After reading and sharing this post by April Yamasaki, I was challenged to compose my own list. I have been in church pastoral ministry
for three years, but if I go back to when I started in Christian camp ministry,
I can count almost fifteen years of experience in God’s Kingdom work.
There are six vital goals in that statement; integrity, authenticity,
intimacy, sensitivity, obedience, and being empowered. You will read echoes of
those in the following list.
1. Devotion.
I need to continue learning how to love God with my whole being and to focus
all my energies into daily worship of Jesus Christ. Without this central core
value to my life I would be just another person struggling to find fulfillment
and contentment in the vast resources of the world; searching and not finding
completion, stressed and not finding hope. Staying centered on God redefines
not just the ordinary, but everything. I will spend my entire earthly life
working on this.
2. Cultivate
prayer as constant conversation. I’ve had seasons of vibrant daily hour+ long
prayer times, very dry seasons when all I could whisper was “help”; and unnerving
seasons of silence. Over time, what has emerged is constant conversation with
God, speaking and listening. If I truly believe God is present at all times
(and I do), then I talk to him. Constantly. And honestly.
3. Always
follow through on nudges of the Spirit (this requires item #2). Expect
surprises!
4. Cultivate
stillness. I am not very good at holding still. When I was little my mother
would give me a quarter if I would hold still or be quiet for five/ten/fifteen
minutes (I did not make much money on that offer). However, in the stillness of
both body and mouth, I learn to distinguish God’s voice from that of my own, and
the lying voices of the world and God’s enemy.
5. Participation
in communal worship with a body of believers. It is within the assembly of
believers that I will find my identity as God’s child and a member of the
family of faith. There we commit ourselves to God and each other for
accountability, mutual love and concern, ministry, and witness. I am blessed,
so very blessed, by my Lindale family!
6. Allow
others to minister to me. I am human, too. I must admit when I struggle and
ask for help when needed. I have been so well-cared for by my brothers and
sisters during my seasons of anxiety, sorrow, and fear. What beautiful gifts of
grace!
7. Integrity.
I strive for consistency in behavior and principals so that my words and deeds
are undivided. I desire to offer a complete witness of a life given to following Jesus
Christ. Again, a life-long endeavor.
8. Hold ministry
loosely. This is God’s work to which
he has invited and empowered me. Any praise goes right back to God (a pride
check). Likewise, complaints must also be filtered; what is true in what is
being said to me, and how should I attend to it? Conversely, what, as I like to
say, are “not my monkeys” and can be released to God for him to attend to? Sometimes
I’ve needed a trusted friend to help me with that processing.
9. Holistic
self-care; spiritual; mental/psychological, and physical. My choices in all
areas of life can be life-giving or life-draining. I need to be attentive to my
whole being and care for all aspects of my person. I really need people to hold
me accountable to this, as well!
10. Family
first! I learned this through a very difficult lesson. I do not apologize
for taking time to care for my family relationships.
11. I am not indispensable.
There are thousands of people who can perform my job as well or better than I. Ministry
is God’s work and it can and will continue without me (and in spite of me)! I
want to do what God has called me to do and do it passionately, but need to remember
to be humble through it all.
12. Close
friendships with like-minded individuals, as well as those who can offer me
challenge, are beneficial to my whole being! God has been blessing me with
friendships that are mutually life-giving!
13. Laughter
and fun! At camp, we had quote boards that were always a source of mirth
(and only a few people knew of the one on the back of my office door). Something
as simple as a Lego figurine can provide a lot of entertainment.
14. Hard Work.
Do something that has immediate satisfying results. Ministry often does not have
visible results. At camp I would mow, or help clean, or organize something just
so I had a gratifying reward. Working in the soil also provides me enjoyment
because it is very tactile; dirt under my fingernails and grass stains on my
feet make me happy.
15. Always be
willing to do anything. I would always tell the camp staff; “I will never
ask you to do something that I am not willing to do myself. Unless it involves
reptiles.”
So, there you have my list of
things I have learned in fifteen years of working alongside God. I am thankful
for these lessons and for every person with whom I have shared the journey!
