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Pastoral Identity – Ability

04 Feb

Dear God, I’ve decided to spend each day going through the four areas of Pastoral Identity listed in the Community of Hope curriculum that I’m teaching on Tuesday night: Attitude, Ability, Authority, and Accountability. Yesterday, I did Attitude. Today, I am up to Ability.

Here is what I have in my PowerPoint slides regarding Ability:

  • Ability means developing and practicing the skills for caring.
    • Listening attentively.
    • Setting aside your own prejudices to be accepting and non-judgmental.
    • Using wisdom to know what to say or not to say in return.
  • Your starting point is authenticity and humility. Then you actively live it out.
    • You must die to any need you have to be affirmed or appreciated.
  • Your commitments.
    • Start and continue the process of self-discovery.
      • How have you related to God?
      • How have you interpreted God’s presence?
      • How have you dealt with your fear and pain?
      • How have you related to others?
      • How have your painful experiences changed you?
  • Learn Pastoral Skills that done come naturally.
    • Listening without trying to fix.
    • Listening without telling your own story.
    • Listening without passing judgment or correcting the other person’s theology.
    • Sitting beside the person, trusting God’s presence to be there with and through you, even when there are no answers to fix the situation.

You know, it’s hard to remember all of this at any given time, but I think it simply comes down to a spirit of humility (going back to Attitude). “As I sit here with you and minister to you, I am actively dying to any need within myself to look good in your eyes.” If I cannot do that then I cannot listen without trying to fix (here, let me give you my solution and have you be impressed with me), listen without telling my own story (here, let me tell you about my suffering so you can feel sorry for me and/or be impressed with how I came through it), listen without passing judgment or correcting the other person’s theology (here, let me show you how you are wrong and what you did wrong), and sit beside the person and trust that your presence will be there to comfort, even when there are no answers to fix the situation (here, let me insert my solution and wisdom here instead of allowing you to work this out with God).

I have been trying to walk this line with someone lately, and it has been hard. I care so much. I see problems that scare me. And I feel some amount of responsibility to help this person because I’m not sure they see some of the dangers ahead. At the same time, I know that this person will not accept my solutions, nor should they without coming to a point where they are actively seeking your will for their life and discerning what you have next for them.

Father, help me to embody your pastoral presence in ever situation. Whether it be with friends, coworkers, family members, or simply people in the community with whom I interact. Help me to decrease so that you might increase. If I am telling my own story in a humble way, which I think is important for all of us to be willing to do, help me to do it in a way that is dead to my own ego and how I hope it will affect what others think about me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2018 in Miscellaneous, Pastoral Identity

 

Pastoral Identity – Attitude

03 Feb

Dear God, I am supposed to give a talk to a church group on Tuesday night, but it isn’t about the work we do at our nonprofit. Several years ago, a man asked me to come and teach his “Community of Hope” class about the topic of Pastoral Identity. Frankly, the first time I read the materials from which they wanted me to teach, I was overwhelmed by their vocabulary and depth. To put it bluntly, I didn’t understand them. So I took each paragraph and tried to make an outline of it. Then I turned that outline into a PowerPoint presentation. It ended up working pretty well, but now I am supposed to give it again, and I feel like I’m at square one.

I opened the PowerPoint this morning and I found these words: Pastoral Identity is the deep understanding that Jesus lives, breathes, and ministers to others through you. The it lists four aspects of Pastoral Identity: Attitude, Ability, Authority, and Accountability. It’s the slide about Attitude that I want to pray through this morning. Here are the bullet points under Attitude.

  • Willingness to see ourselves objectively and acknowledge God’s grace in our own stories.
    • We will only be able to see ourselves objectively if we receive God’s grace for our failures.
    • Coming to terms with our weaknesses helps us have compassion for others and connect to them.
    • The suffering in our own lives (past and present) helps us connect with those in difficulty.
  • The first trick is to have an Attitude of being honest with ourselves about our weaknesses.
  • What role does fear play in how you or someone else is struggling through a trial?
    • Be careful to not use denial to avoid fear.
  • Walking with someone through their trial requires you to be humble, honest and tender.
    • You cannot take away or fix the situation. Your role is to simply be there.

Oh my! That is pretty good stuff. I cannot minister until I have dealt with my own stuff. I certainly have my failings–too many to enumerate. But your grace released me from the guilt from those failings. you took a knife to the knot in the rope that ties you and me together in our relationship with Jesus’ death and bridged it back through His resurrection. Freedom! I have freedom, and it came through my being willing to let go.

When I pray for others, whether it is friends, family, or my children, if I know they do not have a relationship with you, one of the things I always pray for is that they will be able to let go. Let go of the pain they are hiding and holding on to. Let go of their shame. There is so much freedom to be had, and they just don’t know it.

I guess I’ll close with this. It’s the chorus of a song by Dennis Jernigan called “Song of Hope.” It works for not only non-Christians, but also for Christians who are holding on to their secrets and their shame:

And I wish I could take you heart into my heart
I wish I could show you just how good it feels to let go
Of the things you know are killing you
And cling to the only one who can heal
But I know if I did then it wouldn’t be you
Cuz you, you’re the only one choosing for you, it’s true

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2018 in Miscellaneous, Pastoral Identity

 

Prayer Requests

02 Feb

No verse.

Dear God, none of my usual sources of scripture were really inspiring me this morning, so I thought I would just pray—pray what’s on my heart.

I normally pray for specific individuals separately from this journal, but praying for them is what is what’s on my mind this morning.

  • I’m thinking of the Rotarian friend who is in the hospital in San Antonio. I am asking for healing for him and strength to endure for both him and his wife.
  • I’m thinking of my neighbor next door who lost her husband. I’m asking you there for her comfort and provision. Help her to reach out and receive comfort from her family and friends.
  • I’m thinking of the volunteer at work who is just out of the nursing home. Please give her strength and wholeness. Give her wisdom about what to do regarding her living situation and her children who live far away.
  • I’m thinking about my coworker whose spouse is sick and undergoing tests today. Give them a good report and use this scare to bring glory to your name through their lives. Give them healing. They have both been through a lot with extended family. Perhaps you can use this as a bonding agent for them so that this pain and fear will count for your glory and not be wasted.
  • I’m thinking about the relatives who are divorcing. I ask you for your healing in each of the spouse’s lives. There is so much water under the bridge and there are so many wrongs done that there is no way either of them can untie the knot of hatred and hurt feelings. Please help both of them to extend some of your grace to the other so that you might ultimately give them both the lives you have for them.
  • And for their children, to some extent I’ve been where they are. Please raise up people around them who will be your hands and feet for them. Love them well. Help them to heal and have whole relationships with both parents. Protect their hearts and lead them into a life ordained by you.
  • I have a relative who is having a mildly significant medical procedure today. Please take good care of her. Give her peace. Give her doctor great skill and minimize her pain.
  • I have a relative who is figuring out some decisions he needs to make for the future. Give him your wisdom, discernment, and joy. Help him to feel the love that his family has for him.

There are more, but I think I’ll stop here with these except to ask that, Father, please help me to be exactly what you need me to be today for your glory’s sake. Give me energy, vision, and motivation, and do it all in a way that I will decrease and you will increase through me. You are my God, and I am grateful for you and the opportunity Jesus’ redemption affords me to be here this morning.

I pray all of this through His name,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 2, 2018 in Miscellaneous

 

1 Corinthians 1:13-17

01 Feb

Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

1 Corinthians 1:13-17

Dear God, my first thought from this passage is that I must decrease and you must increase. Paul was trying to minimize his glory in the eyes of the Corinthians and maximize your glory. “Don’t brag about me or anyone else. We are just the messengers. Jesus and the Father are to be worshipped, not us.”

I met a guy yesterday who impressed the heck out of me. Frankly, he intimidated me a bit. He knew more than me and, at a younger age, seemed to have a lot more experience than me. The low-lying level of discomfort I had while talking with him made me realize how important how I present myself and how others see me really is to me. My insecurity is something that truly runs deep.

Father, I hadn’t thought about yesterday’s interaction in this way before this moment. Thank you for bringing it to my intention. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for my pride and my insecurity. I don’t want “humility” to be something to which I just pay lip service, but I want it to be something that permeates every part of me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 1, 2018 in 1 Corinthians

 

Nehemiah 1:1-4

31 Jan

These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:1-4

Dear God, I have gotten a lot of inspiration out of these verses in the past, and I am coming back to them this morning because I am going to use them to speak to a bunch of private school children today during their chapel time. My task is to somehow make affordable healthcare for low-income, uninsured people relevant to children who probably have very few material needs in their home lives. I love this story because it shows a touching of Nehemiah’s heart and his inspiration for accomplishing something in your name. An inspiration his brother or no one else really seems to share. But the other unique thing about Nehemiah is that, as the cupbearer to the king, he seems to be in a unique position to do something about it.

Ever since I first prayed to you over this passage in February 2003, I have looked back on it as a turning point for me. You used that journal to lead me into an entirely new career path. You led me to a cause that touched my heart and inspired me to start volunteering at a nonprofit. Then you led me into working for the nonprofit and now, 15 years later, almost to the day, I am not only working for one nonprofit, but I am in a position to help other causes in town that touch my heart as well.

Father, help me to communicate well to the children, their teachers, and everyone else in the room today. Help me to bring you glory. Give me good seeds to plant and prepare good soil in the hearts of the children so that any lesson that you might have for the children might not be stolen by Satan. And use it to re-inspire me as well. Be glorified through my life, and make the world a little bit better through the ways you use me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 31, 2018 in Nehemiah

 

Ephesians 4:2-3

30 Jan

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

Ephesians 4:2-3

Dear God, the New Testament is full of admonitions and even prayers about unity. I told some people recently that Satan has on play he’s been using since the beginning of time. From Adam and Eve, to wars, to church splits, to parents and children, his Plan A is to cause divisions between us, and he very rarely needs a Plan B because Plan A is so effective.

I suppose the thing about us that makes divisions so prevalent is pride. We all have this great sense of needing to be right or look good to others, not being able to reveal our weaknesses. When I try to look at any relationships I have right now that are strained or divided, the common denominator is that at least one person in the relationship (but usually, at least to some extent, both) has staked out a position about either their rights or protecting something in their life that needs to be turned loose but they won’t. We make Satan’s work easy.

Father, help me to legitimately examine my own life and relationships with others. Help me to recognize and repent of my own sin. Help me to make amends and help me to bring you glory in the process. And for those I love who might need to do the same thing, I ask that you please guide them and help any healing that happens between us to bring you glory.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 30, 2018 in Ephesians

 

Mark 9:33-34

29 Jan

After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.

Mark 9:33-34

Dear God, there’s a part of me that has a hard time understanding this conversation between the disciples, but then again I kind of get it because this kind of thing came up with my coworkers recently. Jesus had to deal with it like a manager. It was basically the same kind of personnel issue that I had.

I would imagine this was a difficult group to manage. You had very different personalities. They ranged from Peter (probably ADD at some level) to Judas (a malcontent). You had the more thoughtful ones who might not as readily jump into action like John.

My biggest struggle as a leader is dealing with personnel issues. I like this example here of getting everyone to sit down together, challenge the with what is seemingly a rhetorical question and then giving them a truth that breaks the paradigm of their argument—greatest works against you.

Father, help me to be a better leader of people. Help me to find the balance of leading and serving. Help me to decrease while you increase. Help me to bring you glory in everything I do.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 29, 2018 in Mark

 

John 4:19-24

28 Jan

“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John 4:19-24

Dear God, were you bigger than being worshipped in Jerusalem all along? Did the Jews have it wrong?

I wonder what parameters I’ve put on my theology (or I’ve been taught by others) that are just wrong. I’ve told people before that I’m pretty sure that when I get to Heaven I will learn that 90% of my theology was wrong. That’s where your grace comes in. That’s where praying like this and working out my faith with fear and trembling comes in. That’s why I need to pay attention to your still small voice, while being careful that my own wisdom and humanity to pose as your voice and lead me away.

Father, thank you that I’m able to worship you anywhere and anytime. Thank you that you accept my worship. Thank you that you accept my sacrifices. Thank you for forgiving me of the sins I commit and for redeeming me through your sacrifice.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2018 in John

 

Matthew 6:24-25

27 Jan

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?

Matthew 6:24-25

Dear God, some translation separate these two verses from each other and act like Jesus is starting a new thought in His sermon. For example, the NIV puts a heading between them that says, “Do Not Worry.” But they need to go together. The worship of money becomes worrying about money. The worship of relationship becomes worrying about relationship, becomes co-dependency, becomes jealousy, etc. Substitute whatever god you want for money and the result is the same. Worship of your god becomes worry in how to keep your god.

All of this is true except when it comes to my real God. I never worry about losing you. Sure, a perverted view of you might make someone get angry if they perceive you are doing more for someone else than you are for them, but, overall, a life spent truly worshiping you will give peace.

Father, as I examine the things in my life that worry me, I guess the first thing I should ask myself is if I am worshiping them. Now the answer isn’t always yes. There are legitimate things that should concern me like caring for relatives or neighbors in need. But I need to be careful to not become codependent with those things. I have a relative going through an extremely difficult situation right now. It would be easy to deep dive into their problems at an unhealthy level, but I think my wife and I are keeping each other healthy and balanced through the process. But help me to recognize when I turn my worship from you and place it on something or someone else. You are the only God who truly loves me and can bring me peace.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 27, 2018 in Matthew

 

James 4:4-10

26 Jan

You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

James 4:4-10

Dear God, I wonder why James follows all of this humility talk with honor. It seems counter productive to make honor my motivation for being humble. That probably shouldn’t be the prize that I see at the end of my pursuits.

I will say, however, that some of the most humble people I know are the most honored. When I start to think of the people I know, from family members, to people in the community, to celebrities, the most admired are the most humble. I can’t think of one off of the top of my head who is arrogant. At least the ones I admire. But I suppose there are people who really like those who are arrogant. But I would say they are likely people who aren’t after your heart.

So, Father, please give me eyes for humility. I confess that I love to be honored. I love admiration. But that’s just my own sickness. I don’t want to pursue honor through acting humble. I simply recognize that I am a flawed person who needs a savior. I recognize the truth. Help me to live that truth authentically.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2018 in James

 
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