You ever seen one of those bumper stickers on a car that says, "Will break for..." My parent's car has one that says "Will break for wildflowers."What is basically being said here is that it is pointing out a priority in this person's life, whether it be flowers, birds, football, or chocolate. Today I got to thinking about what mine would say and I came up with, "Will break church work for ministry."
So much of my time as a pastor is spent on webpages, ordering stuff, planning programs, training volunteers, and so on and so on that I feel like very very little of my time is left over to truly minister to the lives of people- to help them deal with life- to offer encouragement when needed- to help them find the answer they seek using Scripture- to actually change their outlook on life.
One thing I have learned is that all the programing and "stuff" at the actual church building is really only there as a way to draw people into relationships with others in an effort to understand how God can work in their lives and gain comfort from others who are also seeking.
So anytime someone actually gives me the chance to minister to them by taking the risk to share their hurts, their shame, their confusion, their...I WILL BREAK the "church work" to do what we do all that work for. And better yet, I'm not waiting for the opportunities to come to me. This year, I'm purposefully watching the roadside as I drive for places that need a wildflower and I'm going to stop and plant one.
