ENJOYING THE JOURNEY

Had lunch today with a pastor I don't get together with too often. He had called last week and asked if we could meet up. I felt for this guy - great guy, but going through a season where things are not coming together in the church, folks have left and there's not a lot of commitment from many of those that are there.

He said he had seriously contemplated throwing in the towel. We talked about a number of issues and I made a few suggestions that might help them move forward.

I left there with a couple of impressions -

1. I was reminded that pastoring can be a very lonely calling. But I do think that much of the time when that is the case, it is self-imposed.

2. I recalled having been in similar situations myself and appreciating the friends who encouraged me to stick at it. I owe them a lot!

3. I was tremendously grateful to God for the church he is building among us. I love our church, I love pastoring and although I don't know where we're heading, I'm enjoying every bit of the journey.

Folks aren't always looking for clever answers. They generally don't want Bible quotes thrown at them either. But there are times when it's important to know that we are important and that someone cares.