to have a lot of time to pray on Mondays.

This week I did get several hours to pray on Monday morning and then Monday evening I led worship from 5-6 at THE WORSHIP ROOM HOUSE OF PRAYER and prayed in the prayer room from 6-7 P.M.

HERE IS THAT SERIES OF PRAYER SERVICES.

Tuesday is always one of the busiest days of my week. Staff meeting led into a missions lunch with one of our missionary friends from a sensitive country. Amanda came down with the stomach flu which is running through our kids ministry, so I took youth group for her on Tuesday night.

This is the “GET WELL” bouquet one of her teens made for her.

Youth night this week was easy. It was the fall opening for youth ministry, girls ministry and Royal Rangers Ministry to boys. One of Amanda’s teen-agers had a vision. for having a bonfire to start the season off. Together, Jacob and a few other folks from the church cleaned out and prepared the fire pit at the back of the church property.

One of our youth leaders, Troy, helped Jacob get the fire up and running while the other kids opened with business and games.

Then everyone came out to the fire and made stores while another one of Amanda’s youth led in worship.

Wednesday. I worked at home to catch up on prayer and Vicarage projects.

Then on Thursday, I joined Amanda’s DLT group (she was fully recovered from the stomach bug by that point) to start getting ready for our upcoming Church Crockpot cook off. Amanda’s group is sponsoring the event and so we had to label 1100 sample cups for the cook off

Today. I am getting ready for oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth. So…yeah… it’s been a fun and active week. Which is my excuse for not writing as much here at Notes.

I have smiled a lot this week and made a lot of fun memories.

WHAT MEMEORY DID YOU BUILD THIS WEEK?

PASTORS AND POTLUCKS

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I eat out a lot. I think all pastors do. In fact I would say that pastoring revolves around God, people, AND FOOD.

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Many of our leader meetings involve food. Some even have food as the agenda. Many times when I do visitation people have food waiting for me when I arrive at their homes. When I do pastoral meeting away from the church and away from my congregants’ homes I am usually at Starbuck’s or Sippin’ Serendipity or even the 99. Then, of course, there is the church potluck! I love a good potluck supper.

Today I had two potlucks back to back. I got up early this morning, and after morning prayer, I began preparing my offering for first luncheon, a macaroni salad.

I started with fresh dill from the garden,

and fresh eggs from our chickens.

I hard boiled the eggs along with the macaroni and some peas.

I cut up the dill and mixed it in with a little salt, pepper, mayonnaise and mustard.

Then I had plenty of time to chill the salad before the leadership luncheon hosted at one of our group leader’s home.

It was a wonderful time of fellowship, breaking bread around the tables.

There were conversations about family, friends and faith.

Cora was our mascot for the day. She was wonderful with the children.

This event was multigenerational.

My second potluck of the day was a funeral held at the local Fraternal Order of Eagles Hall. More and more people are opting not to hold large church funerals because of the cost. The last three funerals I have done have been celebrations of life held at people’s homes or in small halls.

I did this celebration of life, while people were gathered around the tables for a late luncheon. My position was next to the food table by the gatorade container. I called the service to order with two verses of Amazing Grace and a pastoral prayer for peace as people finished their baked ziti and salad.

I suppose some would say a service like this lacked reverence. I don’t think that way. I feel like these types of services create something very close to biblical koinonia (Christian communion particularly of the early church). People feel more connected to each other when there is food present. It’s one of the reasons I think food is present in so much pastoral ministry.

We sang. We read Scripture. We shared memories. I shared a devotional and a charge to embrace the faith. We held a moment of solemn silence. We prayed the Lord’s Prayer. I prayed a committal and a benediction. Then everyone had dessert and continued sharing around the tables. There were tears and there was a lot laughter.

I think God likes what sharing a meal does for people.

IN SEARCH OF THE WORDS AGAIN

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I have written here about the projects going on with the physical property of The Vicarage and the micro-forest gardens. I have written about some of the projects going on at Cornerstone Church. All of those are still in process. If time allows today and the rains hold off I will be working on the chicken paddock and bringing in some more of the fall harvest (which is not huge but is keeping us in healthy vegetables just now). I also have a plant shelf to set up sometime this week and an office to clean. Today I am also putting together a worship set for THE WORSHIP ROOM HOUSE OF PRAYER and I am writing my sermon for Sunday.

That said, there are other projects I have shelved for years now that I am finally taking down and dusting off.

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I am talking about my writing projects. When I took on the lead pastorate at Cornerstone and then when Mom’s health failed, I just didn’t have the brain space to keep up with writing regularly. Life has changed, now, and I am seeing my way clear to what I think my next steps in life are supposed to be.

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The rhythm of prayer and ministry is the constant anchor of life drawing me continually to my Divine Center in Christ. Cornerstone Church, The Vicarage and its gardens are the launching pad from which my life goes forth. These places are the earthly center from which I currently work. They create a context for me. But I think that I have long neglected the part of my life which brings me so much joy. That is the story telling. That part of me feels like it is coming back to life even as I reorient in this new phase of living.

This blog and my other blog LILLIE-PUT are becoming part of that storytelling work. I have been enjoying editing NOTES FROM THE VICARAGE over the last several weeks. I have added pages in the heading and I have begun going through old posts, deleting those that do not lend themselves to the story and figuring out what I really want to say here in the days to come. I have come up with an intentional writing strategy that I have begun to practice. I am not successfully writing everyday yet, but I am closer to that goal than I have been in years.

Searching for the words again is giving me great joy. I am having fun with life right now and all its many projects.

WHAT IS BRINGING YOU JOY THESE DAYS?

THE LEADERSHIP RHYTHM

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This week God has been speaking to me about fully embracing the rhythm of my leadership. I believe, there is a leadership rhythm that spiritual leaders must follow consistently if we are to walk in the fullness of our giftings from God. Without the consistent rhythm we will not walk in the fullness of our gifts or reach the fullness of our ministry callings.

I don’t believe that this rhythm looks the same for everyone. Each of us are called to discover the rhythm of our spiritual leadership for ourselves, and then to live it constantly We must no longer allow distractions of the world to take us away from the rhythm.

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For me, this involves a rhythm of constant prayer throughout the day, everyday: Matins, Laudes, Prime, Terce, Sext None, Vespers, Compline. For me, work and the rest of life flows out of prayer and back into prayer. Prayer is the constant rhythm and it must not be allowed to stop…ever. 

The Lord showed me that this rhythm is the manifestation of the armor of God for us as leaders in the church, this is why Paul says…“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” (Ephesians 6: 11-13)

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This means that letting go of the rhythm is akin to taking off the armor, and therefore not being able to stand in the day of evil against the agents of evil. 

Here is the struggle I am having. I have sought God and told Him how overwhelming this thought is. I know I cannot be consistent to this level of constancy on my own. In my own nature I am too distractible, too flighty.

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The Lord has sent me a quiet assurance in prayer that the rhythm is not something I accomplish on my own. It is something He accomplishes and I receive.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.Ephesians 2:10

So now I am taking time everyday to believe and receive the rhythm that is God’s gift to me and which opens up my ability to use my gifts for Him.

DO YOU HAVE A RHYTHM GOD IS TRYING TO ESTABLISH IN YOUR LIFE?

A BRIEF RETURN TO YOUTH MINISTRY

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This summer, as my daughter entered her six weeks of radiation treatment after cancer surgery, I took over a few pieces of her church ministry. One of the ministries I have been covering this summer is youth ministry.

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I was a youth minister for 19 years, but I have been retired from it for almost a decade. Which means the last time I seriously addressed this ministry I was still in my forties. Now as I approach sixty I am in a very different body than I was back then.

I knew going in that I was going to need to lean on the youth team in a way I never had before. Fortunately for everyone, my daughter has spent a good deal of time raising up a very talented and capable team of people to help lead our youth group.

This summer the brother and sister team of Trinity and Christian helped out. Trinity was our chief sound and media tech. Christian actually shared the preaching responsibilities with me and helped with games.

Troy operated as one of our games masters and an alternate media tech.

Patrick in the lower left hand corner of this picture was our worship leader.

And Pam, the lady on the right, was our chief administrator on site and called the weekly announcements for us. My daughter organized us each week, by making sure all of our supplies were set up weekly and by sending out the weekly duty roster for us. I was really just the pastoral presence in the room which was good because honestly I felt really rusty going in.

Still we managed to pull off the summer program and the fellowship trip to Kimball’s ice cream.

It was a very active summer.

We drew in some extra help for driving to the Kimball’s event. Carrie Hackett (pictured at the end of the table) stepped in with her car to help us get to Kimballs. Carrie is our adult Doing Life and outreach coordinator.

Sadie Bauver pictured here with the blue baton is one of our youth and she is finishing up the summer as our worship leader. I am finishing out the summer as the youth preacher. This has been an all hands on deck situation. I am so blessed that all the hands have risen up to help!