I apologize for the lack of posting as of late. My colleague has been on maternity leave for
seven weeks and it has been seven weeks since I last posted…coincidence? If I am honest, in this temporary gig of pseudo-solo
pastor I do not think I have done an excellent job of maintaining boundaries in
terms of rest. In fact, as I donned the new
set of responsibilities all sense of self preservation went out the window!
But alas, I am here once again indulging in a practice that never fails
to bring me life: writing. As I look
into the future and hope for what God has in store I know that if I indeed plan
on a lifetime of ministry I need to be diligent on self-care. Writing, running, reading, friends….that is
what gives me life and if I hope for a full one, I cannot let those go to the
wayside every time I am given more responsibility. In fact, the more responsibility I am given
the BETTER I should be at self-care.
That is what a life time of ministry is all about.
Anyways, confession number one merits confession number two. These past few weeks have not only been a new
experience as a pseudo-solo pastor, but it has also been the official start of
my call process. The call what? Yeah, I know, what am I talking about? Well, in the Evangelical Covenant Church, the
process of finding a position in ministry is known as the call process. It begins with an extensive profile which combines
your resume, theological perspective, and location preferences into one central
place. From there individuals in the
call process interview with 20 denominational leaders and conference
superintendents. The point behind all
these interviews is this: the conference superintendents already know the
churches, now they want to know the candidates.
That way they can give referrals that fit the church and fit the
individual. It is actually a pretty
exciting process. But here is what I
need to confess…
I think I can somehow have control over the process. My friends often joke with me, “Trust the
process.” Why? Because it is crazy to think that 8 months
from now I have no idea where I will live and no clue in what role God would
have me serve. It is my default to be
able to plan out my future. But now more
than ever I know that while I make plans in my heart, God directs my steps
(Proverbs 16:9). So here I am, trusting
the process, and daily laying down my desire to control it all. I confess to you because I need to confess to
myself. I need to trust the process….whatever
that means and whatever that looks like, at least I know that God is in the
process. I know I trust Him:-)
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