Dangerous Calling

Dangerous Calling

Why would anyone think that being a pastor is a dangerous calling? Yes, there have been an increased number of assaults and murders on church property. But that's not the danger that I am writing about. Some time ago I watched a DVD series by Paul David Tripp titled “Dangerous Calling.” He maintains that the pastoral ministry becomes dangerous when one looses their awe of God!

We don't here the word “awe” much anymore. Maybe it's because our culture is not surprised or astonished about life. With the constant saturation of information and misdeeds, a numbness of the soul has settled in. The dictionary defines “awe” as reverential fear or respect of someone or something. I wonder how much awe of God is left even in the Church.

Years ago, preparing to start a storefront church in Montana, a seasoned pastor had some practical advice for me. He said that there are two key things for survival in ministry: keep your hands out of the offering plate and keep your pants zipped up. Years later while ministering in Africa, another seasoned pastor told me that in training young men for the ministry he stresses this wisdom: you loose your pants, you lose your Bible. This is down to earth advice that they don't teach you in Bible school.

A pastor has to master the gift of caring for people without losing the awe of God. The ongoing struggles of people's lives have a way of overpowering a pastor's own walk with the Lord. Again, I am thankful for those who have encouraged me to hang onto the awe of God.

Here’s what the Bible says to us leaders: “…take care of God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly sowing them the way.”

Late For A Funeral

Late For A Funeral

It was a lazy June afternoon. I had just returned from a two-week trip to East Africa teaching at a Pastors Conference. Recovering from jet lag, I was in my office at church when I received a call from the local funeral director. He informed me that the family of a deceased church member was waiting for me at the funeral home. Was I planning on coming over?

This church member had died some months before and was cremated. The widow wasn’t up to a burial at that time. Before leaving for Africa, a date was set upon my return. With all that goes into re-entry after an overseas trip, I promptly forgot all about the service. The family didn’t and was gathered at the funeral home wondering what happened to their pastor.

When I received the call, I was dressed in jeans and a short sleeve shirt, presentable enough to perform the service. Speeding across town, I made it  there in record time. I was so flustered as I walked in that I could hardly speak. No excuse would be good enough to explain my poor memory. In all my years of ministry this was the first time I forgot to show up at a funeral. A sure sign I was starting to slip.

The widow and the family were very gracious. We were good friends and they were generous is their forgiveness. On the way to the cemetery all I could do was try to pull myself together and focus on what I needed to say at the graveside. I must have sounded like an idiot because I kept losing my place in the prayer book and the family kept laughing because they had never seen me so shook up.

Somehow I made it through still feeling embarrassed at my meager performance as their pastor. As we were walking back to the car, the widow thanked me for coming. She gave me a big hug and presented me with a plastic case about the size of a shoebox. She told me that her late husband would want me to have this as thank you gift. As I opened the box inside was a brand new Smith and Wesson stainless steel revolver! I confess that God does work in mysterious ways.

Herding Cats

Herding Cats

I confess that cats are not my favorite household pets. Although I have had a few over the years, I still prefer dogs especially Shelties. Cats have a mind of their own and don’t take to being told what to do. They are not easily intimidated by loud threats or scolding. They like to cuddle and snuggle but only when they decide. No, dogs are a lot more to my liking.

There are two exceptions to my cat feelings. They were not cats that I lived with but ones I observed from a distance. I met Elmer back in 1974 while moving from Minneapolis to Bozeman, Montana where we going to manage a ski lodge. Hauling our earthly possessions in a U Haul, Judy and I stopped in Medora, North Dakota for the night. When I went into the office to register for a room, an overweight calico cat was napping on the counter. This was Elmer’s perch. With those big feline eyes he checked out anyone who came in the door. You could pet him and he would purr but nothing more. Elmer of Medora is probably no more but he was a cat with a class act.

Fang was a whole different kind of cat. I met Fang early one winter morning.  I was making breakfast for our lodge guests. I happened to look out the window. There, on the very small ledge, sat this huge, grey Angora cat. As I looked closer, this cat had one eye gouged out and only one large tooth that hung outside his lip. This was a wild cat that had seen better days. He appeared on the windowsill every morning. After awhile I built a shelf so he could sit there comfortably. I could not touch him but he loved my pancakes. Fang is no more. Somewhere along the way he fell to the bottom of the food chain.

Several years ago, I saw a video on the Internet. The title was “Herding Cats.” If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to look it up. It reminded me of pastoring. In fact I showed it at one of our Sunday services. Not an easy job to get everyone going in the same direction.

The Bible records in the Book of Judges a time when Israel was in disarray. “At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing.” Sounds like a lot of cats to me!

My Prayer Wheel

My Prayer Wheel

Before you get all upset about my using a Tibetan prayer tool, I have a story to share. Years ago when I was pastoring the Ark Church in Havre, Montana, I worked in a retail store part time. It was an opportunity to make extra income to support my family. It also gave me the chance to meet people in the community.

Cavaliers Men and Boys store employed me for the nine years. The owners, Tom and Doug, hired me even though I had limited experience in retail sales. You need to know that Tom and Doug were expert salesmen. They taught me how to sell. Their mantra was “ sell the customer what we have not what he wants.” Let me tell you, they could sell. Once I witnessed then selling a widow a burial suit with two pairs of pants for her deceased husband.

Besides learning to be a salesman, my other jobs included cleaning the toilets twice a week and vacuuming the carpet every morning. Growing up in a large family I knew how to do chores. The vacuum was an antique Kirby; heavy and awkward. It was a workout just pushing the thing around the store.

One day as I was vacuuming, this thought came into my mind: why don’t you take this “no brainer time” and pray. That started a daily routine of praying while I vacuumed. I prayed for family, friends, those in need, our church, our city and Cavaliers. I got so good at this, praying and vacuuming, that I enjoyed my morning chore. That old Kirby became my prayer wheel. The last time I was in Havre, I stopped by Cavaliers to see if the prayer wheel was still there. It was!

I confess that I miss those days working with Tom and Doug. They challenged me to step out of my religious comfort zone. They were gracious to let me study during slow times at the store. Most of all we became good friends.

The Bible says, “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens.”